The inevitable Turbo S model of Porsche Panamera range has arrived. And it is a lot more than you would expect.
Historically, "S" flavorings of Porsche turbo cars have been not much more than good excuse for charging more for the same car with minor engine upgrades.
The new Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is obvious exception to this rule and first time in Porsche history when hybrid power-train is top performance option in any given model range.
Panamera Turbo S will carry the same 550 PS V8 twin-turbo combusiton engine paired with 136 PS (100 kW) electric motor. Power delivery and management systems will be similar to those developed for Porsche 918 Spyder. Like the 918, Panamera Turbo S will also have full-electric mode with up to 50 kilometrs of range.
As typical with Porsche, official performance figures are modest - 0-100 kph in 3.4 seconds and top speed of 310 kph (193 mph).
Better numbers are definitely coming, but don't expect this to beat Tesla Model S in 0-60 mph contest.
Do expect this to re-claim the Nürburgring record from Alfa Romeo.