Panamera PHEV is a hoot to drive
First Drive: 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo
Malaga, Spain — It is early Saturday morning, and I have 680 horsepower in my hands. As the sun begins to climb above the Alboran Sea, finally warming the snakes of asphalt that slither into the mountains, the 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo (yes, that’s the longest Porsche model name ever) is using exactly zero gasoline.
Even though this car has about as much power as a naval warship and our pace is quick, our onboard calculator is showing current fuel consumption of 0.0 L/100 km. Were we to travel in combination with the engine, our consumption would, Porsche says, register a mere 3.0 L/100 km. No wonder there’s so much interest in electric propulsion.
This is the plug-in hybrid Panamera Turbo S in Porsche’s new Sport Turismo design — a wagon by most people’s definition — and it brings out the very best proportions of the large, four-door tourer, replete with a nifty, automatically moving fin at the rear glass for downforce at speed. Until its most recent reshaping, the Panamera always looked somewhat ungainly to most. But not this time. Not this car. The Panamera Sport Turismo looks perfect, as though it was always meant to be this way. And it is now motivated by an equally alluring powertrain in the Turbo S E-Hybrid, the top model in the range, priced at $214,900 in Canada.
What makes this car special? It is not just the absence of sound or the brisk acceleration as the car hurtles toward 140 km/h without calling for backup from the 550-horsepower, 4.0-L V8 housed under that long and low hood (only when past 140 km/h will it rouse the gasoline engine). It is not the magical shifting of the eight-speed double clutch PDK automatic transmission that makes us feel as if we’re aboard some high speed train, the shifts executed so cleanly and evenly they’re hard to detect. It is not the sumptuous interior, a blend of old and new, with only the dash vents looking low rent, that so successfully marries sportiness with high luxury. No, it is the 100-kW, 136-hp electric motor that will go 49 km before needing the V8 that makes driving this Panamera something special.
The hybrid’s zero-to-60 km/h acceleration in electric mode is a respectable 6.1 seconds. The V8 will recharge the 14.1 kWh battery once it falls below a certain level, the digital instrumentation clearly spelling it all out. When using a plug and at least a 230-volt connection, a full charge requires six hours from empty with the standard 3.6 kW charger. That drops to 2.4 hours when using the optional fast charger and 230V. For someone with a short commute or who only runs short errands, whole months could go by without needing fuel.
Or probably not. Even those with an unusually high degree of constraint or consciousness about our planet will be seduced into full submission the second they experience the twin corridors of power that is the full pairing of V8 engine and electric motor.
The chorus of twin-turbo V8 and electric motor, netting a monstrous 626 pound-feet of torque and 680 hp, is as exciting as it is serene. Zero to 100 km/h is gone in 3.4 seconds, 200 km/h is eclipsed in another 8.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 310 km/h. In Sport+ mode, the engine barks through four oval pipes like a proper German sedan. And yet, even at such insane speed, this car feels as solid as the slabs of marble that come from the sides of these Portuguese mountains.
Amid these twisty summit roads, a new respect is found for the Porsche engineers who designed and built the suspension of this heavy, 2,325-kg car. An adaptive, three-chamber air suspension that includes Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) is standard, delivering a good mix of comfort and road holding ability, the handling prowess of an AWD car that can manoeuvre not quite like a 911 because of its mass (and seating for three in the back), but worthy of being a close relative of that legendary sports car.
Active chassis control is standard, as is Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, and powerful ceramic-composite brakes. Rear-axle steering is an option, but it may not be necessary; the steering is highly accurate and with excellent feel.
The accelerator pedal, however, lacks the same authority. Push the gas and the car moves forward well enough in e-mode, but it’s hard to read if enough pressure has been applied. So insulated is the Panamera from the workings of the powertrain, there’s a numbness to the pedal that would take time to overcome. It’s also evident when the V8 is fully operational in the Sport modes. The brake pedal, too, can feel odd at times, pushing back on the foot as the brakes recoup kinetic energy, though the car stops with amazing urgency at all times without being too sensitive. Part of the issue is the Panamera Turbo S is so damned quiet, the opposite of so many Porsches.
Unlike so many Porsches, this one eats a good deal of cargo. A low rear floor makes loading easy. The tailgate opens with a wave of the foot or push of a button, and with all the seats up, it will consume 425 L of stuff. With the 40/20/40-split rear seats down, there’s room for eight to 10 hockey bags, or 1,295 L. Which partly explains the unique attraction of the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo. Not only is this spacious car able to haul plenty of stuff and people while looking elegant, it can do so without using gas. Of course it can also use gas and electricity to travel at mind-warping velocity through any mountain pass, summer or winter or whenever there’s a need for speed.