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Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid: The plug-in for plutocrats

It's amazing what swapping batteries can do

Be a sport...

In both the Sport and Sport Plus modes, the V6 is kept running most of the time, making the powertrain function more like an overly enthusiastic stop/start system. The petrol motor only seeming to turn off when you are stationary or moving at a consistently low speed. In either of the sport modes, even the slightest pressure on the throttle pedal results in an immediate, rapid and effortless increase is speed. It’s like driving a different car.

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid

Plenty of room in the back

To keep the Panamera charged Porsche gives owners what it calls a Porsche Universal Charger. This lets you charge the car from any AC outlet rated up to 16amps and can be wall mounted in your garage.

The clever bit is that if you want to charge the car from a domestic power socket somewhere else, you can unclip the charger from the wall and take it with you. Assuming a 240V 16amp supply, the Panamera’s battery can be recharged in just over two and a half hours.

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid

You can plug it into the mains for a full charge, if you've two and a half hours to spare

It probably goes without saying that on the open road, the rear-wheel drive Panamera is a fine driver’s car. Refined, comfortable, spacious and superbly screwed together, it is every inch the luxury grand touring saloon.Usefully, the installation of the battery pack at the rear of the car has had no negative effect on the available boot space.

The Panamera is also surprisingly wieldy for something that at just over 2.1 metres wide and 5 metres long is very nearly the same size as a Range Rover. It’s a bit of a pain in the backside to park though as rear visibility is very limited. You get standard parking radar and, by gum, you need it.

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid

Boot size unaffected and you can take the charger with you

The driving experience has also benefited from Porsche tweaking the regenerative braking. In the original Panamera hybrid you were always aware that something a tad unnatural was going on when you hit the brakes. Again, much like the Plug-In Prius. However, in the new Panamera the hand of the recuperative retardation system is impossible to detect.

Like most modern hybrids, it’s also a very easy car to drive. There are flappy paddles to control the eight-speed Tiptronic S gearbox but you don’t actually need them, far easier to just snick the machined aluminium drive selector into D and focus your attention on the hybrid and sport mode buttons.

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid

Five doors but only four adult seats

Porsche also deserves a pat on the head for coming up with an instrument binnacle and dash layout that lets the driver know exactly what the hybrid system is up to and how to get the best out of it, without looking like the set of a cheap sci-fi movie.

However, I can’t quite shake the feeling that a slightly more powerful electric motor would have made more sense, say, something with a peak output closer to 90kW, but that’s the electric car nut in me talking. Incidentally if you want a 4x4 version of the Panamera hybrid, Porsche is about to announce the availability of the same drivetrain in the revised Cayenne range.

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid

Day-glo brake callipers? What happenened to aesthetics guys?

The Reg Verdict

Surprising though it may sound, you could argue that the Panamera S E-Hybrid is one of the best value hybrids on the road. Granted at just shy of £90k, it’s massively expensive, but keep in mind the Panamera range starts at £63,900. The S-model machines, which are the ones you want, kick off at £82,400, while the top of the range S Turbo will set you back £131k.

In fact, it’s quite easy to argue that the Hybrid is the pick of the range from a value perspective. You certainly get a lot of machine for your money and a car that can play the roles of tree hugger hybrid and continent-crossing GT with equal aplomb. ®

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid: The plug-in for plutocrats

Hybrid four seater tourer featuring a 333bhp 3.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine and a 95bhp (70kW) electric motor.
Price: £89,437 RRP

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