PLUGGED IN

THE ART OF HAVING YOUR CAKE AND EATING IT, TOO

Angus MacKenzie

Where rocket science meets black magic is how the internal combustion engine and e-motor work together. Electric cars. The horsepower of the apocalypse, whispering harbingers of the automotive end times. Plug-in hybrids. A soul-destroying halfway house to that dismal future, because driving pleasure can only be had with a full complement of cylinders firing at all times, right? Wrong. After spending time with Porsche’s Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, I’m convinced the plug-in hybrid could be the sweet-spot powertrain for the thinking enthusiast. You can have your cake and eat it, too. Think plug-in hybrid, and most of us think Toyota Prius and its eco-car ilk, with their flaccid transmissions, floppy suspensions, and dreary engines. Think again. As with internal combustion–powered vehicles, not all plug-in hybrids are created equal. For a start, the plug-in…

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MotorTrend (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2018

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