True Porsche character
While in many long distance drivers are looking forward to the Porsche Panamera Diesel, there is already the 4.97 metre long Panamera S Hybrid which is targeted at buyers in the United States and Asia. With this model the intention is to retain authentic Porsche character and compete with the hybrid models of the BMW 7-Series, the Mercedes S-Class and the Lexus LS. The aim is to prove that a partially electrically driven automobile can be both economical and fun to drive. The Panamera S Hybrid is not only boasting about its need for about seven litres of fuel per hundred driven but also with equipment and attributes meant to make the rivals blush with shame. The car maker based in Zuffenhausen near Stuttgart claims that their second hybrid, following the Cayenne, will need 7.1 litres per hundred driven.
Up to 1,470 kilometres range
The driver who chooses to have Michelin energy saving tyres mounted can do even better and make do with just 6.8 litres. “That adds up to a total range of up to 1,470 kilometres. No other Porsche has been able to make such a claim”, according to project head Andreas Jaksch. Between the engine and the torque converter an electric module has been mounted with 34 kilowatts or 47 horsepower and a maximum of 300 Newton metres of torque. This supports the work of the six-cylinder conventional motor, the compressor-boosted power plant used also in various Audi models. The boosted six-cylinder engine is significantly more potent given the electrical assistance. “With the electric motor and the eight-speed automatic transmission we are rarely above 2,000 RPM”, explains the leader of the model range, Dr. Michael Steiner, “and in this way we compensate for the disadvantages on a compressor-boosted engine at higher revs.”
The quickest hybrid yet
The Porsche Panamera S Hybrid will cost at least 106,185 Euros but for this the buyer is getting significant performance. Zero to a hundred takes only six seconds and no other hybrid model can match the top speed of 270 kilometres an hour. The total power output of the combined motorization modules is 380 horsepower and 580 metres of torque. If the power plant is not quite as eager to respond to the accelerator as one might expect from a Porsche with the ‘S’ suffix, there is nevertheless plenty of power to be unleashed. What is missing, however, is the typical Porsche sound. In this automobile you make an impression by gliding silently along a city street or surprising unwitting pedestrians in the parking lot. It is to be noted that it is not only at low speeds that the hybrid module brings advantages. If there is no call on the internal combustion engine’s power it will simply switch itself off even at speeds up to 165 kilometres an hour. This way of driving is hardly to be noticed on the Autobahn or normal roads. “On electricity alone the Panamera S Hybrid can drive at 85 kilometres and hour”, promises Andreas Jaksch.
The conventional motor mostly turned off
A gauge in the cockpit gives an analogue representation of the current functioning of the drive-train. If the driver wants to give his passenger a visualization he can have the big multi-functional display the green bars as they rise and fall. For about 50 or 60 percent of the journey or even more the internal combustion motor will be inactive. “Unfortunately the fuel economy does not reflect this proportionality”, explains Dr. Michael Steiner, “We cut the motor when there is reduced power demand. But when starting or overtaking the fuel consumption is at its highest.” The 60 kilos of batteries are housed under the floor of the boot and reduces the load capacity by 337 litres to 1,155 litres. It must not be forgotten that a Porsche Panamera S Hybrid is at two tons by no means a light weight automobile. And the hybrid drive adds a further 200 kilos in comparison with the normal Panamera V6. One reason is that the battery is the far from innovative using nickel metal hydride technology. On the other hand there has never been a more economical Porsche nor will there be until the Panamera Diesel makes its appearance. It should get 6.3 litres per hundred driven.
