Sitting at the bottom of the E-Hybrid Panamera range, the 4 E-Hybrid is powered by the familiar 2.9-litre, biturbo V6 from the 'S' variant, albeit in a lower state of tune. It has the 134bhp, 295lb-ft electric motor – integrated into the eight-speed PDK transmission – which is common across all three variants. Also standard across all three cars is the 17.9kWh battery, which is up from the previous generation car's 14.1kWh unit. Total system power is 456bhp.
The 4 E-Hybrid has the best EV range of any of the new Panamera stable, being able to drive for almost 35 miles before the petrol engine has to kick in – according to the WLTP cycle. But despite being the least powerful, it's not exactly lacking in performance: 0-62 takes 4.4 seconds (0.2 seconds faster than the old car) with a top speed of 174mph (up almost 2mph).
Official emissions are 47-51g/km whilst fuel economy is up to 134.5mpg on the official test. Charging is undertaken at AC 7.2kW via the standard on-board charger, whilst public charging can be undertaken with a Mode 3 cable.
You can read about the Panamera 4S E-Hybrid, which sits in the middle of the hierarchy, in our previous story.
At the top of the pile is the new Turbo S version. To look at, it is slightly different to other models thanks to its dual C-shaped Turbo front light modules and enlarged side air intakes. At the rear, the familiar Porsche light bar runs over the boot lid with an adapted contour, whilst the rear light clusters have an optional new cover design and coming home/leaving animation. Three new 20 and 21 inch wheel options are available alongside two new exterior colours (cherry metallic and truffle brown metallic).
The major changes, however, are in the powertrain department where the V6 makes way for Porsche's 4.0-litre biturbo V8 powerhouse. On its own the V8 has 563bhp, but combined with the electric motor, total system power is a prodigious 689bhp plus 642lb-ft of torque.
Performance is considerable; 0-62mph is dispatched in 3.2 seconds, whilst 0-124 comes up in just 10.9 seconds. Top speed is almost 196mph, and yet in official tests the Turbo S E-Hybrid returns 62g/km and 104mpg. Electric range is the lowest of the three models at 31 miles on the WLTP cycle.
As you'd expect, the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid gets all performance assistance systems as standard. These include Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control electric roll stabilisation, integrating Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, rear axle steering with Power Steering Plus and Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes. Inside, the Porsche Communication Management gets a new high-res screen and additional features including Voice Pilot online voice control, Risk Radar for road sign and hazard information plus a host of connected services – albeit there's still no Android Auto integration.
All models in the regular or Sport Turismo body shape are available as of now. A regular Panamera 4 E-Hybrid starts at £83,720 or £85,870 for the Sport Turismo. The Turbo S E-Hybrid is the most expensive Panamera of the range, with the regular car coming in at £140,130 and the Sport Turismo £142,280.
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