The Best and Worst Real-World Fuel Economy in a Porsche Panamera

The Panamera isn’t exactly a fuel-sipper—and that’s understandable when it has nearly two tons to move. Maybe I’m just not the best at driving efficiently, but lots of city driving, red lights, and traffic only make fuel economy worse. I can’t speak for the latest Panamera, but in my 2016 Panamera Edition, I usually see around 7–8 km/L.

Every now and then, it drops to 5-point-something km/L. (The lowest figure I’ve seen so far is 5.0 km/L.)

At 5 km/L, it feels like I’m practically pouring gasoline straight onto the road!

Sometimes I set myself a goal: “Today, I want to finish the drive averaging at least 8 km/L.” I try to drive smoothly, avoiding hard acceleration and braking—but as soon as I hit the hill in front of my house, that goal is usually out the window.

Our house sits at the top of a fairly steep hill, and climbing it means pressing firmly on the accelerator. The Panamera’s fuel-economy reading might start in the 8 km/L range, but it soon ticks down: “8.3, 8.2, 8.1, 8.0… Come on, hang in there a little longer… 7.9… Ah, not today.”

What About Cruising on the Highway?

On the other hand, the Panamera can deliver some surprisingly good numbers. On an open highway with no traffic, cruising comfortably at 100–1-something km/h, then continuing onto uncongested roads with few traffic lights, I can often get more than 10 km/L.

The best fuel economy I’ve seen in my Panamera so far is 12.0 km/L.

I haven’t managed to beat that yet. Perhaps fuel economy will improve further as the break-in period ends and the engine settles in. Still, 12.0 km/L seems pretty impressive for a car this size.

I wonder what kind of fuel economy other Panamera owners typically get. Does the latest-generation Panamera do better? And can the hybrid consistently manage more than 20 km/L?

That said, worrying too much about fuel economy could lead to an accident, so these days I’m reminding myself to focus on driving safely.