2018 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid

Porsche is trying to change that with the upcoming plug-in-hybrid version of  the new panamera, the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, which is slated for a U.S. market launch in mid-2017.

The hybrid Panamera can sprint to 62 mph in a claimed 4.6 seconds, and it tops out at 173 mph .                                                                                                                                         

If the driver keeps a very light foot on the gas pedal, the hybrid can go up to 31 miles on electricity alone, powered by a 14.1-kWh battery pack (up from the previous version’s 9.4-kWh unit) that lives under the rear cargo floor. Maximum speed without the gasoline engine kicking in is 87 mph (although traveling at or near that speed will rapidly deplete the stored electrons). The European cycle for plug-in hybrids, which is of zero relevance to real-life consumption, rates the Panamera E-Hybrid at 94 mpg.

PERFOMANCE

The Panamera S E-Hybrid is a luxury sports car first, and a plug-in hybrid second.

When the combined brute force of the 3.0-liter, V6 supercharged gas engine’s 333 horsepower is paired with electric propulsion from its 70-kilowatt electric motor, it produces a plug-in hybrid that can scoot from zero to 60 miles per hour in just over five seconds. An eight-speed Tiptronic S gearbox drives the rear wheels. Top speed is 167 miles per hour, courtesy of 416 horsepower.

These numbers are all the more remarkable, considering that the vehicle tips the scale over 4,600 pounds—the heaviest car in the Panamera lineup. Here’s the topper: the EPA's official fuel efficiency number for this monster Porsche is the equivalent of 50 miles per gallon (the same as a Prius hybrid).

Notable advance featurs

➥   f2.9 liter twin-turbo V6 engine producing 330 hp and the electric motor producing 136      hp, total output: 462 hp 516 lb.-t

➥ 8-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) with Auto Start Stop function.

➥19-inch Panamera wheels.

➥ Six-piston aluminium monobloc fixed calipers at front, four-piston aluminium monobloc fixed calipers at rear, acid-green brake calipers.

➥ Adaptive Air Suspension incl. Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM).

➥ Porsche Traction Management (PTM) active all-wheel drive.

➥ Porsche Communication Management (PCM) including navigation, Connect Plus.

➥ Porsche Connect Plus.

CHARGING

Porsche includes its custom home charging system with the purchase of a Panamera S E-Hybrid. It can be connected to a high-power household outlet, like ones used for clothes dryers. Buyers choose from more than 20 different charging cables to support nearly all of the world’s plug connection types.                                                                                       

                                                                                    

                                                                                       

Porsche said that it also supplies “special, easy-to-change plug adapters”—what it calls the Porsche universal charger—to cover any kind of charging source on the road.

The battery pack can be fully replenished in about 2.5 hours when connected to a 240-volt source. Like all EVs, the Porsche charger can also trickle charge at a slower rate via 120-volt sources.

As with other plug-in hybrids—rather than pure electric vehicles—the ability to frequently top up the battery means more miles without using gasoline. However, because there is a gas engine on board, any concerns about range anxiety are alleviated.

To us, the most interesting aspect of the Panamera E-Hybrid is its braking system, which goes the complex route to feel simple. It's also the piece that could use the most work. Here the E-Hybrid   again takes a page from the 918's book, using a brake pedal linkage that passes through an electromechanical box of magic that is in turn connected to a master cylinder.                               

The special master cylinder can circulate hydraulic fluid within itself instead of sending it out to the mechanical brakes, which is what it does when the brakes are in regen mode using only the motor, up to 0.3 g of deceleration. The upshot is that your foot is always moving hydraulic fluid and, in theory, the magic box can vary brake assist force so you can't tell the difference between regen-only and mechanical braking.                                                                                                     

And we have some hope that the E-Hybrid's brakes will improve, because 918 prototype exhibited similar pedal feel that was smoothed out with subsequent updates. Luckily there's the    available Traffic Jam Assist to modulate the brakes in stop-and-go traffic without your feet getting involved, and it does so with no jerkiness at all.