16 February 2011 - 11:10
Porsche announces Panamera S Hybrid
Can 7.7 litres per 100km and 159g/km of CO2 emissions ever justify being hated by everybody on your street?
That's essentially the question Porsche is asking with this, the new Panamera S Hybrid.
Utilising the same system currently in the Cayenne, the hybrid Panamera is powered by an electric motor with 47bhp and a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine developing 248kW, mated to an eight-speed tiptronic gearbox. Both engine and motor can be used alone or in conjunction, and Porsche is spoiling you with the Pan's pure electric range: a dizzying 2.01km.
See more pics of the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid
This motor - connected to a nickel metal hybride battery which siphons back energy under braking - also acts as the generator and starter, and sits between the engine and transmission.
The Panamera also features a ‘sailing' function: when the engine isn't using any power and you're basically coasting down the road, it switches the big Vee off to save fuel at speeds of up to 165km/h.
As a result, the Porsche Panamera Hybrid S achieves those figures outlined above, along with a 0-100km/h time of six seconds and a top speed of 270km/h, which, considering it emits less than a 1.6-litre Ford Focus, is quite astonishing.
The S Hybrid also features adaptive air suspension as standard, and the hybrid display panel as used in the green Cayenne.
Prices start from $298,300, and the car will arrive in August. And so again we put it to you, can low emissions act as a shield against the scorn your friends and neighbours - maybe even your dog - will pour on you because you bought a Panamera? It's not like Porsche isn't capable of cool. Just look at this, for instance...
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true, but it isn't pretty
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true, but it isn't pretty
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I would still pick the Maserati Quattraporte
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same, i would choose the quattroporte
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Buntz commented on this article
at 10:18 am on 17 February 2011
The hybrid model may be uncool, but it's not as ugly as you TopGear journo's make it out to be.
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