PANAMERA 4 E-HYBRID
(Electric) motoring done right second time round
HERE’S the plug-in petrolelectric Panamera that Porsche really wanted to build. The S E-hybrid model introduced in 2013 for the mid-cycle update of the 2009 Panamera Gen I, was a mash-up of components borrowed from other Volkswagen Group brands. The first Panamera Gen II hybrid, on the other hand, is all Porsche’s work.
Called 4 E-hybrid it will arrive in Australia in Q3 this year, around six months after the February 2017 launch of the core Panamera models. It has a Porsche co-developed engine and the company’s new eightspeed dual-clutch transmission. And the operating strategy of the car’s hybrid powertrain draws on expertise earned during development of the 918 Spyder.
The 4 E-hybrid’s engine is a 243kw twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6. Between the engine and the 100kw electric motor in the front end of the double-clutch transmission is another clutch. With this clutch engaged, both the engine and motor work together. When it’s disengaged, the 4 E-hybrid becomes an EV. All-wheel drive remains a constant throughout. In Sport and Sport Plus driving modes, the internal combustion engine runs full time. In Hybrid Auto mode it stops and starts, while in E-power the Panamera runs electric.
Maximum system outputs – with the turbo engine and electric motor working together – are 340kw and 700Nm. These are hefty increases over the Panamera 4. Despite its extra 300kg, the 4 E-hybrid is much quicker. Porsche claims a 0-100km/h time of 4.6sec, nearly a full second better than the Panamera 4.
It’s especially responsive at low revs, where the hefty boost of the electric motor is obvious. And E-power mode is surprisingly strong; the motor delivers 400Nm fromom zero to 2300rpm. Keeping upp with urban traffic isn’t a problem.blem. Top speed in this modee is limited to 140km/h.
The 4 E--hybrid now and then made a jerkyrky shift and the blended braking systemystem was hard to modulate precisely at low speed, but otherwise this car is pure Panamera Gen II. It feels big, especially in width, but agile. It’s refined, though prone to wind noise around the front windows. Cargo space is nearly the same, despite the 14kwh Li-ion battery pack beneath its floor that delivers a 50km electric driving range. Only the 4 E-hybrid’s bright green brake calipers give the game away.
The 4 E-hybrid will sell for $ 242,600, around $ 40,000 less than the rear-drive S E-hybrid it effectively replaces. In terms of price it slots neatly between the new Panamera 4 and 4S, though its performance is much closer to the latter than the former.
Adds electrons to help you go with thee (green) flow FIRST OVERSEAS DRIVE