Hi all. First post here. I'm looking at selling my wife's 550i GT BMW and getting her into a Panamera. She loved how her 550i drove, but it's been in the shop every 6-8 weeks since we bought it a couple years back.

She drove a Panamera over the weekend and loved it and I found a couple good looking deals on some '13 CPO S Hybrids in the area. Traffic in LA sucks so the idea of something that gets better MPG is attractive, and the prices look better than base models and S models around here. Looks like a lot more depreciation on the S Hybrid. This one stickered at $109K and they're asking ~$53K with 30K miles.

This would be our first Porsche and while she loved it and I'm guessing I would as well, want to get some input. Every car can have it's quirks/issues and you never know, but I'm trying to do as much due diligence as possible to not jump into anything with any history of common issues.

Would love to hear from anyone out there with a '13 model and their experiences.
- Performance?
- Reliability?
- Maintenance costs?
- Any must-have options?

I'd also consider a '15, but we're getting ready for a major house renovation so would prefer to keep the budget sub $60K.

 

There are major differences between the 2013 and 2014 model years for the Panamera Hybrids. I have a 2015 myself, so I can't really comment from experience on a 2013.

Things that are going to be the same:

- Rear visibility is poor. You want a reversing camera and Lane Change Assist. LCA is not a substitute for the rear view mirrors or head checks, it's an extra warning, and you want it.

- The 10,000 mile / 1 year oil change was $370. Coming from BMW, this may not be a shock.

- My car is really quite underwhelming in the default mode, which is tuned for fuel efficiency, and I expect the 2013- is the same. It doesn't perform like a regular Panamera S unless it's in Sport or Sport+.

- The Hybrids have automatic transmissions rather than PDKs, with the electric motor replacing a conventional torque converter at the front of the transmission. Manual shifting (via paddles or the gearshift) feels quite slow. If you test drove any other model (like a regular S), expect a different experience.

- The Hybrid models are actually pretty seamless in turning the gasoline engine on and off. You never get a "starter noise," because the electric motor acts as a really, really powerful starter with a battery reserve that's much, much larger than a regular 12 volt starter battery.

Some informed speculation:

The big differences between the 2013- and 2014+ are the larger battery, plug-in power port, and the larger electric motor, 95 vs. 46 HP.

The difference is electric motor size is more important than you might think, because it affects both low-speed acceleration and regenerative braking. A hybrid's electric motor acts as a generator while braking, and the amount of force it can apply (and power it can recoup) is the same as the power capacity.

The 2013- electric motor is actually quite small, only 57% of the size of a 2013 Prius's electric motor, in a car that's 50% heavier.

The 2014+ can operate on electric power alone. The 2013- can't. I've gotten about 16 miles range in city driving, 22 highway. It's actually OK as an EV if you're stuck in traffic, since full power will keep pace with most traffic.

Actual observed fuel efficiency in my 2015 is about 20 MPG city, 35 highway (not counting electric range). The 2013- is probably not quite as good because of the smaller electric motor which can't recapture as much braking energy.

 

Hi Gus.
Thanks so much for your response, and of course your very in depth thread of your experiences with your 2015 which I've read through.

Our shot at that 2013 CPO just fell through and I had my first poor Porsche dealer experience. I called the place Sunday to make sure the car was there before we drove the 1.5 hours to check it out, the lady said it was and she'd have it ready for us to see. We get there and she then tells us we can't drive it because they just got it in and hadn't given it the safety inspection or cleaned it up yet. Would've been nice to know before trekking out. So 3 hours roundtrip and no test drive and car unavailable, but she promised they'd get it ready for us to see this week. I noticed last night it wasn't on the website so I called this morning for the salesperson to tell me "Oh yeah, I was meaning to call you. We sold it to someone else yesterday."

Needless to say we'll wait for an option to come up at another dealer. Her warranty isn't up until the end of the year so we're not in a huge rush.

So the 2013 and 2014 have major differences, are 2014 and 2015 relatively the same?

We were in a rush when we got her car, but not this time around so definitely able to wait for the right situation. With the 2013s being part of the first gen and the differences you highlighted it might make more sense to go with a later year.

 

Too bad about the 2013 CPO deal falling through.

You're correct, there are no design changes from 2014 to 2016 in the E Hybrids. 2017 is rumored to have a new design, and possible changes to the E Hybrid powertrain, i.e. larger battery, larger electric motor. I strongly suspect you'll see steeper discounts on used 2014-2016 models once the 2017s are in production.

Also consider how important going hybrid at all is to you, now that the inexpensive 2013 S Hybrid is not available. Obviously I care, but many people are going to get more enjoyment out of a regular S, just because of the transmission difference.

Fuel economy is better with my car than a regular S. It's difficult to gauge the overall efficiency including electricity costs when I'm just driving rather than conducting tests, but my last fill-up was 16.1 gallons to drive 519 miles, or 32 MPG if you're only counting gas. Keep in mind I frequently drive in Sport mode just for enjoyment, and only revert to e-Power once I'm limited by traffic.

 

Reliable and no issues. I had one minor issue with alarm going off at odd times but they replaced the overhead console and it has been months and I have since forgotten the problem even eixsted. Mileage is fantastic. I get close to 900-1000 miles (less in winters) on one tank of gas but I have many many short electric only trips. This is on a 2014 e-Hybrid. Very stable and great to drive.

 

I also have a 15 hybrid. I did it for the bang for buck factor . I would strongly suggest you get a 14 or better with sports plus package. Drive it and you will know why.

 

S eHybrid ≠ S Hybrid