2019 Panamera 4 E-hybrid
Written By:
Mike G
Yes it is true we reviewed a Hybrid, that’s right a bunch of guys that have motorsport running through out veins. It is a sign of the times where Hybrid technology is all around us and EV technology is right around the corner whether we like it or not. I do have some bright news for you though. Remember the Porsche 919 Hybrid race car that won Le Mans? Well, that technology that is in that beast has trickled its way down into this Panamera Hybrid. I wanted to remind everyone of that before you turn your nose up at this vehicle. Remember everything Porsche does at the street level has ties to the race track and things they learned in that arena. That is a really good thing for all of us street dwellers. Don’t beat yourself up to badly; we need to remind ourselves of this prior to our review of this vehicle as well.
By, the numbers. SO for all the stat junkies it sounds like this, 2.9 liter, Twin-turbocharged V6 making 330hp and 331 lb-ft. Now that’s all on the petrol motor. Add the hybrid motor; it bumps this beast up to 457hp and 516 lb-ft. That’s the business! Tons of torque gives you the sensation of speed. With sports Chrono this pig will do 0-60 mph in 4.4 sec. That is incredible for a vehicle of this size. Remember, Porsche means performance this is not your Prius type of hybrid, the electric motor in this Porsche works with the gas motor to make it fast and efficient much like the Le Mans winning car I talked about. This vehicle has all the recharging battery systems that work with braking. So on a long trim you battery will continue to charge. The vehicle can be driven in all electric mode that will get you right around 31 miles before the battery is out. So, you could drive this to work plug in and drive home if you lived in that range without ever running the engine if you so inclined. That is a very nice feature if you want to take it easy. I don’t know how you could resist all that power mention though.
The drive was surprising outstanding. It was fast as any sports car out there but it had back seats and a huge trunk. I was rather baffled to be quite honest. I never expected such power from this vehicle. The fit and finish was classic Porsche, great and well placed. Everything made sense as far as where the instruments were laid out. Even someone like me that drives mainly analog cars get figure things out. This car pulled and pulled like it was a rocket ship. The steering was actually quite sharp, for the size of the vehicle I would say turn in was very good. Let’s be real we can’t compare it to a sports car because it is not a sports car. So for what is I would say it moves incredibly well. Would I own one? Heck yes, this thing is a Swiss army knife. It can be a daily driver, it can go on road trips, it can bring the family around to all the necessary places, and it can do it very very quickly! What’s not to like? Oh did I mention it can get roughly 53 mpg when driven sensibly. Where is the fun in that thought, I think you would agree with us and drive everything at all times in Sport Plus! Cheers!