Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid 2018 Review

All systems go!

Power buttons pressed, hands softly resting on the steering wheel, I sit and wait for the traffic lights to go green. My heart rate is slightly higher than normal, my senses hyper keen, stimulated by the impending tumult.

Set to berserker mode, the 5.0-metre long, 2310kg Porsche Panamera Turbo S E Hybrid is primed for hostility.

The traffic lights flick green and its go time, right foot unceremoniously tromping on the loud pedal. Screw finesse, I'm after fireworks! Response is instant, as are the g-force loadings that pin me back in the ultra-plush leather cushions with the sort of thrust usually only experienced when a private jet takes off.

The Porsche Panamera Turbo S E Hybrid is fast. Crazy fast. Change your life fast.

I'm talking about the kind of brutal acceleration that rips your consciousness so swiftly into the present moment, you feel physiologically altered.

Just turn the power dial on the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E Hybrid's steering wheel to "You sure?" and it provides the human brain with a level of focus that blows away all other thoughts and internal musings, whether you want that or not. The lizard brain, or amygdala, knows that this sort of haste is neither normal nor conducive to survival, so the levels of serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline begin pumping as if you're about to be torn apart by a black bear.

Fair dinkum, it's a primal experience.

Accelerating from 0-100km/h in just 3.4 seconds, the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E Hybrid is a technological titan, using an advanced and incredibly powerful 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (404kW/770Nm) in combination with an electric motor (100kW/400Nm).

With the optional sports exhaust system ($7000) it sounds epic too.

The Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is blisteringly fast, yet for all its aggression there's a certain grace with which the all-wheel drive system slings the car forward, traction control doing a splendid job of turning blundering heavy-footedness into smooth but severe thrust.

Combined power output would make Genghis Khan recoil, with 500kW and 850Nm providing the car with a top speed of 310km/h. This insane level of motivation blasts its way through a super-slick eight-speed dual-clutch automated gearbox – dubbed PDK – before reaching all four wheels.

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Go fast, go clean

Like Hollywood superstar Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, this well-muscled, freakishly powerful unit has a softer side. Packing a 14.1kWh Lithium-ion battery pack, the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid can be driven for around 45km, by my calculation, on pure electricity.

Just flip the drive mode to EV and if the battery is charged you will cruise to and from work without the rip-snorting V8 ever firing up, unlike the previous Panamera plug-in tested by motoring.com.au.

It's a good feeling, not just in a "caring for planet Gaia" way but in terms of the strong torque delivery of the electric motor. It moves briskly from standstill and throttle response is instant, providing a very different (but still rewarding) experience compared to berserker mode.

Generally speaking, I would plug-in the Porsche Panamera at work, where there are a couple of a 15-amp sockets, and over the course of a regular work day in the office it would fully charge the battery.

Whisper quiet in EV mode, with only the dulcet tones of Tony Robbins encouraging you to be a better person via a streamed podcast, there's a dichotomy of epic proportions at play in the Panamera, but it makes me happy. Flip a switch and you go from zero fuel use to intercontinental ballistic missile levels of thrust.

You want to be good or bad today? It's fantastic to have the choice.

At the end of the day the Toyota Prius-smashing 2.9L/100km level of fuel consumption claimed by Porsche doesn't play out as scripted. There's no doubt the Panamera is very efficient in certain situations but after a drive to the beach, 200km each way, combined with a week's worth of commuting everyday, the trip computer readout is 7.3L/100km. That's pretty good for a V8 bruiser that'll launch you into hyperspace at a whim… but nowhere near the claim.

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Heavy-hitter, carpark sitter?

Tipping the scales at just over 2300kg, the Porsche Panamera Turbo S-E Hybrid carries almost 300kg of extra ballast (battery, electric gubbins etc) compared to the non-hybrid V8 turbo Panamera. In most realities this excess would endow it with the dynamics of a leaky barge.

But this is a Porsche and it handles nimbly for such a large machine.

This is no carpark ornament, and beyond its insane acceleration it carves up corners with surprising grace. Active roll bars, adaptive dampers and air suspension work with the double-wishbone front suspension to make the car's nose feel far more dextrous than it should.

Physics? Ha! The Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid implements quantum physics [Ed: It corners differently when you observe it?] as it scythes through bends, sitting flat and gripping with the kind of vociferousness often seen in politically charged arguments about EV incentives.

A special body roll-control system keeps the car's attitude super-flat through corners and the computer brain is constantly monitoring yaw, roll and pitch and doing what it needs to in order to improve performance. End result? Confidence to drive hard and fast. This is not a watered-down Porsche just for posers – It still chases hard on challenging roads.

The steering provides enough feedback to enhance the experience to grin-inducing levels and perhaps the only time that grin will fade is on narrow, winding roads, where the car's obesity and width (1937mm) eventually come into play.

Deceleration is provided by some of the biggest anchors in the business, giant 420mm carbon-fibre reinforced ceramic rotors up front. These huge discs are gnawed by gargantuan bright yellow 10-piston aluminium calipers. The rear stoppers are 410mm discs with four-piston calipers.

Tyres? Also big boys, with 21-inch alloy wheels all round shod with ultra-wide Michelin Pilot Sport tyres measuring 275/35 up front and 325/30 at the rear. That's 9.5-inches of tyre width at the rear end. I have to make mention of the rear wing too, a triple-level folding work of aero art!

Lapping in luxury

As colleague Bruce Newton experienced in his launch drive of the car in Canada, the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is a weapon on the race track. As well as ensuring its reputation as a manufacturer of high-performance vehicles remains intact, Porsche has lifted the luxury game significantly – and it needed to.

The cabin of the Porsche Panamera is utterly gorgeous and feels more Mercedes-Maybach than Porsche 911, which is important in this segment.

The seats are beautifully upholstered and supportive, with electric adjustment on everything. If you don't mind splashing more cash around ($7170) you can option massaging seats front and rear. This also includes electrically adjustable and ventilated rear sports seats. Decadent? Oh yes.

In the back there are adjustable air vents, a pair of coat hooks on each side, LED reading lamps and a striking touch-screen input panel that's almost as big as the one facing front seat occupants. If you can find someone trustworthy to drive the car for you, the back seats are a special place to hang out, with more headroom than the Mercedes-Benz CLS by my gauge.

Up front things are just as peachy with leather everywhere, plush pile carpets and high-quality materials used throughout. The controls have a premium feel with a touch of high-tech just for good measure. You'd have to be very unlucky to scratch it up when parking too, with all the cameras and sensors fitted and all the beeping and bleeping audible at slow speeds.

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The good, the bad, and the moderately ugly

Criticisms? It's expensive. Exorbitantly so. This test car costs more than $500,000 on the road. The brakes can be touchy too. It's sometimes a challenge to smoothly modulate the stoppers at low speeds when you want to have a smooth stop to stationary. That's the curse of planet-sized regenerative brakes made from carbon-fibre reinforced ceramics, I guess.

Boot space? Usable but not amazing at 405 litres, roughly 100 less than regular Panamera models because of the 130kg battery. You can pop the rear seats down, which opens up 1245 litres... so yes, you can get your Porsche Design race bike in there.

There's only one USB port up front, which can be frustrating when two front passengers' phones are running low, and given the price of the car an options list longer than your arm is a bit insulting.

Oh, and it looks a bit munted from the outside, especially the bright yellow brake calipers. The future is day-glow apparently... There's also the ($6300) option to get the Sport Turismo model, which is almost the same as this lift-back sedan model, except it has a bigger boot and the wagon body style isn't quite as distressing for the eyeballs.

If I told you the most expensive and indeed fastest Porsche Panamera available in Australia today could commute silently while keeping its bahn-storming twin-turbo V8 switched off, would you be impressed? You should be. Blending brain-altering pace with silent EV cruising, the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is a unique proposition and a great-stepping stone to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

There's a lot of really interesting technology built into this car and the brand has upped its luxury game significantly, making this a bona fide rival for its high-end European land-yachts. But the boldest memory I'll take away from spending a week with this incredibly expensive German cruise missile is that sense of otherworldly acceleration. Breathtaking? You better believe it.

2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid pricing and specifications:
Price: $460,100 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 turbo-petrol/electric hybrid
Output: 500kW/850Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 7.3L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 66g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A