Any drivers out there with enough time behind the wheel to provide any feedback?

Thanks!

 

Had a e-hybrid for a couple days on loan. My impressions: It's a Panamera so it drives well. Overall power is not bad but definitely not as exhilarating as the GTS/Turbo variant. Overall it's great for someone looking for an efficient high-quality 4-door that doesn't plan to participate in track days, wants decent fuel economy, and not interested in all out performance.

Great platform for the wife/soccer mom.

 

I have a 2015 eHybrid (Cayenne) with about 8k miles on it now. I am very happy with it. Like others have said, if you want always on power then the GTS/Turbo is best. But if you want a great system with the perfect balance of economy when just commuting and power (sport mode) when you want quick acceleration...it is a great option.

Although mine is a Cayenne not a Panamera, the eHybrid system is the same. I am averaging about 36mpg over the 8k miles. Which is double that of my previous RRS.

 

How is the handling? The wheels are certainly tall and wide but what type of tires are supplied as they don't appear to be low-profile?

 

On my Cayenne they are the same tires that come on the GTS and Turbo (295/35/21 Michelin latitude 3) and I have PASM w/ air. So handling is great. You have an extra several hundred pounds in the back (battery) but it would only effect handling if you are really pushing limits. Which I don't.

 

and wet handling characteristics?

 

Wet handling seems normal (dont really push it in the rain). Are you comparing tires or SEH vs normal gas version? Rain or Dry, they will handle very similar with the exception of pushing it to the edge where you may feel the weight of the battery as a factor. For normal or slightly spirited driving, I doubt you would notice. On a track day, you would.

 

Hybrid and wheel tires set-up vs say the S gas.

 

If your dealer doesn't regularly service the e-Hybrids, don't even consider it.

They are very, very, very much unlike an ICE-only Panny.

 

Independent reviews seem favorable. No posts to the contrary. What have you experienced or heard?

 

I'm not about to retype all of my experiences for you.

Search.

 

I've had one since August 2014.

It's a car with a split personality. If you're driving in e-Power mode, it's slow. Not as slow as most production sedans, but underwhelming if you want something that feels like a sports car. I'm not just talking about driving with the engine off - even if you floor it to engage both gasoline and electric motors, it's slow.

This is mostly about the way the automatic transmission is tuned in e-Power mode, not total power. In Sport or Sport+ mode, it's much better. Throttle halfway down in Sport mode feels like foot to the floor in e-Power, and there's more after that. I've only achieved 0.8+ G acceleration in Sport mode.

I haven't compared it directly to an S or GTS, but it's probably in the same ballpark in terms of acceleration. Keep in mind that the total low-end torque is higher with the e-Hybrid because of the electric motor.

Yet I still use e-Power mode, because there's a lot of times I'm in traffic and limited by the cars in front of me. Almost always I can keep up with just the electric motor if I'm behind someone, and the gas engine stays off.

Fuel efficiency is great for a sports car, not remarkable for a hybrid. On battery it's about 60 MPGe city, 90 MPGe highway. When the battery's depleted, it's about 20 MPG city, 35 highway. Of course fuel costs are the least expensive part of Panamera ownership.

Handling's the same as any other Panamera, and far more planted than most sports coupes I've driven.

An aside: weight doesn't actually affect cornering the way people think it does. It affects straight line acceleration, but cornering's primarily about tire grip, and increased weight increases both the lateral force and the tire grip, since that's a function of tire footprint and downward force. Weight distribution matters, since poor distribution will cause body roll, both Panameras just don't. They're very good in that regard.

If it weren't that way, a 4000+ pound car like the Panamera GTS or the Turbo couldn't achieve 0.96 G skid pad numbers. The e-Hybrid is about 9% heavier than a GTS, but the GTS is 60% heavier than a 911, and it's nearly as good at cornering. I've seen video of a Panamera GTS driver passing 911's on the track, because skill can make up the difference between the two. On the street, the difference isn't going to matter.

Ace has had a really bad time with his car, and I think a fair amount of the blame rests with his dealership. He had the car parked outside in winter, and he had problems with the charging port freezing up and sticking, and the dealership applied some unacceptable repairs, leaving the port protruding from the body.

Mine has been fine, but a single owner's good experience doesn't mean any more than a single owner's bad experience.

Mine's actually in the shop right now for a Porsche-mandated change to the internal charging hardware. The service manager told me they've never done one of these updates before, so we'll see how much inexperience counts.

 

Thanks Gus. I've been following the thread here: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ml#post4391599 It does appear that Ace has either a lemon (not likely) or, more likely, as your have stated, a dealership unfamiliarity issue (scary). I think I need to drive one for a day before I make any commitments.

Cliff

 

Must of woke up on the wrong side of the bed...

Here you go C55... https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...g-anomaly.html

 

He's entitled.

Thanks Goonie. Yeah, saw that thread too.

Cliff