This isn’t all that unexpected, but we’re still excited – meet the brand-new Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. A car that, by the time you’ve said its name, will have well and truly smashed the 0-62mph sprint.
Arriving as the range-topping Panamera, it pairs a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 up with an electric motor for a combined 771bhp and 738lb ft of torque. That’s a healthy 101bhp and 111lb ft extra over its predecessor.
Delivered to all four wheels through an eight-speed PDK, that’ll allow said sprint to be done in 2.9 seconds and eventually sending the Turbo S E onto a 202mph top speed. Helping to slow the thing down is the standard-fitment of carbon ceramic brakes, coming with yellow callipers as standard or optionally with acid green. We know which we’d pick.
Oh, and in the words of Porsche, it’s also the fastest in the ‘top-class saloon with a combustion and hybrid engine’ class at the Nurburgring with a 7:24.17 lap time. We’re glad someone else is keeping track of these categories, but even in isolation, that lap is no mean feat.
When you don’t feel like being completely on it, Porsche quotes an electric-only range of 54 miles from a 25.9kWh gross capacity battery. That can be replenished in a bit under three hours with 11kW AC charging.
Joining the Turbo S E-Hybrid in the Panamera range is a new GTS, which will almost certainly be the sweet spot of the range. It uses a standalone V8, kicking out 493bhp and will allow for a 3.8 second 0-62mph time. The GTS also gets standard-fit dual-chamber air suspension which lowers it by 10mm over more sedate variants.
Both are on sale now, with the Panamera GTS starting at £125,600 while the Turbo S E-Hybrid will command £168,700.