The greener side of Porsche

FIRST DRIVE PORSCHE PANAMERA HYBRID S:IN DESCRIBING the new Panamera Hybrid S as "the most economical Porsche of all time", you suspect that Porsche is, in a way, damning its own car with faint praise.

We have become used to Porsche describing its new models as being the sharpest to drive, the fastest, the most powerful or able to lap the Nürburgring faster than all-comers. But the most economical? It seems odd, at least at first, and it’s not even true.

It is true to describe the Panamera Hybrid S as the most efficient Porsche of all time, though. Thanks to its clever hybrid system, some useful low-rolling-resistance tyres and some very good aerodynamics, this big, luxurious super-saloon clocks in with a CO2 rating of just 159g/km. Good enough for a band D rating and an annual road tax bill of just €447. Or cheaper than a pre-2008 Ford Mondeo 1.8, in other words.

As for fuel efficiency, Porsche claims that the Hybrid S will return a very healthy 6.8 litres per 100km (or around 41mpg). Hmmm. Not so sure about that. With some mixed driving on main roads, back roads, in town and motorways, our best average was closer to 9.4 litres per 100km.

There’s no doubting the cleverness of Porsche’s hybrid system though. It combines a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine with a synchronous electric motor fed power from a stack of nickel-metal batteries under the boot for a total of 380bhp and a hefty 580Nm of torque, Performance is, to say the least, fleet, with 100km/h coming up from a standstill in just six seconds, and a potential top speed of 270km/h.

And while it does the usual hybrid tricks of shutting down the engine when standing in traffic and allowing for limited (about 2km) electric-only running, the Panamera’s battery system will also allow it to completely shut down the engine when running at speed.

It does this when you’re cruising on, say, a motorway and there’s enough charge in the battery to propel you without needing the engine.

The electronics will engage the clutch and shut down the engine, without you noticing it, until more power is needed. It only does so for a few seconds at a time (Porsche calls it “sailing”) but it does mean that, part of the time, the big Panamera is operating as a pure electric vehicle, even at speeds above 100km/h.

All of this is controlled from within a cabin which scores exceptionally high in terms of comfort (even in the back), quality and design, if not quite so high in terms of instrument or switchgear layout.

There’s a but coming though, and you may have been sensing it. Whether it’s the weight of the batteries in the back, or the overlight Servotronic steering, or maybe the distancing effect of the standard air suspension, but the Panamera Hybrid S simply isn’t as good to drive as it could be. Compared to others in the range, the steering feels too light and detached, the chassis a noticeable touch slower to react.

Perhaps expecting Porsche to create the most economical model in its history and still expect it to be invigorating to drive was expecting too much. Except that it’s not. Not the most economical model in the Panamera range. That honour falls to the new Panamera diesel, which returns 6.3 litres per 100km on the combined cycle, and which is every bit as stimulating to drive as a big Porsche should be.

With the extra weight of the 3.0-litre 250bhp V6 diesel over the nose, the Panamera’s steering comes alive, and if it does give in to understeer earlier than the hybrid, then at least the sensations are better telegraphed to you. 250bhp sounds weedy, compared to the Hybrid’s output (never mind the Turbo S’s unhinged 550bhp) but with 550Nm of torque, the Panamera Diesel absolutely flies. It feels little short of phenomenal to drive, and if its CO2 figure of 172g/km means that it costs more to tax than the hybrid, our observed fuel economy of 8.0 litres per 100km proves that there’s an upside.

It does raise the question of how the hybrid, which uses more fuel per 100km than the diesel, still manages to post a superior CO2 figure, but perhaps that’s down to the inconsistencies in the official European fuel economy test.

So, you have a three-way choice. To experience all that the Panamera can be, you could go for the brutally fast Turbo S (which can bend space and time on its way to 100km/h from rest in just 3.8 seconds) or you could choose to appeal to the greener side of life, sacrifice some of the driving experience and go for the Hybrid. But our choice would be the diesel. It may seem sacrilege to say it of a Porsche, but in this case, it does seem to be the best of all worlds.

FACTFILE:

Engine2,995cc and electric motor putting out 380bhp at 5,500rpm and 580Nm of torque at 1,000rpm

L/100km (mpg)6.8 (41.5)

Emissions (motor tax)159g/km (€447) when fitted with low-rolling resistance tyres

0-100km/h6.0secs

Bootspace337 litres

Specificationstandard features include part-leather seats with heating, two-zone climate control, seven-inch touch-screen infotainment system, adaptive air suspension, Bluetooth module, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), eight-speed automatic gearbox with Tiptronic override. Optional features include ventilated seats, rear TV screens, blind spot monitor, four-zone climate control, voice control 545-watt Bose stereo

Pricesstart at around €170,000 for a Panamera Hybrid S and around €130,000 for a Panamera Diesel. The Turbo S starts at around €250,000 with the basic 4.8-litre V8 petrol Panamera at around €125,000