At first glance, from the front of the car the Panamera could be mistaken for a 911. However, step to the side and you quickly notice the four doors and the much longer chassis.
The Panamera is a big car; in fact it is longer and wider than the Cayenne. To be precise it’s 4,970mm long and 1,931mm wide.
The Panamera comes with the 4.8 litre V8 naturally aspirated engine, straight out of the Cayenne SUV. The super-smooth engine produces 400bhp and 500Nm of torque at 3,500-5,000 rpm.
The Panamera I tried out came equipped with the Sports Chrono Package and PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) automatic gearbox, and considering the unladen weight of 1860kg, it still rockets from zero to 60mph in just 4.8 seconds.
The seven-speed gearbox gives a seamless change through every gear, while losing no power through the change thanks to an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch.
Porsche claim a top speed of 175mph and I have no reason to think otherwise. Getting the power down is easy, thanks to all-wheel-drive and PTM (Porsche Traction Management system).
On the road the Panamera is surprisingly nimble for such a large car. The ride is simply excellent. Steel spring suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) is fitted as standard, while the optional Adaptive air suspension and 20-inch alloy wheels further improve your choice of rides.
Select Standard for touring and motorway travel, engage Sport and the dampers stiffen up, lowering the car and giving improved driver feedback through the steering and more revs. Engage Sport Plus and the Panamera drops lower still, further stiffening through the dampers and full revs through to the redline. Now you are ready to really press on!
There is even an option to raise the car up at slow speeds, clearing “sleeping policemen” with ease. Porsche has also included Auto Start / Stop, which stops the engine after three seconds at standstill. At this point all your electrics will continue to work normally. Take your foot off the brake and the engine starts again and off you go with all the same driver settings engaged.
If driving in heavy traffic, this helps reduce CO2 emissions and save fuel. This system can be manually de-selected on the centre console if desired.
The Panamera has beautiful hand-stitched leather seats, superb for four adults, with plenty of legroom for front and rear passengers.
All passengers enjoy sports heated seats, which are as comfortable as your home sofa yet provide plenty of support when cornering.
The dashboard and console layout is a work of art, ensuring a delightful ambience for all passengers. There are just too many standard features to list and a wealth of upgrades and optional extras available from the factory. For further information contact your local Porsche centre.
Safety is high on the list of priorities for Porsche, which is why they have included PSM (Porsche Stability Management) as standard. Sensors constantly monitor the car’s stability and traction, ensuring the best possible traction, even under hard acceleration or situations of under or over steer.
Included as standard are: Automatic brake differential (ABD), anti-slip regulation (ASR) and engine drag torque control (MSR), driver and passenger two-stage adaptive air bags including knee bags, two-chamber side airbags for the pelvis and thorax regions, curtain airbags along the entire roof frame and the side windows from the A-pillar to the C-pillar, and side impact protection in the doors. There is an energy-absorbing steering column, seat-belt force limiters in the front and seat-belt pretensioners in the rear. Even the dashboard has energy-absorbing materials and flame-retardant materials are used throughout the interior.
Simply, the Panamera is a pleasure to drive, exciting and exhilarating while comfortable, spacious and safe.
If you are thinking of a large four-door saloon, the Panamera has to be on your shortlist to test-drive.
