Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Review
German sports car maker Porsche, who introduced the all-electric Taycan for 2020, has said it will have half of its lineup fitted with hybrid or all-electric powertrains by 2026. For 2025, Porsche offers the excellent Taycan four-door sports sedan and its Macan SUV as all-electric vehicles. Plug-in hybrids are available in the automaker’s popular Cayenne and Panamera model lines, using the “E-Hybrid” designation.
The Panamera first appeared at the Auto Shanghai International Automobile Show in 2009, with a hybrid Panamera S appearing in 2011. The plug-in hybrid version was introduced in 2013, and gained the designation E-Hybrid, which designated its plug-in status. The second-generation Panamera was released in 2016, and the current third generation was introduced in 2023. This full-size front-engine four-door luxury car is a hit in North America, and the newest PHEV comes with more standard equipment than other Panamera models.
We recently had the pleasure of driving the third-generation, all-new 2025 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. It’s packed with high-tech tricks including Porsche Active Ride, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes, rear-axle steering for a tight turning circle, and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus – all as standard equipment.
The Turbo S E-Hybrid is the top-of-the-line version of the Panamera that sports a mind-melting 771-horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. How is this magic created? It’s what happens when Porsche combines as twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, good for 591 horses, with a 187-hp electric motor.
This Panamera will take you an EPA-estimated 40 miles on electric power only. Most Americans travel fewer than 40 miles per day, so for them, the new Porsche hatch is both a practical EV commuter car as well as a long-distance performance car – and something you can have a lot of fun with on back roads too.
All that power makes it to the pavement thanks to a silky-smooth eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. A new active ride system includes a two-valve damper, an air-spring, and a motor-pump at each corner to keep the Panamera totally flat in corners, no matter what twists and turns you put it through at what speed. Porsche Active Ride (PAR) is standard on the Turbo SE-Hybrid.
Panamera E-Hybrid Performance
Besides the overall beauty of this stallion, one of the first things you’ll notice when walking up on the Panamera is how low the car is. To make it easier to get in and out, Porsche engineers developed a cool little detail. When you open any of the four doors, the car rises 2.2 inches instantly to greet you. When the doors are closed, it lowers back down to its road-ready mode.
Give the accelerator a blip and the big Porsche springs to life. It blasts you through corners with the greatest of ease. If you’re up for it, Sport Plus mode lowers the Panamera another 1.4 inches.
Porsche says the Turbo S E-Hybrid will rocket you from zero to 60 mph in a breathtaking 2.8 seconds, and its top speed is a remarkable 202 mph on summer tires. Naturally, a car this fast needs to stop as well, and you get standard 10-piston front and four-piston rear brakes, clamping massive ceramic cross-drilled rotors. The front rotors are in fact the largest ones I’ve ever seen on a production vehicle.
When you’re not feeling sporty, this beast feels completely different around town, driving to the market, or dropping the kids off at school. In full-electric mode, it is sedate and calm, and gives you enough all-electric range for a typical day. At home, plug it in and it fully charges in less than four hours.
Porsche Panamera Interior
Once inside the Panamera, you’ll notice the kind of rich, refined materials that Porsche is known for. Your smartphone slots nicely inside the wireless charging pad in the storage area just above the cupholders, and there’s plenty of room for other odds and ends.
The digital dashboard includes a 12.6-inch curved display with configurable gauges, and there is also a 10.9-inch infotainment touchscreen featuring Porsche’s latest software. A second 10.9-inch-screen for the front passenger completes the high-tech look. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. While an excellent 14-speaker Bose sound system is standard, a 21-speaker 3-D system by Burmester can be had for an additional $5,940.
Ergonomically, the Panamera offers plenty of headroom and comfortable, perfectly shaped leather seating for long hauls. The power tilt and telescope steering wheel is perfectly positioned to do your bidding. There is also impressive room in the back seat, with ample leg and head room despite the sloping roofline.
Passengers also have their own sunroof, USB-C ports, climate control and vents in the back. There are even accommodations for child seats. Open the rear hatch, and you’ll find 15 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seat, which expands to 44 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.
On the Road in the Panamera Turbo S
Pulling out of a driveway, you’ll notice that the car is completely silent, defaulting to electric power only; it won’t engage the gasoline engine unless you really press down on the accelerator. Amazingly, you won’t feel any lag when doing this, as the Panamera switches seamlessly between electric and gasoline power.
The Panamera’s turning radius is remarkable thanks to the car’s rear-axle steering, and road noise is almost nonexistent. Porsche Active Ride makes for an extremely smooth and comfortable ride. Even going over railroad tracks is enjoyable. But if you’ve got a need for speed, Launch Control is on hand, and it is incredibly easy to activate. In Sport Plus mode, just hold your foot on the brake pedal, build up the revs on the accelerator, and let it rip!
Find a road with some curves and the Turbo S E-Hybrid truly comes to life. Its chassis control is awe-inspiring, and the steering is pure Porsche, with plenty of precision and feedback. Torque vectoring at the rear lets you put down the power perfectly. While the eight-speed automatic transmission is always in the right gear, you can also engage manual mode and use the aluminum shift paddles on the back of the steering wheel.
Let’s think about what Porsche has done here. They have given us a true high-performance driver’s car that is capable of both friendly commuting and fuel economy, as well as the white-knuckle thrills that are usually the domain of racetrack performers. That’s what over 700 horsepower will do. In one word, the Turbo S E-Hybrid is completely exhilarating.
When it comes to driver assistance tech, the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid comes with adaptive cruise control with lane-centering function, automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, blind-sport monitoring, and more.
Conclusion: Porsche Panamera Hybrid
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. It is both a speed demon and a commuter car for the whole family. For a starting MSRP of $226,500, we would expect no less than a spectacular plug-in hybrid four-seater that does everything well.
Depending on your driving habits and budget, there are many other, less expensive versions of the Panamera available, including a couple of other different plug-in hybrid models. There is also the excellent all-electric Taycan – which seems like a really good deal for an uber-fast four-door all-electric Porsche that starts at an MSRP of just $99,400.
