What's all this about?
Porsche has given its mega-power Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid plug-in hybrid saloon a round of updates, including more electric-only range and a small upgrade in power, bringing it to a nice, round, 700hp.
OK, how has this come to pass?
There's a new, slightly larger battery, with a power capacity of 17.9kWh, which when fully charged allows the big Porsche to go for around 31 miles (according to the WLTP city test) on just electric power, with performance coming solely from the 100kW electric motor.
Of course, the electric motor is not the star turn, here. That billing goes to the mighty 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, which now has 571hp, a 21hp increase on the previous edition (kilowatt nerds will be pleased to learn that equates to a nice, round 420kW. Neat, huh?) which Porsche reckons is enough to propel the two-tonne luxury four-door to 62mph from rest in just 3.2 seconds, a 0.2-second improvement on the old one. Top speed? It's 196mph... Anyway, we're kind of smug here because, when we recently drove the updated Panamera G2 II, we said the Turbo S E-Hybrid would need to go to 700hp and we've been proven almost clairvoyant. Huzzah!
Ahem, anyway. There's also an upgrade for the slightly-less-nutty Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, which sticks with its 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, but which also gets the bigger battery and the 100kW motor, for a combined output of 462hp. The 4 E-Hybrid gets a slightly longer electric-only driving range of 35 miles, and can hit 62mph from rest in 4.4 seconds. The CO2 emissions for the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid are just 45g/km, which Porsche says represents a 40 per cent decrease compared to the outgoing version.
Do I have to have a plug-in hybrid, though?
Oh, don't fancy electric power at all? Well, for all the luddites in the room, there's also a new Panamera 4S model, which sticks with a 440hp twin-turbo V6 engine, and which hits 62mph in 4.1 seconds.
The 4S now gets the same updates that were rolled out to the broader Panamera range back in August, which means lightly tweaked styling and spec upgrades, plus more infotainment features. All can be had with the estate (shooting brake?) Sport Turismo body or, if you put in a special order, a long-wheelbase executive model.
Anything to mark out the new 700hp Porker?
Style-wise, the E-Hybrid models get larger side air intakes and special headlight units, as well as unique dark-finished brake lights with a full-width light bar. Inside, all three versions of the Panamera gain updated infotainment, which includes 'Voice Pilot' online voice control, 'Risk Radar' for road sign and hazard information, wireless Apple CarPlay and further connected services.
The Panamera's chassis has also been updated, with new suspension bushes, damper tuning and revised engine mountings, plus upgraded steering and uprated tyre specification. The flagship Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid comes as standard with all currently available chassis and control systems such as the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) electric roll stabilisation system, which includes Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), Rear-Axle Steering (RAS) with Power Steering Plus, as well as the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system.
Prices? The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid starts at £83,720, while the 4S comes in at £92,440. The range-topping Turbo S E-Hybrid starts at £140,130.
Neil Briscoe - 19 Oct 2020