Used 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid Sedan Review & Ratings

When luxury automaker Porsche debuted its first four-door coupe/sedan, the Porsche Panamera in 2009, the world was astounded. Porsche has always been known for its race-track-ready sports cars, and that's what Porsche enthusiasts had come to expect from the brand. The Porsche Panamera, however, is not targeted at the brand's standard enthusiasts, but a whole new segment of buyers looking for a luxurious family-friendly Porsche that's more practical that powerful (though it's certainly both). In 2011, another new type of model joined the Porsche line. This model was the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid sedan- the brand's first fuel-efficient hybrid model. The most economical Porsche of all time, the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid combines lower fuel consumption with high performance and perfectly exemplifies the brand's age-old philosophy- Porsche Intelligent Performance.

The 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid sedan sources its engine from the Volkswagen Touareg hybrid- an engine which is also used in the Porsche Cayenne coupe. This engine is a direct-injected, super-charged, V6 3.0-liter engine that produces 333 horsepower and runs off of gasoline. It can also be found in several Audi models. The Panamera S Hybrid, it seems, could be classified as a hybrid in two ways: because it sources it parts from other vehicles and because it runs on hybrid technology. Along with the gasoline engine, the Panamera S Hybrid holds a 47 horsepower electric motor, which brings the total horsepower output up to an impressive 380. This power is sent to the rear wheels through the hybrid's eight-speed automatic transmission. Traditional Panamera models come with Porsche's seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission as standard, but European Porsche buyers also get the choice of a six-speed manual transmission. The Panamera S Hybrid has a top track speed of 167 and reaches zero-to-sixty mph in about 5.7 seconds.

Despite all of this power, the 2012 Panamera S Hybrid impresses with its rather high fuel economy ratings. It achieves around 22 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. The hybrid has a starting price of $95,000, which is much higher than the base Panamera sedan's price of $75,200, but a lower price than the priciest Porsche Panamera for the 2012 model year- the Porsche Panamera Turbo - which has a starting MSRP of $173,200. After review, we're impressed with the comfort, technology, and safety features that the Panamera S offers. Unlike the Porsche 911, which in most variants is stripped down to the bare essentials to focus on speed and power, the Panamera is much more luxurious.