Photo: Eric Novak
When you decide to be an eco-friendly and family-friendly automotive reviewer, the range of vehicles that you typically would cover does have certain limitations. Seldom are the occasions where I find myself with an opportunity to drive and review high performance luxury vehicles. It’s not because I had no interest, but rather because of that fact that up until now, the terms high-performance and eco-friendly weren’t usually co-descriptive of the same vehicle.
Well times are certainly ‘a changing, and one of the more overt examples of this comes from the fact that for 2014 German luxury automaker Porsche has developed a plug-in hybrid version of its Panamera luxury 4 door vehicle. The Porsche Panamera e-Hybrid replaces the traditional hybrid that was found in its line up of Panamera offerings, and with it, the new e-Hybrid even further erases the relative gap between the terms ‘high performance’ and ‘eco-friendly’.
Since its debut in 2009, the Panamera has challenged many pre-conceived notions of what a Porsche should be. Similar to the Cayenne SUV (which happens to be Porsche’s best-selling vehicle), the Panamera has upset many Porsche purists. Seen by them as an attempt to broaden the appeal beyond Porsche’s hard-core fans, the Panamera has often been criticized for its deviations from the traditional aspects of Porsches such as the iconic 911.
A plug-in hybrid version of the Panamera will likely only further knot-up the knickers of the purists, but I get the sense that this was never really about appeasing the old-guard anyway. It was because of this that the desire to run it through an Enviro Dad Test Drive was too tempting to ignore.
AT FIRST GLANCE
Photo: Porsche
The e-Hybrid was launched in tandem with an overall facelift for the entire line-up of 11 Panamera offerings. New front and rear bumpers are the most obvious aspects of the face-lift across the entire line-up, but the e-Hybrid does come with some distinctive design elements of its own.
Most noticeable and striking are the bright green brake-calipers which are visible on all 4 tires. They add a very eco-chic styling element to the e-Hybrid and clearly distinguishes it from its siblings. Less noticeable but equally as distinctive are the tandem fuel doors at the rear of both sides of the vehicle. The passenger side door is where you’ll find the traditional fuel tank opening, while on the driver side is where you will find the charge port to ‘fuel up’ the battery. The green-tinge is also utilized on the e-Hybrid badging as well.
Inside the e-Hybrid, there are a few differences that distinguish it from regular Panameras as well. The differences are clustered within the instrument gauges, which also gets some green treatment on the dials. Another change is that the analog speedometer has been replaced with a power meter for the electric motors that lets drivers know how efficiently (or aggressively) they are traveling. There are also new screens added to the multi-function display (to the right of the centralized tachometer) and the central navigation screen to show important information such as battery charge and hybrid modes.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Photo: Porsche
The Panamera e-Hybrid is a parallel plug-in hybrid which means it has the ability to be powered by the combustion engine alone, by the electric machine alone or by both units working together.
Powering the e-Hybrid are a 3.0 Litre supercharged V6 engine, combined with an electric motor paired to a 9.4 kWh lithium-ion battery. You’ll get 333 hp and 325 lb/ft of torque from the engine alone, while the motor adds 95 hp and 229 lb/ft of torque. Put them together and you have an impressive 416 hp and 435 lb/ft of torque – more than enough to hold onto a ‘performance’ motif.
All Panamera designs are 4-seaters. Seating is ergonomically designed and generally comfortable. Another aspect of the Panamera that irks the Porsche purists is that the Panamera has a sumptuous interior loaded with modern technological amenities and expensive leather upholstery. Compared to the rather sparse interior of the 911 which was built for performance, the Panamera clearly resonates with a different category of luxury car buyer.
ECO FACTOR
If you are going to challenge convention by building an eco-friendly Porsche, just as you need to get the performance aspect right, you’d better not mess up on the eco-friendly aspect as well. For the most part it seems like the Panamera e-Hybrid achieves both rather well.
Photo: Eric Novak
According to NRCan EnerGuide, the Porsche Panamera e-Hybrid achieves combined fuel ratings of 4.7 L/100 KM or 50 MPG in hybrid mode, or 9.4 L/100 KM or 25 MPG using gasoline only. The e-Hybrid has a rated EV only range of 26 KM’s, although that distance can vary depending on a number of factors.
Top speed in EV mode is said to be about 135 KM/H which is more than enough for any typical driving application, although admittedly seeing a Porsche silently zipping along at high speeds does take some getting used to.
Attention has also been given to the assembly and design process from a sustainable POV as well. The use of lightweight materials that are easily recyclable were emphasized in the design process. Each of the materials is labelled to facilitate its separation for recycling and the reduction in the number of plastic variants helps to ensure more efficient recycling overall. Recycled plastics were used wherever possible and as a result, all Panamera models are around 95 % recyclable.
FAMILY FACTOR
Outside of the Cayenne, Porsches aren’t really designed to be family friendly. While the Panamera design in general lends itself to family life more than a 911 would, it still comes with limitations.
Panameras are designed specifically as 4-seaters. Rear seats are surprisingly comfortable and headroom is enhanced due to the overall design. I stand 5’11” and had the opportunity once to sit as a rear seat passenger in a non-hybrid Panamera for a 30 minute drive. During the drive I experienced no significant discomfort of difficulties.
With seats upright, the e-Hybrid offers 11.8 cubic feet of storage space and 40.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. This won’t be helpful in getting the groceries home, but you’d likely be okay if you were hauling your golf clubs to the Club for a round.
FOR THE TECHIES
Perhaps the most noteworthy technological aspect of the Porsche Panamera e-Hybrid relates to the hybrid technology itself. While not exclusive around the industry, it is nonetheless a first for this vehicle category.
One of the more impressive eco-techie elements found in the e-Hybrid can be experienced when you switch to e-charge driving mode. The regenerative drive mode has the ability to fully re-charge the battery while driving, although it would take about 55-60 KM’s of consistent driving to do so. Nonetheless, I was very impressed as I watched the level of charge continue to rise while driving the vehicle using the more-than-peppy-enough supercharged V6.
SUMMARY
For Porsche, the Panamera has never been about conformity. From its very inception, the Panamera has had the mission of broadening the appeal of the iconic German brand, beyond its uber-loyal performance-enthusiast base.
With the addition of the e-Hybrid, it’s pretty safe to say that Porsche is reaching out well beyond its traditional base and into a consumer segment that one suspects, will only continue to grow. For the affluent individuals who see an automobile as somewhat of a status symbol, what constitutes ‘status’ seems to be evolving, and Porsche has been wise to identify this early on.
It’s also noteworthy that the Panamera e-Hybrid is being noticed by the green-tinged automotive press as it was amongst the finalists in the PHEV category for the 2014 Canadian Green Car Awards, and while it didn’t win the overall award, its inclusion carries a significant amount of symbolic weight.
The relative success of vehicles such as the Tesla Model S has demonstrated that those with the financial means to buy any vehicle they want also feel a sense of responsibility to the environment they occupy. The Porsche Panamera e-Hybrid certainly isn’t for everyone, but it will be for a select clientele that is slowly growing in numbers, and traditional business sense knows that it’s better to be ahead of the curve than behind it.
Porsche is not only ahead of the curve in this case, but I suspect will have a significant role in how the curve actually takes shape.
Photo: Porsche
BY THE NUMBERS (Out of 10):
LOOK/DESIGN: 9.0
DRIVE: 9.0
GREEN FACTOR: 9.0
FAMILY FACTOR: 6.0
TECHIE STUFF: 8.5
VALUE: 6.5
(MSRP BASE – $113,300
AS TESTED – $126,635)
OVERALL: 8.0
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