Is Porsche’s Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid A 918 Spyder Sedan?
Matt Farah heads to Canada to find out if Porsche’s hyper hybrid sedan is the new 918.
Since the Panamera was launched nearly a decade ago, it has always been the standard of the industry when it comes to performance oriented Grand Touring sedans. Even as heavy as it is, the Panamera has the steering feel and dynamic agility that you can't even find in a much smaller car. Porsche likes to say that they build the most sportscar-like experience in each category they compete in, and as large luxury sedans go, they've certainly got that figured out in the Panamera.
With the new Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, Porsche has augmented their top-of-the-line Panamera model (the Turbo S) with a plug-in Hybrid EV motor to add extra power [and negligible fuel economy] to an already potent automobile.
Matt Farah [along with our own Mike Spinelli] was invited to Canada to check out Porsche's new super sedan, and he recorded this One Take along the way. In between bouts of saying "on center", Matt has a relatively glowing and positive review of the $200,000 big Porsche. Is this a large 918 Spyder that can fit your whole family? Well, not exactly, but it is a damn fine performance sedan.
At one point in the video, Matt makes a succinct final statement about the car and its capabilities;
"Do I feel happy about the fact that the top-of-the-line Panamera Turbo S is now a hybrid? No. Purist me says no, this is no bueno... But the rest of me says 'you know what?' It goes fast, it's actually pretty fun to drive, ... it's extremely comfortable, ... I'm about it."
What do you think? Is the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid worthy of the top rung on the Panamera ladder? Is this a precursor to the full EV 'Mission E' model that Porsche is planning? Do you need a 200+ MPH sedan with ten piston front brake calipers?
