Porsche Panamera S Hybrid (2011)

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Porsche Panamera S Hybrid (2011) first pictures

By Ben Pulman

First Official Pictures

16 February 2011 13:10

This is the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid, the cleanest, most fuel efficient Porsche ever. On the official combined fuel cycle it manages 159g/km and 41.5mpg, a big improvement on the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid’s 34.3mpg and 193g/km, and comfortably ahead of the best non-hybrid Porsche, the PDK-equipped Cayman (31mpg and 214g/km CO2). The new Porsche Panamera S Hybrid will be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva motor show in March.

The Porsche Panamera S Hybrid manages 159g/km? That’s pretty impressive…

Yes, but there’s a catch. To achieve 159g/km and 41.5mpg you need to spec the optional lower rolling resistance Michelin tyres. Stick with the standard rubber and you’ll only manage 39.8mpg and 167g/km. In the CO2-obsessed UK the trick Michelin tyres will be standard, helping the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid best electrified rivals from Infiniti and Lexus. And although the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 and Mercedes S400 Hybrid aren’t available in Great Britain, this new Panamera boasts better figures than the pair of them too.

The trick to achieving these figures is a 329bhp supercharged and direct-injected 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine, mated to a 34kW electric motor and a nickel metal hydride (NiMh) battery. The total output for the system is 374bhp, the engine and motor can work alone or in tandem, and the motor acts as a generator and starter motor as well.

In electric-only mode the hybrid Panamera has a range of 1.24 miles and reach 53mph, and it can ‘sail’ with the engine off and disengaged at speeds of up to 103mph. The Panamera S Hybrid is rear-wheel drive, and features the eight-speed automatic from the Cayenne, rather than the PDK gearbox that’s used in other versions of Porsche’s limo.

UK sales start in June 2011, and the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid will cost £86,227, £8774 more than the 394bhp, 26.9mpg and 247g/km V8-engined Panamera S.