With the $226,500 Porsche Panamera Hybrid, Don’t Forget the Taycan

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(Bloomberg) — If you’re like me, you’ve been so focused lately on electric cars—whether or not they’ll be well-made, reliable, affordable and fun—that some of the current generation models have fallen through the cracks.

Porsche’s Panamera sedan, which debuted in 2009, was one of them. The electric Taycan sedan stole a lot of the Panamera’s mojo when it debuted in 2019, reducing Panamera sales almost immediately and attracting a large number of new buyers to the brand. Globally, Panamera sales in 2024 are down 20% from last year, mainly due to declining interest from Chinese buyers.

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Driving the 2025 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid in Los Angeles was a fun reminder that this twin V-8 hybrid is something we shouldn’t give up. As the future of EVs is debated in boardrooms and congressional forums, hybrids like this road-hungry workhorse are looking more attractive by the day.

Important

The Panamera is the family-sized sedan in the Porsche lineup, larger than the two-door 911 but not, not even, the Macan SUV. The Turbo S hybrid version is the main power player in the Panamera lineup—the executive car—with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price starting at $226,500 but going much higher.

The one I drove, painted in what the company calls Provence purple, cost up to $250,165, with extras like gloss black wheels ($1,300), heat- and noise-insulating glass ($1,370) and an embossed Porsche crest. armrest in the center console ($300). Do I want all those things and more when I specify this car? Yes, yes I do. I didn’t even notice the faux leather interior and Pepita seat inserts that harken back to the cool early Porsches of the 1960s.

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It has the 4.0-liter, 771-horsepower, V-8 engine with e-motor found in the Porsche 911 GTS; this new e-machine is now fully intelligently integrated into the PDK transmission, for the most efficient transmission of power. It comes standard with an eight-speed automatic, all-wheel and rear axle steering and torque vectoring, which aids acceleration by electronically controlling the power sent to each wheel.

We don’t have Environmental Protection Agency figures yet, as it’s not in dealerships until the second quarter of 2025, but the previous Panamera Turbo S hybrid achieved 48 MPGE in combined city and highway driving. And we know that top speed is 202 mph and that zero to 60 mph with the standard Sport Chrono package is 2.8 seconds. (Top speed under all-electric mode is limited to 87 mph; total electric-only driving is about 55 miles.)

Basically, anything you can do in the Taycan, you can do in the Panamera back and forth, so to speak—without waiting for the battery to recharge, as it can recover while driving.

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Good

I didn’t go anywhere in particular when I tested the Panamera for two nights, but that was enough time to let me like how it drives. Everything from acceleration to steering to braking was quick. Be strong. It is balanced. Dialed. It’s been a long time since I’ve used the top clichés about sedans, but they apply here.

Both electrical and fire systems can be used together or independently. Driving modes from constant gas to sport suited the car for my particular purpose at the time, although I spent most of my time in sport—I only had a few days; I needed my kick. Driving it was fun even for mundane tasks like picking up the dry cleaning.

I feel it’s because a lot of the great engineering stuff that makes the 911 so exciting can be found here (and I’m sure I’ve used them all). For example, I know the Panamera’s torque vectoring helped me dance down Mulholland Drive at dusk. The rear axle steering helped me move through the chaotic LA city streets even at a snail’s pace. The 8-speed PDK gearbox with manual mode allows me to grab the paddles for invisible gear changes as I broke through traffic and sped down Highway 101 one morning. Not that I’ve ever gotten close to this car. You may need a track for that.

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Bad

The purple paint on this crowd pleaser did nothing. And the price tag is not for the faint of heart.

The Porsche Active Ride chassis system comes standard on the Turbo S E-Hybrid and is only available on Panamera models with the E-Hybrid powertrain. It raises the entire car by 55 millimeters (just over 2 inches) when you get in, then lowers it again when you leave. This acrobatic display, which looks great, allows the air suspension to adapt to each wheel in motion, translating into a more balanced and comfortable ride.

After days of watching the Panamera raise and lower itself like an animal rising to greet me, I’m still not sure if, on balance, I think it’s cool or cringey. It sure is very obvious, the kind of thing that will have people standing and watching in the parking lot for a while. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t want extra attention, you’ll disable this feature in no time.

If You Remember One Thing

EVs have gotten a lot of attention lately, but with hybrids on the rise, it’s too early to count out the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. If you ask me, it’s worth the return.

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