2018 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid: we’re Driving it This Week
With the new 2018 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, which was unveiled at the Paris Auto Show last September, Porsche is expanding its line-up by offering a plug-in hybrid version that will arrive in Canadian dealerships this summer with an MSRP of $113,400. The Car Guide is heading to Cape Town in South Africa in order to get our hands on this latest iteration of the Panamera sedan, both on the track and on the roads of this superb region.
The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid relies on a twin-turbo, 2.9-litre V6 that deploys 330 horsepower, supported by an electric motor that generates the equivalent of 136 hp, allowing the car to blast from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds. The electric motor is fed by a 14.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and according to the automaker’s engineers, the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid can travel a distance of 50 km on electric power alone, up to a speed of 140 km/h.
In addition, like the 918 Spyder, the electric motor’s output manifests itself as soon as the driver presses on the gas pedal. In the previous generation of the Panamera, the accelerator had to be pressed at 80% before the electric motor’s extra power unleashed itself. This new plug-in hybrid also stands out by the adoption of a dual-clutch, eight-speed PDK transmission, which replaces the previous generation’s older gearbox.
A full report on our drive of the 2018 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid will soon follow. Stay tuned!