Porsche Panamera Cars
Porsche’s Panamera S Hybrid
Is this really happening? Just 24 hours ago I was slumming it on the grimy city streets of Johannesburg and now I’m staring over the minty-fresh greenery that surrounds the little Bavarian village of Berchtesgaden. It’s all pretty damn surreal if you ask me, but considering the calibre of scenery before my eyes, I’m not complaining.
Situated slap-bang on the border of Austria, this is the sort of area you’d retire to if you ever struck it lucky in the national lottery. Eerily quiet except for some sporadic birdsong, this exclusive slice of Southern Germany blends great see-through lakes with the kind of snow-capped alpine peaks you’d expect to find people skiing down in one of those old Peter Stuyvesant commercials.
But it also has a history that shocks and fascinates all at the same time. For if you rummage through the area’s archives, you’ll find that it was home to the Nazi elite back in World War 2. Most of the their houses were demolished after the conflict, but some (such as the infamous Eagle’s Nest) still remain, a spooky testament to the darker side of humanity.
It’s a pretty radical place and one that would surely overshadow the international launch of most shiny new luxury sedans. Fortunately it seems my hosts are unveiling a model that actually can compete.
It’s called (take a deep breath) the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid and it is here to give our lifelong brand perceptions a perverse, Dali-like twist. And no, it’s not those four individual doors or that hatched derriere that necessitate such a radical double-take, but rather the moralistic DNA beneath its skin.
While most Porsches are perceived to be passive-aggressive supercars, selfish road rockets dedicated to the pursuit of high-speed hedonism, the brand-new Panamera S Hybrid has something of a social conscience. For even though it packs all the chic brand image and is quite capable of running along some autobahn at an outrageous lick, deep down it’s keen to make a difference. Maybe save the world or, at the very least, a polar bear or two.
And it plans to do this with technology that, even a few years ago, some would not have expected to see inside something wearing Stuttgart’s most famous badge.
Indeed, if you suddenly developed X-ray vision and could pry your eyes (momentarily) away from members of the opposite sex, you would notice that the nether regions of this Gran Turismo are dominated by an innovative parallel hybrid drivetrain system.
Yes, instead of a whopping great turbocharger, Porsche have gone all Toyota Prius on us and dropped a 34-kilowatt electric motor into the mix. Juiced by a NiMH battery that scavenges waste kinetic energy generated under braking, this clever little unit supplements the Panamera’s regular petrol engine by providing an extra slug of power in certain driving conditions.
But that’s only half the story. What really makes this hunk of electro-trickery so pivotal is the fact that it does a lot to reduce the amount of petrol you burn in everyday driving. Sceptical? Don’t worry, so was I until I got behind the wheel and went for a cruise around Salzburg.
About 30 clicks south of Berchtesgaden, Mozart’s hometown may harbour all sorts of distractions, but the way the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid creeps silently through its streets is equally intoxicating. Able to run purely on battery power for up to two kilometres (the looks of bemusement upon the faces of pedestrians never get old), it’s here that I notice what a difference the word “hybrid” makes. For even after an hour of urban transit, the fuel economy gauge fails to read higher than that of a midrange family hatchback.
Out on the open road, far away from Salzburg’s homicidal trams and lunatic cyclists, it causes my eyebrows to arc even further. Because just like some graceful yacht riding the pull of an ocean breeze, this particular Panamera allows you to “sail” along without the conventional engine even turning over.
You still maintain your cruising speed; you still reserve the right to dominate the fast lane, but gently ease off that throttle and you’re soon gliding along on a free wave of electric intervention. And even though it doesn’t last long, that battery momentarily running out of charge, it’s more than enough to reduce the flow of black gold to that supercharged V6 sitting up front.
But don’t for one darn second think that this Porsche has sold out to the world of tree-huggers and soya milk. The Panamera S Hybrid may have torn a page out of the Tie-Dye Bible but, goodness me, it still knows how to get down and dirty with us more un-PC members of society. Coming from a bloodline that’s spawned some of the best driving machines ever created, the mountain roads of South Bavaria prove that this green-suited executive has no qualms about giving your adrenal glands a good milking.
Ignoring the threat of radar guns and Gestapo-like squadrons of Polizei, the way this Porsche feels as it acts in anger is the ace that completes its killer hand. Shipping standard with fully adjustable air suspension (choose your driving flavour and the car sets itself up accordingly), the Panamera S Hybrid dances through the curvy bits with all the brio of a much smaller sports car. Marginally better than an Aston Martin Rapide; considerably more involving than the all-too-serious BMW 7 Series, this is a luxury saloon tailor-made for those who are still in love with the act of driving.
So all things considered then, this latest addition to the Panamera family is a real cracker of a package. But, and let’s be brutally honest, does its promise of reduced emissions and better fuel consumption really matter to the average Porsche buyer?
I mean, come on, if you’re able to spend over a million bucks on a motorcar then the price of gas is hardly going to keep you awake at night now, is it? Exactly. Therefore, and I can only conclude, that the raw appeal of this pedigreed newcomer lies within its technologies. Like the latest iPhone or 3D television that’s worth more than my gross annual salary, the Panamera S Hybrid is a meal ticket to geek kudos and bragging rights.
