MONSTER POWER IN PORSCHE HYBRID
600-plus horsepower luxury package has fuel efficiency that’s hard to believe
The small crowd of protesters made up for its size with intensity, brandishing signs and shaking fists as we approached. Vancouver Islanders are renowned for their NIMBYism; after all, this is the birthplace of Greenpeace. But to be fair, not many of us would be happy with a new racetrack in our backyards, either.
As if in solidarity, a local in a battered pickup blasted by us, bellowing its indignation. Ironically, we glide through the gates of the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit in complete silence, travelling solely on electric power.
The Turbo S has returned once more to head up the Porsche Panamera lineup, but this time with a twist. To demonstrate its faith and commitment to electromobility, Porsche’s new rangetopping Panamera is a plug-in hybrid. While alternative-power-source vehicles are usually offered as moderately powered, low-volume alternatives, in this case Porsche has slapped the E-Hybrid badge on the ne plus ultra of the Panamera fold.
Porsche takes the already hairy-chested, 550-horsepower 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 of the Panamera Turbo, and stuffs a 136-hp electric motor between it and the eight-speed, dual-clutch PDK transmission. With a mindboggling 680 hp and 626 poundfeet of torque, the Turbo S E-Hybrid boasts genuine supercar power, but with an overall fuel consumption rating (Euro Cycle) of 2.9 L/100 kilometres. It can travel up to 50 km on electric power alone, has a top speed of 310 km/h, and blasts from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds.
Rolling out of the pit lane, we can’t help but notice the 918 Spyder parked trackside, as if keeping a benevolent eye on its progeny. But Porsche’s first hybrid supercar is a sleek and low-slung sports car bred for the racetrack; by comparison our Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is a massive luxury liner weighing nearly 700 kilograms more.
The track’s infield is a gently rolling swell of golden grasses, obscuring the fact that this is a highly technical — if somewhat small — circuit. It would be far better suited to the tiny Cayman than the Brobdingnagian fourdoor I’m piloting.
There’s only one reconnaissance lap and my mind’s as busy as my hands around this convoluted 2.3-km race course, with its 19 turns and rapid changes in elevation. Fortunately for us, but probably not so much for the protesters, we’re able to lock out the electric power while on track, as that range would be consumed in a hurry. The big V8 has a magnificent bellow (sorry, neighbours) that quiets to a satisfying rumble at idle.
A car this size shouldn’t be able to handle this well in these tight corners but it does, thanks to a raft of technology standard for this model. Porsche’s Active Suspension Management system continuously assesses the road surface and adapts accordingly at each individual wheel, and the three-chamber air suspension provides a range of flexibility and road clearance, depending on which drive mode is selected. Dynamic Chassis Control adds an electronically controlled rear differential and brake-generated torque vectoring, for better turning agility.
Stomp the pedal and you’re rewarded with eye-watering, breath-snatching thrust, slammed into the seat back as the combined torque is channelled instantaneously to all four wheels through the transmission. Porsche engineers claim the new compact gearbox shows a 28 per cent improvement in friction loss over the previous version, by using a more efficient map-controlled, multi-plate clutch to distribute power rather than a torque converter. Hybridexclusive brake calipers finished in Acid Green with massive carbon ceramic rotors could probably stop a runaway freight train, and using them to haul the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid back down to legal speeds after a passing manoeuvre is an exercise in overkill.
Over the patchwork logging roads that run through the many small villages of Vancouver Island, we experimented with the different driving modes rather than leaving it in the more frenetic Sport Plus because its firmly sprung suspension settings proved too punishing over such ragged pavement.
There are three hybrid settings in addition to the drive modes: E-Hold conserves the electric charge until needed, E-Power enables the car to run solely on electric power up to 140 km/h, and E-Charge, which uses engine and regenerative braking to replenish the battery.
E-Hold mode should prove especially attractive to markets such as China, with heavy emissions restrictions in urban centres. A luxurious four-seater with supercar power and the ability to bypass those restrictions by switching to electric power is the perfect solution for wealthy businessmen unused to compromise.
It’s easy to forget how big this car is, even over these narrow roads, until we come face to face with the occasional logging truck and have to squeeze by without dropping a wheel or scraping the car’s flanks. It’s a testament to how well-sorted the Turbo S E-Hybrid is, that it drives like a much smaller vehicle.
Aside from its distinct powertrain and prodigious power, the Turbo S E-Hybrid is pretty much the same as the rest of the Panamera lineup. The beautifully executed cabin is replete with fine stitched leather, plenty of room fore and aft, and a host of onboard connectivity and technology. Its overall cargo space — 405 L, expanding to 1,245 L with the seats down — is about 100 L short of the regular Panamera because of the hybrid’s battery intrusion, but rear passengers enjoy limousine levels of space and legroom.
Arriving in Canada sometime this fall, the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid will start at $209,800, or $221,700 for the long-wheelbase Executive model.