2025 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid First Drive: Quickest Doesn't Mean Best

• The top-of-the-line Turbo S E-Hybrid returns to the Panamera lineup for 2025.
• A plug-in hybrid V8 offers more than 700 horsepower and around 30 miles of all-electric range.
• This isn't the sportiest Panamera, but it is the quickest and most powerful.

More than just forced induction

In Porsche-speak, the Turbo name hasn't really meant turbocharged in a while. Every third-generation Panamera is turbocharged, so now Turbo is just a name denoting the range-topping trim. That's why you also have electric Porsches like the Taycan wearing Turbo badges.

The Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid starts at $228,295 before options. For reference, that's $35,500 more than a Turbo E-Hybrid, $72,300 more than the new GTS and more than twice the price of a base Panamera. With options, the car seen here costs $250,165 as tested. But this is the top-of-the-line Panamera, and that's just the price of admission to the Turbo S club.

Both Turbo models use the same 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engines, and both are plug-in hybrids. But the Turbo S' output is 771 horsepower and 637 lb-ft of torque, up 101 hp and 52 lb-ft over the non-S. All-wheel drive and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission round out the powertrain. Porsche quotes a 2.8-second 0-60 mph time for the Turbo S, 0.2 second quicker than the non-S.

Other upgrades for the Turbo S include an adaptive air suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes and rear-axle steering. All standard features from the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid like 18-way power-adjustable sport seats, a Bose audio system and a head-up display carry over to the Turbo S E-Hybrid. The S also gets some exclusive metallic gray trim that you won't find on any other Panamera, but it's largely just a Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid with more power and more standard features.

The most premium Porsche Panamera

Los Angeles is a city that's filthy with Porsches. Spotting a Corvette is less common than spotting a 911, and you wouldn't be able to count the number of Macans and Cayennes you'll see daily. A Porsche Panamera — even a brand-new 2025 Turbo S E-Hybrid — hardly stands out. That makes it quite a good daily driver in a city like this. You can go under the radar, even in something with 771 hp.

The new Panamera GTS might be more sporty, but it's not quite as plush and smooth as the new Turbo S. The latter's ride quality is sublime, especially on the highway. The adaptive suspension soaks up all but the worst road imperfections, and there's very little wind or road noise inside the cabin. The Turbo S glides over some of the worst bumps in LA, flattening out the worst my commute could throw at it. The plug-in hybrid powertrain allows for about 30 miles of all-electric driving, more than enough for the average round-trip daily drive.

But keeping a Porsche in hybrid mode is missing half the point, and the powertrain's electrified components are there for more than efficiency. On Angeles Crest Highway, the same road where I'd taken the Panamera GTS a few weeks prior, the Turbo S' heft started to show itself. The GTS and Turbo S use turbocharged V8 engines, but the hybrid system makes the latter nearly 700 pounds heavier. Porsche lists the weight of this car at 5,311 pounds. That's roughly the same as a Cayenne E-Hybrid. The Panamera Turbo offers quicker acceleration and a faster top speed, but when the road gets curvy, the GTS' weight advantage and sportier suspension tuning give it the edge in handling.

The Turbo S is an absolute rocket — anything with this much power and torque ought to be — but it feels a bit heavy in turns with all that weight to keep in check. It's not bad to drive by any means, but it's not the best-driving version of this particular car. Buy the Turbo S if money is no object — just know that you're not getting the very best that Porsche has to offer.