The Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Is Plug-In Perfection: Review

I’m tired, boss. I’m tired of plug-in hybrid performance cars.

So far, it’s been nothing but trouble for the carmakers who have gone down the Dark Path. The new BMW M5 weighs approximately 3 million tons and it’s barely faster than before. The Mercedes-AMG C63S E Performance can only be described as ‘disappointing.’ Even the latest PHEV supercars, like the Ferrari SF90 and McLaren Artura, weren’t immediately well-received. The Ferrari 296 GTB might be the lone exception.

When the new Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid arrived in my driveway, I steeled myself for the worst. Moping my way to the car, I feared that Porsche would also fall for the gimmick of overcomplicating, overweighting, and overpowering its already excellent sports sedan. I hit the start button and heard no report from its twin-turbo V-8—ugh.

But all it took was a long drive in the 5,302-pound, actively suspended, 771-horsepower hybrid Panamera to prove me wrong. PHEV was never the problem—it was always the execution.

The Panamera flips the script on its head. Normally, heavier and more complicated are distinctly bad things in performance vehicle development. But Porsche had a distinct advantage: Time. While everyone resisted the incoming era of hybridization, Porsche embraced the technology with the first Panamera S E-Hybrid in 2017, and the 918 Spyder in 2013. That engineering maturity shows in the latest version.

On paper, this car has a usable 40 miles of range out of a 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery, and a healthy 187 horsepower’s worth of electric assist. Combined with the VW Group’s ubiquitous twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8, the Panamera puts out a total of 771 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque, enough to send it to 60 miles per hour in about 2.8 seconds.

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

The newly developed active suspension system is the most substantial piece of the Panamera’s engineering mosaic. It jumps up 2.2 inches when opening a door for better ingress and egress (it also makes the Panamera look like it just saw a mouse). And it works like magic on the road.

Then, as usual, the Good Porsche Stuff: A low, reclined seating position with a steering wheel that extends as far as you need it to, fabulous fit-and-finish, and a subdued but luxurious interior space that screams Fortune 500 rather than Forex.

There are really only two misses. The front end looks oddly flat to accommodate 771 hp’s required cooling. And inside, the air vents can only be adjusted via the central screen. Annoying. Otherwise, Porsche calibrated every system to a perfection that seemed effortless.

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Pros: Excellent Hybrid Integration, Decent Range, Whisper Quiet At Speed, Painfully Powerful

Driving away in the Panamera proved smooth and seamless, with the electric motor sandwiched between the engine and eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Only if I paid absurdly close attention would I notice the subtle shifts under electric power—the electric motor still runs its power through the gearbox.

Though conventional, that setup gives the Panamera a distinct advantage. In practice, the electric motor has the same gearing advantage as the engine, which also keeps it in sync with the rest of the powertrain. It prevents the hybrid weirdness of some other cars, like Mercedes-AMG’s rear-differential mounted motor setup, where the torque curve of the electric motor isn’t matched well to the combustion engine. The result: Instantaneous neck-snapping thrust in every gear.

Sans the optional $3,500 sport exhaust system, that instantaneous response is accompanied by a muted and distant V-8 tone. There is zero drama to how the Panamera accelerates, except for the EV-like throttle response and the unrelenting thrust. The dance between electric assistance and laggy internal combustion is so finely calibrated that it is truly seamless and consistent, even without fancy electric turbochargers. The hybrid system isn’t hugely innovative but is incredibly mature in execution.

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Cons: Electronic Air Vents Are Silly, Rear Seats Are Too Upright

Innovation begins at the active suspension, something that is an almost entirely new technology for mass-produced road cars. The Ferrari Purosangue is the Panamera’s only peer, and only hybrid models can option the system. The Turbo S E-Hybrid get it as standard. While the Ferrari uses a 48-volt suspension with electric motors to manipulate body motions, the Porsche uses electrohydraulic pumps connected to each damper to alter the Panamera’s physics.

In practice, it is bizarre. It feels decoupling and almost isolating—but in a good way. Only the sharp cracks and bumps of expansion joints and larger potholes send a shock through the cabin. Everything else disappears. No hyperbole.

It doesn’t get confused, either. Even over complex compounding bumps that could easily pack normal suspension into the bump stops, the active system is precisely composed. It’s spooky how well it seemingly predicts and smooths bumps.

Going over a familiar piece of Los Angeles highway, one where almost every car struggles to stay composed, the Panamera forced the road smooth. The brute simply glided over some of the largest and nastiest bumps LA has to offer—few cars on Earth ride like the Panamera, not even a Rolls-Royce.

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Yet, a Rolls-Royce could never hope to corner like the Porsche. It is unflappably flat in every direction. Body roll is the Panamera’s mortal enemy, and it wins the war. Normally, this behavior would make for opaque and peaky cornering, yet it was friendly, with nicely rounded edges that let you nibble up a shockingly high limit.

That absence of body roll simply means that the inner tires are being used more—one of the secret party tricks of this system. The lateral grip is immense, and the Panamera dances well with little hints of yaw and communication.

It never quite shrunk, but it always remained composed. Even with the outer tires absolutely loaded entering a corner, it dispatched bumps with ease. Somehow, the car was a magic carpet even at the edge of traction.

Combined with rear-wheel steering, everything on this car worked with unbelievable cohesion. My only complaint: The steering feedback and calibration were one of Porsche’s weaker showings. A little too much assistance, with a flatter effort curve than usual. Though, it is filtering out a bit more tech than usual.

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

This Panamera is simply incredible as a package—typical Porsche stuff. And after driving all of the hybridized cars in its class, it really is the only one that nails the execution. Then, it does even more with the active suspension. It’s truly an example of substance and thoughtful engineering over gimmicky bullshit.

And for that, the Turbo S E-Hybrid makes me believe in hybrids.