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Introduction, styling

During my test drive of the Panamera S Hybrid, a gentleman came up to me and asked, "What's so hybrid about it?". Well, obviously Porsche and hybrid don't mix in the eyes of the general public.

Let's just face it. Times have changed and Porsche no longer makes just 911s and sports cars. It all started with the Cayenne in 2002 and in 2009, the Stuttgart brand introduced the Panamera four-door saloon on the back of the success of the former. To further make the Cayenne more environmentally sustainable in the modern world, a hybrid version was introduced last year with the launch of the second-generation Cayenne. Now, Porsche has introduced a hybrid version of the Panamera - the Panamera S Hybrid.

The Panamera's styling has divided opinions ever since it made its world debut at the Shanghai Motorshow in April 2009. Just like the Cayenne, it seemed that Porsche's designers simply recycled design elements from a 911 onto a larger vehicle, a five-door luxury limo in the Panamera's case. This makes the Panamera look heavy and clumsy from certain angles and its overall design not cohesive or well proportioned. It looks OK enough when viewed directly from the front or rear but it looks just awkward when seen from the flanks or the rear three-quarter.

The hybrid variant can be differentiated on the outside from other Panamera models by the 'hybrid' badges on the front doors and boot lid as well as by its 19-inch five-spoke 'Panemera Design' wheels.

Performance, ride and handling

Just like in the Cayenne hybrid, the internal combustion engine in the hybrid Panamera is the 3-litre supercharged V6 lump from the Audi S4 making 333bhp and 440Nm. The Panamera S Hybrid features a 34kW (47bhp) electric motor integrated within the transmission. Porsche calls this layout the Parallel Full Hybrid. The supplementary electric motor together with the 2995cc supercharged V6 engine pumps out combined outputs of 380bhp and 580Nm according to Porsche, outputs that are pretty close to the 400bhp 4.8-litre V8 Panamera S model.

The two drive units are connected to one another by a separator clutch masterminded by the Hybrid Manager. This separator clutch ensures that the Panamera S Hybrid may be driven either by the electric motor or the combustion engine alone, or by both drive units together. At moderate acceleration speeds, the electric motor can power the Panamera autonomously at speeds of up to 85km/h, for example in town or built up areas it can run for a couple of kilometres entirely on electric power, without any emissions and minimum noise. This is possible when accelerating moderately or when the 'E-Power' mode is selected via the button on the centre console. In addition, the system also offers the option of 'sailing' at speeds of up to 165km/h without using the petrol engine at all.

When maximum acceleration is required, the electric motor provides a boost effect for additional power and acceleration. The hybrid system also incorporates a nickel metal-hydride battery (NiMh) stack fitted beneath the luggage compartment, storing electrical energy regained when applying the brakes and driving under regular conditions (regenerative braking).

With a quoted 0-100km/h time of 6 seconds, the Panamera S Hybrid certainly feels lively and quick and it certainly delivers Porsche levels of performance even though it is basically a large car powered by a relatively small 3-litre V6 engine. With the 300Nm rated electric motor doing its job of boosting acceleration from very low speeds, the Panamera doesn't feel at all lazy to get up to speed off the line.

On the road, one can hardly feel the hybrid system at work as it seamlessly switches between petrol and electric power and vice versa. Power delivery via the Tiptronic S eight-speed automatic gearbox is smooth and seamless, with more than enough go at any given speed. The eight-speed gearbox makes for a great mate for the V6 and its hybrid module, offering smooth and well-timed gear changes in all instances. Gear changes are also as quick and crisp as those performed by the PDK twin clutch box other Panamera variants use. Moreover, it features Tiptronic '+/-' manual mode for the sake of control freaks. There's also a Sport mode button that sharpens throttle response among other things when activated.

On the road, one can hardly feel the hybrid system at work as it seamlessly switches between petrol and electric power and vice versa. Power delivery via the Tiptronic S eight-speed automatic gearbox is smooth and seamless, with more than enough go at any given speed. The eight-speed gearbox makes for a great mate for the V6 and its hybrid module, offering smooth and well-timed gear changes in all instances. Gear changes are also as quick and crisp as those performed by the PDK twin clutch box other Panamera variants use. Moreover, it features Tiptronic '+/-' manual mode for the sake of control freaks. There's also a Sport mode button that sharpens throttle response among other things when activated.

On the driving dynamics front, the Panamera hybrid is less of a compromise when compared to the Cayenne hybrid. The brakes still have that slight typical hybrid overservoed feel but you can at least moderate brake pressure much easier in the Panamera than in the Cayenne. The hybrid Panamera's handling also feels very much similar to non-hybrid models - no wonder when you consider that the hybrid is just 120kg heavier than a Panamera 4S. Set PASM to its sportier setting and the suspension stiffens up further, endowing the Panemera with tauter handling that can shame several of its petrol powered competitors.

Porsche says that the Panamera S Hybrid is the brand's most fuel economic model ever - it returns an average fuel consumption figure of 7.1 litres for every 100km, which is significantly better than both the V6 (9.4 litres/100km) and Panamera S (10.3 litres/100km).

Interior and conclusion

Inside, the hybrid is just like any other Panamera models bar small detail changes like the 'E-Power' button on the centre console. The Panamera is a true four seater so only two of your mates can take the rear seats. The two rear occupants will be comfortably cocooned on the two individual seats at the rear whilst enjoying more than enough knee and headroom. Access to the boot is fantastic thanks to the wide opening hatch. Boot space is pretty impressive and if required, the rear seat backs can tumble down to further increase load carrying capacity.

Up front, an electrically adjustable seat that not only looks good but also is also both comfortable on long drives and supportive in the corners greets the driver.

The new Panamera S Hybrid and the Cayenne S Hybrid will be joined by the 918 hybrid hypercar when the latter appears in production form in a couple of years' time. While Porsche's first hybrid, the Cayenne S Hybrid needs some convincing, the brand's second stab at a part gasoline part electric model in the form of the Panamera S Hybrid is certainly a much more successful effort. Average Joe will find that a hybrid Porsche won't be that much of a surprise at all in time to come.

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