What's the news?
Porsche's second-generation Panamera may have only just been released, but already the German sports car company is adding a fourth model to the line-up - and it's the predicted hybrid version. Best news of all? The new Panamera 4 E-Hybrid will be the cheapest Porker saloon of the lot at €110,321, a good €40,000 cheaper than the 4S petrol that's next up the ladder.
Exterior
Little externally differentiates the E-Hybrid from its regular brethren, save for badging. This is a good thing, though, because the second-generation Panamera '971' model is a far nicer-looking machine than the 970 predecessor.
Interior
Inside the Panamera is the funky Porsche Advanced Cockpit, which does away with a lot of physical switchgear to leave us with some classy touchscreen panels and configurable displays. The E-Hybrid, alone of all Panameras, features a power meter that shows the hybrid drivetrain's operation. More hybrid-specific information is available through the dash screens and instrument cluster.
Mechanicals
Compared to the old Panamera S E-Hybrid, there's been a slight increase in both the fully electric range of the new boy and the maximum speed at which you can run without touching your fossil fuel resources. It can now go 50km on battery power alone, with a maximum speed of 140km/h, whereas before it was more like 35km and 135km/h. So that's good.
As are the performance stats. It uses a hybrid strategy that takes its inspiration from the monster 918 Spyder, in that the electric power is on tap all the time - on the old Panamera Hybrid, you needed to get the throttle to 80 per cent of its travel before it would give you full juice. So, with 700Nm on tap from the instant you brush the right-hand pedal, you're off: 0-100km/h takes just 4.6 seconds and the top speed is a giddy 278km/h. Not bad for an eco-car.
Providing the punch is the 2.9-litre biturbo V6 petrol (with 330hp and 450Nm) and a 100kW (136hp) electric motor with a further 400Nm of torque, with the system maximum output pegged at 462hp. As the '4' in the car's name suggests, drive is sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox and the E-Hybrid has standard-fit three-chamber air suspension. There's a new hybrid module, which is electromechanical instead of electro-hydraulic, and the old hybrid had a torque converter auto, not a PDK, so that's another improvement.
The lithium-ion battery of the Panamera has gone from 9.4- to 14.1kWh, although its weight is the same, and the battery can be charged in anything between around three-and-a-half hours and almost six hours. All of the above results in fuel economy of 2.5 litres/100km (113mpg) and 56g/km of CO2 emissions.
Anything else?
Going on show in Paris shortly, the E-Hybrid should be arriving with the first owners in spring of 2017. As already stated, it will become the 'entry-level' Panamera at €110,321 - the 440hp Panamera 4S starts from €150,573, while the 422hp 4S Diesel (the next greenest model) is €155,815. Outright power is provided by the 550hp Turbo flagship, which costs a whopping €203,502.