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2017 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid | new car sales price


Porsche has revealed its new top-of-the-range Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, that combines a 4.0-litre V8 combustion engine with an electric motor for a total output of 500kW/850Nm.

The top Panamera, which will cost $460,100 plus on-roads when it rolls into Australian showrooms in the third quarter of the year, features all-wheel drive and air suspension, and is due for a full public reveal at next month’s Geneva motor show. 

The 500kW and 850Nm of the new Turbo S E-Hybrid will sit above the 340kW/700Nm Panamera 4 E-Hybrid that is already available to order Down Under. The new car’s dyno-bruising output consists of just on 400kW from the 4.0-litre petrol V8 and 100kW from its electric motor. 

Porsche’s PDK eight-speed automatic transmission is used to get all that power to each corner, giving drive and traction that allows a top speed of 310km/h and a zero to 100km/h sprint time of 3.4 seconds. 

Its competitors don’t quite match up. The Mercedes-AMG S63 produces 430kW/900Nm, Audi’s RS7 pushes out 445kW/750Nm, both from twin-turbo V8s, while the Aston Martin Rapide makes do with 441kW/630Nm from its naturally breathing V12.

The new Panamera has seriously impressive fuel consumption given all that performance.

Nor can they outrun the hybrid Panamera to 100km/h. The Audi goes closest at 3.7 seconds, followed by the Merc at 4.0s and the Aston at 4.9s. The only place they come out ahead of the Porsche is in the wallet with the new Panamera being up to $200k extra.  

The all-electric P90D Tesla beats the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid all round. It is faster (zero to  100km/h in  3.0 seconds), more powerful (515kW/967Nm) and about $250,000 less to buy. 

The new Panamera has seriously impressive fuel consumption given all that performance, using only 2.9 litres per 100km and 16.2kWh/100km of battery while emitting 214 grams per kilometre of CO2.

Recharge time for the Panamera’s liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery varies from six hours on the end of a 240-volt household plug, to about two and a half hours on a fast charger. It can travel about 50km on a fully charged battery. 

The Porsche Connect smartphone application can, via Porsche Communication Management, control elements of the charging process remotely. 

There is an auxiliary air-conditioning unit to keep passengers comfortable even while the battery is charging. 

The default position is to commence on electric power only with the petrol engine only engaged via Hybrid Auto mode once the loud pedal is mashed to the floor or the battery is getting flat. 

The new Panamera features Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport including torque vectoring, adaptive aerodynamics and 21-inch 911 Turbo Design alloy wheels covering ceramic composite brakes. It has as standard air suspension installed at both axles which offers “the comfort of a luxury saloon paired with sportscar-level performance values”.

Would you plug in to Porsche’s new flagship hybrid Panamera, or do you prefer a more traditional internal combustion engine? Tell us in the comments below.