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| 2014Hybrid.Com |
Car and Driver stated that the 2014 Porsche Hybrid badge was no joke and, “The 2014 Panamera S Hybrid possessed great poise with just a touch of understeer when pushed hard. The electrically-assisted steering is perfectly weighted and helps make the big-bodied 2014 Panamera feel smaller than it really is.”
The Popular Mechanics’ reviewer summed things up by saying; “Its best trick is being an excellent luxury sports sedan and an excellent hybrid at the same time—something unseen until now.”
Economics
Porsche says the 2014 Panamera S Hybrid is its most fuel-efficient vehicle of all time. EPA testing is not completed so that pronouncement is based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), which gives more weight to start-stop driving than the EPA test cycle does. The NEDC numbers translate to an approximate 33 mpg combined city/highway fuel economy. Comparing the NEDC Cayenne S Hybrid numbers with the EPA rating it seems reasonable that the 2014 Panamera Hybrid’s combined fuel economy will be around 25-26 mpg. That’s not headline news fuel economy, but it’s a significant 5-6 mpg improvement over the V-8 Panamera S.
Priced at $95,000, the hybrid system appears to add $5,200 to the $89,800 gas-only 2014 Panamera S. But that premium includes some expensive goodies that cost extra on the V-8 model—air suspension, adaptive shock absorber, Bi-Xenon headlights and navigation system to name a few.
Porsche has sold nearly 22,000 Panameras in the U.S. since its late 2009 introduction and sales are on the upside this year. The company says it expects 10-15 percent of buyers to choose the hybrid version. But with all of the standard equipment on the hybrid Panamera, why buy the V-8?
Prices are Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) at time of writing and do not include destination charges, taxes or licensing.