Porsche has revealed the fastest and most powerful version of their Panamera Sport Turismo. But there’s really next to zero surprise here as they had previously launched a mechanically identical version for the regular Panamera sedan (it’s actually more a liftback).
Called the Turbo S E-Hybrid, it combines the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 from the Panamera Turbo S with a bank of lithium-ion batteries totalling 14.1kWh in capacity and a 100kW electric motor to produce a total output of 500kW - only here, the car’s profile is shaped more like an estate, hence it falling under the Sport Turismo banner.
There’s a lot of torque too at 850Nm, which is how much twist it can exert through all four wheels with both motors giving it their all, and funnelled via an 8-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission, resulting in a 0-100km/h dash that’s dispatched in just 3.4 seconds. Keep going, and it’ll sail past 200km/h after 8.5 seconds, only topping out once it reaches 310km/h. Given that the car weighs over 2 tonnes, is rather plush, and has a very large boot (425-litres with rear seats up, 1,295-litres folded), the perspective really does put its performance in a seriously impressive light.
Being a plug-in hybrid, it’s also less about maximum acceleration and speed all the time. Driven normally in mixed conditions, the Turbo S E-Hybrid is also the second most fuel efficient in the range behind the less powerful Panamera S E-Hybrid (sans Turbo S tier). Porsche claims it’ll sip an average of 3.0-litres/100km with a sufficiently light foot and can travel up to 49km solely on a full battery which takes up to 6 hours from a regular plug point, or around 2.5 hours from an EV charge station.
Being the range-topper within the Panamera model line, the S E-Hybrid will obviously come with all the goodies that the options list on lesser variants can supply. But, this being Porsche, there’s still a couple of extras to tease the a would-be owner.
That said, these are mostly relegated to cosmetic customisation. Features that could potentially make the car of a force on the road - at least the large majority of them - do come as standard, such as 21-inch alloys, rear-axle steering, ceramic brakes (PCCB), dynamic chassis control (PDCC Sport) roll stabilisation, dynamic torque vectoring (PTV Plus) with rear differential lock, adaptive three-chamber air suspension, and Porsche’s Sport Chrono Package.
Inside, we have the same high-tech cabin that’s become one of the Panamera’s highlights, mixed here with avant-garde touches and subtle sporty cues. There’s a digitalised instrument cluster that leaves all but tachometer to high resolution displays, and the expansive central infotainment screen that’s perched beyond the centre stack and its touch-sensitive controls that surround the gear lever. Driver-assist systems are also included as part of the Porsche InnoDrive system, adding blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and autonomous emergency braking.
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