The PHEV version of Porsche's Panamera luxury five-door Gran Turismo model has been usefully evolved. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Background

In an age when Porsche is increasingly known for its full electric cars, it's easy to forget that the brand was one of the earliest premium brand adopters of PHEV technology. First with the Cayenne E-Hybrid (in 2010) and then shortly afterwards (in 2013) with a similarly-engineered E-Hybrid version of the Panamera, the brand's luxury Gran Turismo. Those early E-Hybrid Porsches were difficult to justify, with a tiny 14.1kWh battery that seemed to take the car hardly any distance at all before it needed replenishment. But as you'd hope, aided by the VW Group, Zuffenhausen's grasp on Plug-in Hybrid tech has come on in leaps and bounds in the decades since and the G3-generation Panamera E-Hybrid we look at here is a very different proposition from its predecessors. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid uses basically the same 2.9-litre V6 as is also used in a base Panamera V6. The 4 E-Hybrid model offers 470PS, or you can also have a 4S E-Hybrid variant with 544PS. Those power outputs are dramatically increased over the previous generation model and come courtesy of a 190PS electric motor inserted into the housing of the heavily revised version of the ZF-built PDK 8-speed dual clutch auto transmission that all Panameras now use. The big difference this time round is that this motor is mated to a much larger battery, boosted in size from 17.9 to 25.9kWh. Hence EV range figures that are almost doubled over the equivalent previous generation models - to 59 miles for the E-Hybrid and 56 miles for the 4S E-Hybrid. There's still a throbbing 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 petrol powerplant for top-of-the-range models, but like the V6 unit it too has been fundamentally altered, with everything different except the block. You can still get this powertrain in conventional form - in the form of the 500PS GTS model. But most Panamera customers who want a V8 will order it mated to PHEV tech, where in combination with the E-motor we just mentioned, it produces 680PS in the Turbo E-Hybrid model, allowing 62mph to flash by in just 3.2s on the way to 196mph, with EV range of 57 miles. Should that level of performance be somehow insufficient, you can ask your Porsche Centre about an even more powerful Turbo S E-Hybrid flagship model which offers 782PS, makes 62mph in 2.9s and manages 202mph. EV range is 52 miles. Other than engines, the big choice for Panamera customers lies with suspension. Earlier, we mentioned the standardisation of the air-sprung set-up across the range; it's a 'PASM' 'Porsche Active Suspension Management' adaptive system that combines with a semi-active anti-roll bar and uses more sophisticated two-valve dampers that have allowed Porsche to switch from the previous three-chamber set-up to a simple two-chamber arrangement. And it works both together and independently of the three drive modes ('Normal', 'Sport' and 'Sport Plus'); and can be set at four levels - 'Lift', 'Normal', 'Lowered' and 'Low'. For those who want to go further, Porsche now offers an even more advanced suspension set-up called 'Active Ride', offered as a fearsomely expensive option and only available with the Plug-in Hybrid variants because their 400V hybrid system is necessary to power its hydraulic pumps.

Design and Build

Apart from an extra charging flap, it'll be hard for the neighbours to spot that your Panamera is a PHEV. You won't need us to tell you that this third generation Panamera design is very much a case of evolution over revolution. You might even mistake this for a further facelifted version of the old MK2 model. But no, Porsche insists the design is completely different and it all sits on a heavily updated version of the Modular Sport Toolkit platform introduced with the previous model that the brand developed with Bentley. Get up close and you'll start to appreciate the visual changes and stretched proportions that make this the sleekest Panamera yet. There's only now this five-door Gran Turismo-style body shape, the old Sport Turismo estate having been dropped. Perhaps the most obvious outside change lies at the more athletic-looking front end with its redesigned headlights; the front grille is also different, as are the wheels. As before there's a probing bonnet, a shallow glasshouse and an angled liftback, plus that tailgate's now frameless and the bodywork has tauter surfacing. If you specify the optional 'Active Ride' suspension system, the car lifts by 5.5cm when the doors open to make it easy to get in. Turbo models are set apart this time round, benefiting from a more aggressive body kit and a triple panel fold-out rear wing. Inside upfront, again initial familiarity with the 'Porsche Driver Experience Control' layout gives way after closer inspection to appreciation of considerable change. There's an even more digital experience: the centre touchscreen, the digital instruments and the steering wheel are all new and there's a driving mode toggle and a dash-mounted gear selector from the Porsche Taycan. Media connectivity takes another step forward too. As before, there's a high centre console and there's still the option of a passenger display inset into the dashboard. Access to the rear has been proved with larger door apertures. And once inside at the back, there's more legroom. Boot space drops over the conventionally-engined models - from 494 to 430-litres (or 421-litres with the two Turbo variants).

Market and Model

The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid with 470PS was priced from around £91,000 at the time of our Review in late 2024. You'll need from around £102,000 for the 544PS 4S E-Hybrid, from around £145,000 for the Turbo E-Hybrid and from around £169,000 for the Turbo S E-Hybrid. The key option, not available with non-PHEV Panameras, is 'Active ride'. which requires around £7,000 more. Across the range, other things you might want to look at include rear-axle steering, the Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus system, ceramic brakes and a head-up display. There's a panoramic glass roof and you can additionally get Night View Assist and a Remote ParkAssist system that'll allow you to park the car with a smartphone app. Unfortunately, on all mainstream Panameras you have to pay extra for Adaptive Cruise Control and a front seat ISOFIX fitting. Other options include cooled ventilation and massaging available for the front seats, soft-close doors, rear privacy glass, an air quality system, blinds for the rear side and tailgate windows and a whole menu of cosmetic colour additions - here, for instance, we've got side window trims in high-gloss black. For the inside, there are a huge number of trimming inlay and upholstery choices. The Turbo versions get a bit more visual differentiation with this MK3 model. This includes a new 'Turbonite' bronze colour scheme and satin grey colouring for various bits of the bodywork and interior; plus for this top model, Porsche has coloured its crest in 'Turbonite'. Turbo models also feature special centre-lock wheels too. Across the range, there are new colours available - the brand is trying to persuade customers away from the usual dour blacks, greys and silvers. For the inside, there are any number of trimming inlay and upholstery choices. And you might want to add an extra display to the passenger side of the front fascia.

Cost of Ownership

The much larger 25.9kWh battery fitted to this MK3 model (a powerpack which is nearly double the size of the earliest 14.1kWh battery used in the original Panamera Hybrid) has a big impact on efficiency figures. Thanks to this, today's G3-era Panamera 4 E-Hybrid returns up to 282.5mpg on the combined cycle, up to 22g/km of CO2 and has a 59 mile EV range. For the Panamera 4S E-Hybrid, the figures are up to 256.8mpg, up to 24g/km of CO2 and a 56 mile EV range. These PHEV models always start in the purely electric E-Power mode. Once the state of charge of the battery is under a certain minimum value, the system automatically switches to Hybrid Auto mode, which adapts the operating strategy to the current driving situation. In E-Hold mode, the current state of charge of the battery is preserved. In E-Charge mode, on the other hand, the combustion engine charges the battery to up to 80 per cent out of town and above 34mph, while the Panamera utilises the efficiency benefits of the hybrid drive in city traffic. What about the V8 PHEV versions? Well here again, the WLTP-rated efficiency figures have improved significantly. The Turbo E-Hybrid is rated at up to 235.4mpg on the combined cycle, up to 26g/km of CO2 and up to 57 miles of EV range (up from a best of 33 miles before). For the top Turbo S E-Hybrid, the figures are up to 201.8mpg, up to 31g/km of CO2 and up to 52 miles of EV range. All these stats by the way, are usefully better than you'd get from a rival Bentley Flying Spur Speed PHEV. Whichever Panamera PHEV you choose, you'll be pleased to find that because the now-bigger battery's 300kg weight is only 22kg heavier than before and it's supported by an 11kW on-board AC charger (a replacement for the old 3.6kW unit), charging times are significantly faster than before. AC charging at 11kW from 0-100% requires 2 hours 42 minutes.

Summary

Porsche wants to offer customers searching for a large four-door sporting luxury GT a clear choice between EV drive (in the Taycan) and the PHEV tech that now predominates in the Panamera range. You can't help thinking that right here, right now, for quite a few customers, an E-Hybrid Panamera might be a better bet. That wouldn't have been the case with previous generation Panamera E-Hybrid models, but with this third generation version of this design, Porsche's Plug-in Hybrid tech is dramatically more justifiable. You really could use this car much like an EV for suburban duties for much of the time. So don't sign on the dotted line for that Taycan quite yet. Here's another way to go.