Eco-Hatch

I booked a double test drive on Saturday, the Macan GTS followed by a Panamera.   The only hybrid I've driven before was a colleagues early 530e and it was OK, but I didn't like the transition between electric-petrol and decided a hybrid wasn't ever going to be for me.  But I do really like the Panamera and the sales guy said he'd not driven one for a few years, but had one overnight and it really surprised him so I should give it a go.

First impressions were really positive.  The driving position makes it feel like a sports car and the layout/finish/materials are a step above the Macan I'd just stepped out of and also better than the 911 I'd been looking at when I arrived.   More space inside as well, but not quite as much as you'd expect from something that's over 5m long.  It feels really modern too, without having yet succumbed to a table on the dash or removal of climate control switches etc

Pulling away in electric is a very strange feeling, but in a good way and it actually picks up pretty well.  The electric motor has 136hp, but more importantly 400nm of torque and can run all the way up to 87mph.  You really don't notice when the proper engine kicks in on part throttle and the same when it goes back to electric, it felt a little strange at first lifting off the throttle when approaching a roundabout and it going back to electric, but still feeling the gearbox changing down.   Refinement was excellent, very close to mine in terms of noise but the low speed ride over crap roads was actually a touch better, mine can feel like it's fidgeting a bit sometimes.  

Stop messing around in E or E-Hybrid mode and move into Sport and it felt like a completely different car, not just the noise (it had the sports exhaust fitted, a must based on watching Harry M's review of one without) it made but the way it feels when you're starting to push on.   I've not driven a car with such different personalities, comfortable/luxurious one minute and sports car the next.   You can't feel the electric motor boosting low down torque, but it was noticeable after driving the Macan as the performance felt more 'effortless' and there was a touch of hesitation very low down in the Macan which wasn't there and I think it might boost it at higher revs too as there was a bit more enthusiasm towards the red line.  The stats say there isn't anything in it flat out between them, but the Panamera did feel a bit quicker, maybe it's the lower driving position.  Really surprisingly as it's heavier , but I found it more fun to drive with nicer steering and a more nimble feel plus it deals with a bumpy B Road much better.  More weight low down, longer wheelbase, rear wheel steering, all of the above....I don't know.   The width is almost exactly the same, so it didn't feel any bigger on the road either, not until it's time to park anyway as it is longer.

It had a nice spec, with rear wheel steering, HUD, Innodrive, Surround View etc.  It was interesting to compare Bose with Burmester from the Macan, there's a big difference and it didn't sound as good as the Meridian system, but wasn't bad.   With is being a 2022 Panamera, it had the latest PCM 6 infotainment, which is excellent and I like the fact that they have retained the small dial so you can move around the options on the screen without touching it plus it has shortcut buttons. 

I did exactly the same 50 mile route and drive it the same way at the Macan and it averaged 38.5mpg vs 23.5.  However, we all know that's a nonsense as it used electricity as well, adjust that (rough calculation) and I think it was more like 26mpg.  It would be interesting so see what it does on a longer run, driven more normally than you do on a test drive.

I really can't think of anything I didn't like about it other than the cost (bit use a Macan GTS as the benchmark and it feels worth it!) and a whole lot that I loved.   I'm not criticising the Macan at all, it is a really good car and I liked it a lot, but it's not as well suited to what I want as the Panamera.  It's not off the list though, as we're still considering replacing the Golf as well. 

I know the looks aren't to everyones taste, but I think it looks great and I also know the estate is preferred by most, but I had a proper look at them side by side and the estate looks a bit heavy at the back in comparison.   There isn't any difference in boot capacity, the estate has a lower loading lip and a fraction more height above the load cover, but underneath the cover they are the same.  If the Hatch has 4+1 seating, then you get the same 40/20/40 split folding rear seats, so no difference there either.   I do like both though and would struggle to decide if I was ordering new (estate has better residuals), but if buying used then the difference in spec would be more of a sway one way or the other.  

The colour of the one I drove was Amethyst, which I quite liked, but Lindsay didn't....it wasn't quite as 'old man red' as the Cherry Red estate apparently, but not far off...