The Porsche Panamera Hybrid

The Porsche Panamera Hybrid has to be one of the most exciting automobiles launched in a very long while.

On its own, the Panamera was exciting enough and pretty much lived up to every expectation you’d have from a Porsche. But with car makers around the world increasingly trying to boost their green credentials, it’s no surprise that Porsche also wanted to jump on the bandwagon and they definitely did it with style.

The combination of a high gas mileage without too much loss (maybe make that any loss…) in performance is what consumers are telling the car makers they want. In other words, we all long for a little thrill in our drives, but we don’t want to get beaten up by the environmental lobby in the bargain.

Let’s face it, so far most hybrid cars have been a little boring. Unsurprisingly, that all changes with the arrival of Porsche’s Panamera Hybrid.

So why choose Porsche?

Quite simply, it’s the quickest hybrid currently on the market. Back in 2008 was when Porsche first said it was going to be developing a parallel hybrid system for the Panamera. It was then unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011.

It may not deliver the best mpg figures in the hybrid world, but combined with the 3-litre V6; it’s very quick. In fact, it can get from 0–60 in just six seconds, with a top speed of just under 170 mph. And while it’s doing all this, it emits very little CO2 per km, which means it’s the cleanest car Porsche has to offer.

The range you can expect…

The Panamera S Hybrid’s 1.7-kilowatt-hour nickel-metal-hydride battery gives you about a mile and a half of electric-only range. But around town is where it really helps the mpg figures. And there’s an “E-Power” switch that allows you to select electric-only driving for the city – and this works at just over 50mph.

The system also enables drivers to go for the engine-off “sailing mode” – kind of a safer coasting option — which will operate at speeds just over 100mph, which will leave most hybrids trailing behind in your wake!

Taken all in, Panamera S Hybrid should deliver a very respectable 34 mpg, not too bad for a hybrid!

This article was written by motoring enthusiast Lisa. She always does her bit to be environmentally friendly, so it’s no wonder she tends to favour hybrid cars.