e-hybrid owners' experiences
- Thread starter dpoynton
- Start date
Hi David
I have a 2018 Panamera 4 e-hybrid ST. I've not seen the spec for the Macan, but assume it will use the same 2.9 V6 twin turbo plus electric motor combo, 8 speed pdk, and will be a phev. My main motivation for choosing the hybrid was that when not travelling long distance my daily commute is 6 miles to and from my local train station, and being able to do that through town on e-power (and floating on air suspension) is a very compelling experience and utterly serene. Charging at home is easy and I do it overnight when then battery runs down, and with the petrol engine you don't get any range anxiety, as long as you remember to fill the tank now and then (I think I only filled up once in the first month, whereas I used to fill up my previous car every week).
There are four engine modes, default mode is E (electric), or you can switch to Hybrid auto where the car's brain decides which mode is required, or Sport where the electric motor is used to boost performance, or Sport + where all hell breaks loose! You can control from a rotary mode selector on the steering wheel, like on the other cars with the Sports Crono pack. In Hybrid mode you can also select a series of sub modes, including E-charge, which enables you to charge the battery from the petrol engine on a motorway trip if you anticipate ending up in an urban area where you want to drive in E-mode. This is also useful on longer trips away from home, as the network of fast chargers at places you might stay for at least 2-4 hours is still not that extensive. A few hotels have them, and whilst my local gym has just installed four, these are all superchargers with the wrong connector (I suspect there is a bit of a vhs/Betamax story to play out with competing charging formats).
You do notice the weight of the batteries, but in the Panamera with its low centre of gravity it adds to the feeling of being utterly planted on the road. When you want it there is no shortage of performance, the engine is refined but characterful, and the exhaust is tuneful, if not as raucous as on the sports cars. I've had a few laugh out loud moments in spite of it being a big car.
You can also force the petrol engine to kick in by depressing the accelerator beyond a certain pressure point or manually changing gear. On the test car I drove you could feel an artificial 'click' as you went through this pressure point, but on my car it is imperceptible and not something which I tend to use in any case, given that I am mostly driving in town in E-mode.
Automatic coasting is something new for me and is probably the one aspect that has taken most getting used to. There is no perceptible engine braking, so you just learn to back off much earlier that you would do otherwise when approaching roundabouts or junctions on fast roads. When you do start braking you have the pleasure of seeing a display showing all that effort going into charging the batteries!
I have not worked out what it is costing me to charge it from home, but that's not really the point, and I do know it is costing a lot less than the underfloor heating in my kitchen! At the end of the day I would say that if you want to have a taste of the direction cars are heading, whilst retaining the buzz from the petrol engine, Porsche hybrid is a great way to go. I hear there is a possibility of a hybrid 992 which I am looking forward to comparing with my old 991...
Hope that's helpful.
Andy
I have a 2018 Panamera 4 e-hybrid ST. I've not seen the spec for the Macan, but assume it will use the same 2.9 V6 twin turbo plus electric motor combo, 8 speed pdk, and will be a phev. My main motivation for choosing the hybrid was that when not travelling long distance my daily commute is 6 miles to and from my local train station, and being able to do that through town on e-power (and floating on air suspension) is a very compelling experience and utterly serene. Charging at home is easy and I do it overnight when then battery runs down, and with the petrol engine you don't get any range anxiety, as long as you remember to fill the tank now and then (I think I only filled up once in the first month, whereas I used to fill up my previous car every week).
There are four engine modes, default mode is E (electric), or you can switch to Hybrid auto where the car's brain decides which mode is required, or Sport where the electric motor is used to boost performance, or Sport + where all hell breaks loose! You can control from a rotary mode selector on the steering wheel, like on the other cars with the Sports Crono pack. In Hybrid mode you can also select a series of sub modes, including E-charge, which enables you to charge the battery from the petrol engine on a motorway trip if you anticipate ending up in an urban area where you want to drive in E-mode. This is also useful on longer trips away from home, as the network of fast chargers at places you might stay for at least 2-4 hours is still not that extensive. A few hotels have them, and whilst my local gym has just installed four, these are all superchargers with the wrong connector (I suspect there is a bit of a vhs/Betamax story to play out with competing charging formats).
You do notice the weight of the batteries, but in the Panamera with its low centre of gravity it adds to the feeling of being utterly planted on the road. When you want it there is no shortage of performance, the engine is refined but characterful, and the exhaust is tuneful, if not as raucous as on the sports cars. I've had a few laugh out loud moments in spite of it being a big car.
You can also force the petrol engine to kick in by depressing the accelerator beyond a certain pressure point or manually changing gear. On the test car I drove you could feel an artificial 'click' as you went through this pressure point, but on my car it is imperceptible and not something which I tend to use in any case, given that I am mostly driving in town in E-mode.
Automatic coasting is something new for me and is probably the one aspect that has taken most getting used to. There is no perceptible engine braking, so you just learn to back off much earlier that you would do otherwise when approaching roundabouts or junctions on fast roads. When you do start braking you have the pleasure of seeing a display showing all that effort going into charging the batteries!
I have not worked out what it is costing me to charge it from home, but that's not really the point, and I do know it is costing a lot less than the underfloor heating in my kitchen! At the end of the day I would say that if you want to have a taste of the direction cars are heading, whilst retaining the buzz from the petrol engine, Porsche hybrid is a great way to go. I hear there is a possibility of a hybrid 992 which I am looking forward to comparing with my old 991...
Hope that's helpful.
Andy
No problem David, happy to help.
A couple of other points which might also be useful: I am getting about 23 miles from a typical overnight charge, and the fact that you can pre-heat the interior via the PCC app was utterly brilliant when returning to the car during the cold spell in February. You can also pre-cool in the same way in hot weather, so looking forward to our trip to the south of France in the summer...
Andy
A couple of other points which might also be useful: I am getting about 23 miles from a typical overnight charge, and the fact that you can pre-heat the interior via the PCC app was utterly brilliant when returning to the car during the cold spell in February. You can also pre-cool in the same way in hot weather, so looking forward to our trip to the south of France in the summer...
Andy
RCT4
New member
Cayenne E-Hybrid Coupe. Bought new October 2019.
Ongoing nightmare with this vehicle. Faults have included the following;
No electric drive, petrol only. AGAIN.
Not charging. AGAIN.
Boot lid jams shut. AGAIN.
Rear spoiler not functioning automatically. INTERMITTENT.
Front de-misting atrocious/slow in heavy weather.
Media system is atrocious.
”Collision Danger” warning appears for no reason on empty road. AGAIN.
Electric charge point flap opens when driving. AGAIN.
N/S mirror jams in down position after reversing. INTERMITTENT.
I cannot recommend this vehicle, or Porsche Glasgow for their unbelievably atrocious service.
I am currently in discussion with Porsche GB regarding the vehicle being rejected as unfit for purpose. I will keep you updated.
Ongoing nightmare with this vehicle. Faults have included the following;
No electric drive, petrol only. AGAIN.
Not charging. AGAIN.
Boot lid jams shut. AGAIN.
Rear spoiler not functioning automatically. INTERMITTENT.
Front de-misting atrocious/slow in heavy weather.
Media system is atrocious.
”Collision Danger” warning appears for no reason on empty road. AGAIN.
Electric charge point flap opens when driving. AGAIN.
N/S mirror jams in down position after reversing. INTERMITTENT.
I cannot recommend this vehicle, or Porsche Glasgow for their unbelievably atrocious service.
I am currently in discussion with Porsche GB regarding the vehicle being rejected as unfit for purpose. I will keep you updated.
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