ohtourist.com: Porsche Panamera Turbo S and Hybrid S launched – the 911 GT3 RS 4.0 and Boxster Spyder also unveiled

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Porsche Panamera Turbo S and Hybrid S launched – the 911 GT3 RS 4.0 and Boxster Spyder also unveiled

Sime Darby Auto Performance today introduced two new Panamera variants in the country, with the launch of the S Hybrid and Turbo S at the Porsche Centre Bukit Bintang.

Rolling in as the top model in the company’s Gran Turismo lineup, the Turbo S is powered by a 4.8 litre, V8 biturbo mill delivering 550 hp, which is 50 hp more than that offered by the Panamera Turbo, which is mated to a seven-speed PDK gearbox.

Maximum torque is also up to 750 Nm, from 700 Nm; in the Sport and Sport Plus mode of the standard Sport Chrono Package Turbo – which is standard on this one – and during kick-down in normal mode, this goes to 800 Nm with the overboost function. Performance specs include a 0-100 km/h time of 3.8 seconds and a 306 km/h top speed.

The increased performance, compared with the Panamera Turbo, is the result of two main enhancements, the first being improved turbochargers, with titanium-aluminium turbine wheels helping to reduce the weight of the turbine and compressor wheel, resulting in a lower moment of inertia and thus improved and more agile engine responsiveness, and the second being modified engine control.

Meanwhile, the Panamera S Hybrid, touted as the most economical Porsche of all time by the company, is driven by the same engine combination as seen on the Cayenne S Hybrid – a 3.0 litre V6 compressor engine offering 333 hp supplanted by a 47 hp electric motor, offering a total power output of 380 hp at 5,500 rpm. The last is available to the driver during what is termed “boosting,” in which the combustion engine and electric motor’s drive torques are overlaid and added together.

In terms of torque, the combustion engine develops its maximum 440 Nm at 3,000 to 5,250 rpm, while the electric motor is able to implement its full torque of up to 300 Nm for propulsion from a standing start. In all, the S Hybrid’s combined torque of 580 Nm is available from just 1,000 rpm.

The range in purely electric mode is approximately two kilometres, with electric driving possible up to 85 km/h, depending on the driving situation. Performance specs for the parallel full hybrid vehicle are a 0-100 km/h time of 6.0 seconds and a 270 km/h top speed, and elsewhere, a consumption figure of 6.8 litres per 100 km is also bandied by the company.

The basic price of the Panamera S Hybrid and the Panamera Turbo S are RM910,000 and RM1,360,000 respectively, and the cars come with a four-year warranty and four-year free service and maintenance.

The event also saw the surprise unveiling of the limited-edition 911 GT3 RS 4.0 and the Boxster Spyder, the latter of which will be rather exclusive, because only one unit is being brought into the country, the example seen at the launch.

As for the GT3 RS 4.0, the 500 hp and 460 Nm on call is enough to get the 1,360 kg beast to do the 0-100 km/h sprint in 3.9 secs and get to a 310 km/h top speed.

Gallery of all four models at the launch after the jump.

Panamera Turbo S