Porsche is in a race with itself to produce the most powerful Panamera, and leading the pack as of today is the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, which couples a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 with the electric boost technique from the 918 Spyder. The result is 680 hp and 626 lb-ft of torque, along with a 0-60 mph sprint time of just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 192 hp. This electrically souped-up sedan will debut in a matter of days at the Geneva motor show unless a more powerful Panamera emerges between now and then.
The Turbo S E-Hybrid follows the premiere of the slightly less bonkers Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, which we drove just last month and bring up not only to avoid confusion between the two but to point out that the less potent version uses a twin-turbo V6 instead of a V8. But the basic recipe is similar: To combine an already hot twin-turbocharged engine with an electric motor integrated into the transmission itself, which in both cars is the eight-speed dual-clutch system sending power to all four wheels.
The electric motor in the Turbo S E-Hybrid draws juice from a 14.1-kWh lithium-ion battery, which gives the sedan a pure-electric range of approximately 31 miles when it wants to operate in “stealth mode” without the sound of that twin-turbo V8 exhaust.
The most powerful Panamera to date will offer 680 hp and 626 lb-ft of torque.
Running in hybrid mode, the Panamera’s engine will kick in automatically when the battery level gets too low or when the gas pedal is applied past a certain point. The battery takes 12 hours to charge using a 120-volt, 10-amp connection and the standard 3.6-kW charger, but that charging time can be cut down to just three hours with the optional 7.2-kWh onboard charger.
The Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid will go on sale in the U.S. by the end of the year in two wheelbases, with the Executive model offering an extra 5.9 inches for the benefit of rear-seat passengers. For the U.S. market, the Panamera will be offered with the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport including Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes, the Sport Chrono pack and Power Steering Plus. In addition, the three-chamber air suspension including Porsche Active Suspension Management will be standard, along with auxiliary air conditioning. The long-wheelbase model will also offer rear-axle steering, and both models will wear the 21-inch 911 Turbo Design wheels.
The shorter version of the two will start at $185,450.
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How much should you budget for one of the two wheelbase versions of the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid? Porsche has released pricing info far ahead of time: The shorter sedan will start at $185,450 while the long-wheelbase variant will be available from $195,850.
Stay tuned for more Porsche news from the Geneva motor show.