Porsche Panamera hybrid interior, dashboard & comfort

The Panamera's interior is typically well screwed-together for a Porsche, and while it's not quite as spacious inside as a luxury limousine such as the BMW 7 Series or Mercedes S-Class, it's still a very comfortable way for four adults to travel. As is customary for a Porsche, the Panamera's tally of standard equipment is adequate at best, with many desirable features reserved for the very long and expensive options list.

Porsche Panamera hybrid dashboard

The Panamera has a low-slung dashboard with a wide centre console, giving the driver a feeling of being cocooned in the car. Material quality and finish are both excellent, and there's a wide range of interior colour schemes to choose from (some at additional cost).

The combination of a large, widescreen touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard, plus a variety of touch-sensitive buttons orientated towards the driver on the chunky centre console, make the Panamera's in-car systems easy to use – even if the system can be a bit overwhelming at first.

Equipment, options & accessories

Standard equipment is befitting of a car that costs over £100,000, but there's still scope for spending huge sums by ticking a few boxes – this is a Porsche, after all. The Panamera 4S E-Hybrid comes as standard with 20-inch alloys, an active rear spoiler, LED headlights, auto-dimming mirrors, two-zone climate control (which can be operated when you're not in the car), heated front seats and a huge array of active safety and driver assistance features (see the final section of this review). There's too much to list here, but even this is just the start.

As with all Porsches, the options list is extensive and expensive. It includes metallic paint, a variety of 20- and 21-inch alloy-wheel designs, a wide range of leather trim colours and finishes, 14- or 18-way adjustable front seats, dynamic headlights, ceramic brakes and a sports exhaust.

You can also add things like four-zone climate control, rear heated seats, ventilated seats, massaging seats, a heated steering wheel, interior trim packages (wood, carbon and Alcantara) and an extra '+1' seat between the two outer rear seats – really only suitable for children.

Perhaps the most significant item on the options list from an electric motoring point of view is the 7.2kW on-board charger – a box you need to tick if you want to charge at the maximum rate of many wallbox chargers.

Infotainment, apps & sat nav

The Panamera 4S E-Hybrid comes with the Porsche Connect Plus package, which incorporates online navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay phone connectivity, internet access over 4G and remote monitoring and tracking of the car.

There's a large 12-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard to operate all this – you can touch the screen itself, or use the controls on the steering wheel and on the centre console, depending on your preference (and whether you're driving or parked up at the time).

Optionally, the audio system can be upgraded to Bose or Burmester surround-sound setups, while a rear-seat entertainment system with screens for the passengers in the back can also be added.