Porsche desires its PHEVs to really feel sporting and highly effective, and the Turbo E-Hybrid definitely does. It’s super-responsive and extremely versatile in Hybrid mode, the place the mixed efforts of its engine and motor present it with excellent on a regular basis drivability in addition to towering efficiency potential. There’s nice urgency from the off, and it not often if ever requires any stirring with a downshift to keep up first rate momentum.
The return to single-scroll turbos may sound like a retrograde step, however the torque from the brand new motor fills in any troughs within the supply as increase strain builds, so there’s fabulous linearity and smoothness beneath load at pace.
And with a totally variable four-wheel drive system and torque vectoring, traction stays robust always.
It’s additionally extraordinarily refined. The engine is nicely remoted from the cabin and also you hear no definable whine from the motor, so lengthy journeys can be no trouble.
The dealing with and trip are simply as straightforward to reside with. There’s a fascinating fluidity to the dynamics and an inherent composure to the way in which the automotive offers with pockmarked roads that belie its kerb weight of greater than 2.3 tonnes.
The new Panamera is about to supply two completely different air suspension choices: a normal dual-chamber association and a single-chamber one much like that adopted by the Cayenne, each that includes new, faster-reacting twin-stage dampers.
“There’s no compromise any more,” says Freimuth of these dampers. “We can individually tune the individual compression and rebound strokes for more progressive and smoother action.”
The steering is beautifully exact, and the automotive’s response and agility are heightened by the inclusion of a rear-wheel steering system.
The generously dimensioned (275/40 entrance and 315/35 rear) 20in Michelin Pilot Sport tyres worn by our prototype mix with the continually variable properties of the four-wheel drive system to supply large buy too.
There are nonetheless some tweaks to be made earlier than the brand new Panamera may be thought-about prepared for manufacturing, however I doubt that lots of them shall be targeted on efficiency and dynamics, as a result of these are already at a really excessive stage.
