Daily Slideshow: The Panamera is the Perfect Luxury Sedan For You
Step aside E63 and M5, there's another executive sedan that has the goods.
Reborn
Porsche finally redesigned its executive sports sedan. The first one that came out was a bit odd looking but certainly drove better than its competition. This time around, Porsche addressed the Panamera's shortcomings by giving it a much more sloped roofline, sharp taillights, and modern LED headlamps. The package as a whole is stunning compared to the old model. Seriously, put the old and the new models side by side and the Ogre-looking one will be made obvious. It hides the four-door look very well--all the best sedans do. Just look at the Aston Martin Rapide: the second set of doors is basically flush with the bodywork making it look like just another DB9. That's what the Panamera does. In some angles, it looks just like a 911 and that's high praise!
Performance
The Turbo model is our choice for the only one to get, with its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 making 550 horsepower and 567 lb-ft of torque. This thing roars through the gears. With the help of Porsche's newest PDK transmission, the Turbo can reportedly get to 60 in 3.0 seconds flat. That's remarkable seeing as it's a 4,500 lb bruiser. On the other hand, Porsche's trick AWD system really helps put that massive grunt to the ground where it counts. This Panamera Turbo is faster to 60 than any other Porsche out right now besides the 911 Turbos. It can do a standing quarter mile in 11.3 seconds which is ridiculous considering it can seat five people comfortably.
The sound is also properly raucous as well. Those quad exhaust pipes sound like a million furious bears having a jamboree once the valves are opened. That's something its competitors like the Cadillac CTS-V and BMW M5 can't say.
The Panamera is equipped with four driving modes: Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus, and Individual. Each gets harder and more aggressive as you tick through the settings. The Individual settings allow you to tailor your driving dynamics to your liking and current road-going disposition
That performance matches the last-generation Turbo S model. (However, there is a new Panamera Turbo S and that thing blows both of these out of the water.)
Interior
The interior to the new Panamera is exactly what you'd expect: state of the art, minimalistic, and beautiful to look at. Gone are the old center stacks with millions of confusing buttons and in are the new touch-sensitive buttons and a massive, high-res display. Truly, the interior is something of a masterpiece in design. Everything works extremely well and the quality is, of course, second to none. The seats are supportive and come in any color combination your heart desires.
Sadly, there are some downsides to the near-perfect interior cabin. The buttons are touch sensitive and vibrate when pressure is applied but they don't always respond. Having actual tactile buttons ensures the button-pressing action. With this method, you're never sure if you pushed the button or not; constantly having to look down to make sure your input was accepted. The center display may look more put together but really needs to work on its ergonomics in some aspects.
How It Drives
The Panamera is made to have a split personality like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in Porsche clothing. One one hand you get the performance-hungry, blisteringly quick sports car, and on the other, you get a comfortable executive, luxury sedan.
At speed, the Porsche has more direct steering than its competitors the Audi S8, Mercedes S63, and BMW M760i but yet again, it's not in that class for cars exactly. It may be priced in that echelon but it is better suited around the new E63 and BMW M5. Those two cars are a bit faster (both have 50+ horsepower more) and each has better driving dynamics.
But the Panamera shines when it's on its daily commute rather than carving up canyons and driving sideways like the other two Bavarian hooligans. (Both of those cars have Drift Modes to illustrate how yobbish they can become.) The Panamera is composed and supple. It's the ultimate Autobahn cruiser. Even with its sloping roofline, the Turbo manages to fit four adults comfortably. There's no denying that the Panamera will suit your needs and then some.
Whole Package
Overall, the Panamera is a spectacular car and a phenomenal engineering achievement. Its shortcomings are only evident when compared to the sublime E63 and M5 sedans. Both of those have power and dynamics unlike any other four-door car on the road today but that's not to say that the Panamera Turbo is worse.
Those two other cars are great for donuts and doing 11's but for the sophisticated buyer, the Panamera is the perfect fit. It's calm and collected but in an instant, will slam your head into the seat and have you going illegal speeds. It's the obvious choice for someone who wants refinement, looks, practicality, and speed, all wrapped up in an alluring package.
The Turbo comes in at $150,000 which is certainly a ridiculous amount of moolah. Once you take it's dual-personality into consideration, then the price is justified. The only thing to think about at that point is to go for the Turbo S or not...
Competition
As stated before, the competition is fierce. The executive sport sedan segment is growing at a similar speed to the crossover market. People want really, really nice, big, fast cars nowadays. The E63 is probably the loudest and most absurd of the group, with its snarling V8 and Drift Mode activation. The M5 is probably the most dynamically capable but lacks the soundtrack. The CTS-V is the most fun to drive and has the most sophisticated chassis but is seriously behind in the interior department. The Panamera easily wins comfort and everyday drivability. Now you decide which one of these magnificent sedans get to adorn your garage.
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