Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid - Review and Test Drive

Welcome back to The Car Diaries, and episode 2 after surviving episode 1!

On a serious note, thank you to everybody who has subscribed, liked and commented on our previous video, we genuinely really hope you enjoy this one and can see the step up in quality compared to episode 1 (especially in regards to the sound).

So of course onto the video itself, episode 2 featuring the 670bhp 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-hybrid lent to us on a drizzly Scottish Sunday afternoon by our good friend John. This car is genuinely jaw dropping for the overall package it provides its owner, and we were truly lucky to be able to enjoy it in some harsh conditions to truly exploit its power from the V8 engine and all wheel drive chassis.

If you have any questions at all then feel free to ask them in the comments below.

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The Porsche Panamera is an executive car (E-segment in Europe) manufactured by the German automobile manufacturer Porsche. It is front-engined and has a rear-wheel-drive layout, with all-wheel drive versions also available. It is the only sedan manufactured by Porsche as part of its strategy of expanding its market.

The production version of the Porsche Panamera was unveiled at the 13th Auto Shanghai International Automobile Show in Shanghai, China, on April 2009. In 2011, hybrid and diesel versions were launched. In April 2013, a facelift to the Panamera was announced, making its debut again at the Shanghai Auto Show. A plug-in hybrid version, the Panamera S E-Hybrid, was released in the U.S. market in November 2013. The Panamera range received a re-design in 2016.

The second generation Panamera was revealed on 28 June 2016 at a special event in Berlin, Germany. Codenamed 971, it is 35 mm (1.4 in) longer, 5 mm (0.2 in) wider and 5 mm (0.2 in) taller than the first generation Panamera, with a 30 mm (1.2 in) longer wheelbase. The interior features a redesigned dashboard layout, with touch-sensitive surfaces replacing the previous generation’s array of buttons. A centrally mounted tachometer also harks back to the 1955 Porsche 356 A.

The new car includes two seven-inch displays in place of the dials, as well as a 12.3-inch touchscreen featuring online sat-nav, Apple CarPlay integration and an updated voice control system. Under the bonnet is a new engine range, with only the Panamera 4S, 4S Diesel and flagship Turbo available from launch.

In March 2017, Porsche unveiled the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, a plug-in hybrid for the 2018 model year. The Turbo S E-Hybrid will receive the 4.0 L V8 engine from the Panamera Turbo, but will also be paired with an electric motor. Total system power will be 680 PS (500 kW; 671 bhp), which makes it the third most powerful Porsche ever, after the 918 Spyder and 991 GT2RS.

In August 2017, Panamera 4S Diesel and Panamera Sport Turismo 4S Diesel were deleted from Porsche's German website and configurator. The German automotive magazine, auto motor und sport, discovered the higher than permittable amount, which is one-and-half times more than legal limit, during the exhaust testing. The issue was with SCR catalysator and urea injection. In September 2018 Porsche announced that the company had decided to no longer offer diesel propulsion in future.

As part of the 2013 Panamera facelift, Porsche announced the introduction of a plug-in hybrid model, the Panamera S E-Hybrid. The plug-in version was unveiled at the April 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. The S E-Hybrid is powered by a 71 kW (97 PS; 95 bhp) electric motor, with a total system power of 310 kW (421 PS; 416 bhp). Top speed amounted to 84 mph (135 km/h) in all-electric mode, and acceleration from 0–62mph took 5.8 seconds. The plug-in electric hybrid had a 9.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack capable of delivering a range of more than 32 km (20 mi) under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standard. The battery could be fully charged in approximately 2½ hours from a 240 V power source. The Panamera plug-in hybrid reduce fuel consumption to 3.1 L/100 km (91 mpg‑imp; 76 mpg‑US), down from 7.11 L/100 km (39.7 mpg‑imp; 33.1 mpg‑US) for the current Panamera hybrid, which translates to CO
2 emissions of 71 g/km, down from 167 g/km for the current hybrid.

In November 2013, the UK Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) approved the eligibility of the Panamera S E-Hybrid for the Plug-in Car Grant which entitles customers to a maximum purchase subsidy of GB£5,000 ( ~ US$8,000). The plug-in hybrid was rated with a fuel economy of 91 mpg‑imp (3.1 L/100 km; 76 mpg‑US) and CO2 emissions of 71 g/km.