The luxury sedan that is also blindingly quick

The new Porsche Panamera brings together the performance of a sports car and the comfort of a luxury saloon in one stylish package. The new Panamera will be a four-door car that has been completely redeveloped and redesigned from the ground up. This includes wholesale changes to the engines and transmission, a perfected chassis, and an interior concept reinterpreted for the future.

The second generation Panamera engine produces more power, while also improving on fuel economy and reducing emissions. The turbo engine features turbochargers integrated centrally into the V of the cylinder banks. This central layout is compact enables the production of spontaneous throttle response. Engine performance can be pushed to its maximum potential using the optional Mode Switch with the Sport Response Button.

With its powerful petrol engine, the Panamera Turbo’s 4.0-litre biturbo V8 develops 550 hp at 5,750 rpm, with a maximum torque of 770 Nm (between 1,960 and 4,500 rpm).

It has 30 hp more than its predecessor as well as a torque increase of 70 Nm. The Panamera Turbo accelerates to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and features a top speed of 306 kmph. This is also the first Porsche to be equipped with the new adaptive cylinder control in its engine. In part-load operation, the system temporarily and imperceptibly turns the eight-cylinder into a four-cylinder engine. This reduces fuel consumption by up to 30 per cent, depending on power demand during the four-cylinder phases.

The new Panamera exhibits a completely new interior design. In many areas, touch-sensitive surfaces replace classic hard keys, and high-resolution displays merge into the interior. There are two 7-inch displays directly in the driver’s line and in between these two displays is the analog tachometer.

The gearshift console between the driver and the front passenger is dominated by the 12.3-inch touchscreen of the new generation Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system, which the driver and front passenger can configure individually. Other new equipment options include the panoramic tilt roof, massage seats, ambient lighting and a 3D high-end sound system from Burmester.

The new Panamera is wider, longer and taller than its predecessor. Despite the slight increase in height, the height above the rear of the passenger compartment has been reduced by 20 mm while maintaining consistently good headroom.

The wheelbase has been increased by 30 mm to 2,950 mm, with the front wheels shifted further forward, reducing the front overhang and therefore increasing the distance between the A-pillar and the front axle. The rear overhang is also longer, giving the car a more powerful appearance.

At the rear, the roof line becomes the charismatic Porsche flyline – the distinctive lines that adorn all of the brand’s coupés. The appearance of the side windows has also been redesigned, their visually continuous surfaces combined with lines on the rear body create a stylistic affinity to the Porsche 911.

The Panamera is equipped with a range of standard and optional assistance systems. Night Vision Assistant is a new feature which uses a thermal imaging camera to detect people and large animals by displaying a colour highlighted warning indicator in the cockpit.

If the optional new LED Matrix Headlights (with 84 image points) are selected, people beyond the visual range of the dipped beam headlight are also illuminated briefly, should they be in the computed driving corridor, enabling the driver to avoid critical situations in advance. 

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