Porsche Panamera 0054
Porsche Panamera 0053
Porsche Panamera 0055
Porsche Panamera 0057
Feann Torr13 Feb 2017
REVIEW

Porsche Panamera 2017 Review

Jaw-dropping luxury, urbane technology and lusty twin-turbo engines headline the new Panamera show
Review Type
Local Launch
Review Location
Hunter Valley, NSW

The 2017 Porsche Panamera is as fresh as a daisy. New engines, new gearbox, new interior, new suspension – new everything. Priced between $210,000 and $376,900 in Australia, Porsche's four-seat business-class grand tourer has a luxo-tech interior. Think power adjustable and massaging rear seats, touch-screens everywhere and exquisitely integrated controls. Best of all, there's a new design, one that ties the car closer to the iconic 911. Is it still Porsche's ugly duckling? You be the judge.

The new Porsche Panamera is a technological tour de force. It's an annoying phrase, I know, but in the case of Porsche's all-new grand tourer, it's apt.

Every corner of the car is constantly monitored – roll, pitch, yaw – tweaking the adaptive air suspension and active damper systems to ensure equal parts pace and comfort.

And the instant you hunker down in the welcoming driver's seat it's crystal clear that Porsche's meticulousness with mechanistic performance has leeched into not just intuitive technology, but the way it's presented.

From some angles it's still ungainly to look at, but the inside of the Panamera is a show-stopper.

Porsche Panamera 0057

A broad, black, unbroken panel surrounds the gear shifter, providing an arresting aesthetic, within which many of the cars controls are located. Above this striking tactile panel is a large 12.3-inch flat-screen display that integrates seamlessly into the car's sculpted dashboard.

If you thought the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was the German luxo-tech king, think again. If first impressions count, then the Panamera is getting a second date.

The large touch-screen infotainment system is as intuitive as they get, the new-generation high-definition set-up allowing users to pinch and drag stuff around like an iPad or similar tablet. It's a doddle to use and makes Mercedes-Benz products – which do not offer touch-screens – appear retrograde.

Some of the Panamera's heating/cooling controls – such as the central vent direction control – can only be operated via the touch-screen which is mildly annoying but there are plenty of shortcut buttons to speed up navigation. Permanent controls exists for audio volume, fan speed, demister, recirculate, suspension stiffness and seat heat/cool.

Porsche Panamera 0042A

Room to ruminate
The interior designers at Porsche's home in Zuffenhausen have outdone themselves. Porsche luxury has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years but this? This is next-level.

The seats have a traditional Porsche design and comfort levels are good, the 14-way electrical adjustment allowing for plenty of permutations. Both the Panamera 4S and Turbo on test here also get heated and ventilated seats as standard, the latter very handy on a 40-degree scorcher of a day near Newcastle.

It's a wide car and this makes placing it in narrow lanes a little nervy at times but it means occupants have room to stretch out. Dead set, this car is titanic. Measuring 2165mm wide (including mirrors) and 5049mm long, it makes Holden's homegrown Commodore look dainty.

Another boon resulting from the Panamera's increased length and width can be found in the back of the car. The centre console flows from the front of the cabin to the rear, bisecting a pair of very comfy electrically adjustable seats.

Porsche Panamera 0043

Better yet, rear-seat passengers get their own luxo-tech touch-screen. This allows back-seat drivers to manipulate navigation, audio, climate control (quad zone, naturally), seat adjustment and massage functionality, the latter two being optional extras.

The atmosphere in the car is one of progressive luxury and although not everyone is going to love the layout and design, it knocked the socks off this writer. The attention to detail, the beautifully unified design – even the high quality switchgear have matching gloss black finishes – and the ease of use make this car a conversation starter.

Deluxe performance with throaty new V8 turbo
But all conversation stops when the Panamera Turbo's 4.0-litre twin-blown V8 ignites, crackling into existence an indignant Targaryen dragon.

It settles down to refined, deep rumble at idle and can be pedalled along relatively quietly. It can even deactivate four cylinders when cruising under light throttle loads, via two-stage sliding cams.

But open the taps and the orange-brown countryside turns into a dappled blur as the all-new Porsche engine bellows its bassy call-to-arms. Twinned with an equally new eight-speed PDK automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive system, the car is fast.

Pin-you-in-your-seat-and-take-your-breath-away-fast.

Porsche Panamera 0055
Pricing and Features

With a little help from air-to-air intercoolers, direct fuel-injection and a pair of "hot side" twin-scroll turbochargers (located within the vee), the Panamera Turbo's V8 creates immense thrust, propelling the car to 100km/h in a claimed 3.6 seconds. That's supercar pace right there.

Peak power of 404kW hits at 5750rpm and is sustained until 6000rpm. But it's the car's 770Nm of torque, available from 1960rpm through to 4500rpm, that really pushes you into the lavish leather sports seats.

Top speed is 306km/h and it burns fuel at a claimed rate of 9.4L/100. Real-world was 13.2L/100km. Flat-knacker, it guzzles fuel faster than your lederhosen-garbed uncle at Oktoberfest, but like a giant beer-gut, this car has a big 90-litre fuel tank which means you can still cover long(ish) distances between fills.

Porsche Panamera 0021

If fuel consumption is important for your needs, there is also the Porsche Panamera Hybrid ($242,600) which delivers a claimed 2.5L/100km while still managing to muster up plenty of mumbo, 340kW/700Nm to be precise.

Porsche has moved to the 'Porsche Advanced Cockpit' which replaces most dials and instruments with seamlessly integrated LCD screens. The only exception to that rule is the large central tachometer.

"We always need our analogue tachometer," says Paul Watson, Porsche Australia's technical guru. With a rev limit of 6800rpm, it's a good thing the tacho is big, bold and legible.

"It's sacrosanct. We put a little digital speedo down the bottom, but we keep the tacho in the centre," emphasises Watson.

Porsche Panamera 0047

Handling dynamics are much improved
Time was also spent testing the new 2.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, which is tipped to power the next Audi RS 4, and it's a cracker.

While the V8 is a velvet sledgehammer, the V6 is all sophisticated anger, an engine that loves to rev and still makes the Panamera's two-tonne-plus melt away.

Peak power of 324kW at 6600rpm is a significant level of poke for a 2.9-litre V6 and 550Nm between 1750 and 5500rpm combines with an engaging burble between gear shifts. If you can't stretch to the $376,900 biturbo V8 model, this V6-powered Panamera 4S is a bargain at $304,200, scorching to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds.

Honestly, I don't think buyers who opt for new twin-turbo V6 model are going to feel short-changed, then again top speed is 'merely' 289km/h.

Porsche Panamera 0072

All Panameras get the company's new eight-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which is a rapid shifter when you're going at it hammer and tong, but is not quite as smooth as a ZF epicyclic around town.

Handling dynamics in both models tested impress. The car moves far more fluidly between apexes than its predecessor. Despite shedding no weight compared to the first-generation Panamera, this model's advanced suspension array -- festooned with sensors and adaptive bits – makes the car feel much smaller than it looks.

Indeed, it tracks through corners with a nimbleness that contradicts its ungainly appearance, the steering heaped with feedback. Grip levels are also very good giving the driver plenty of confidence to keep dialling up the tempo.

The stoppers are impressive too -- big 360mm/330mm disc brakes on the Panamera 4S and whopping 410mm/380mm anchors on the V8-powered Panamera Turbo fore/aft respectively.

In hindsight I had a lot more fun driving the Panamera than I anticipated and although ride quality is firm on choppy country roads and there's some tyre noise, it's a car whose dual personalities of dynamic and luxury car co-exist.

Porsche Panamera 0045

Porsche's ugly duckling
The biggest talking point of the previous Panamera was its awkward design. In my view the first-generation car was not pretty, and that's being polite. This car is a big improvement but where the levels of technology, luxury and dynamics have been dialled up, I think the design is still a bit frumpy.

Porsche said it wanted to tie the design closer to its iconic 911 and it has, however slightly.

Being a big GT car, the Panamera must also offer decent luggage space and the company claims 495 litres, expanding to 1304 litres with the back seats folded down. In practice the boot floor is high and load space shallow. There's also no Android Auto support, the car staying loyal to Apple CarPlay.

Porsche Panamera 0029

So ride comfort isn't class-leading in this exulted category, boot space isn't ideally shaped and it looks a bit weird too.

But for something that integrates luxury and technology so seamlessly, proudly wears a Porsche badge on its snout and has the dynamic aptitude of a (large) peregrine falcon, it makes one wonder just how far Porsche can take this concept… Bring on the GTS!

2017 Porsche Panamera Turbo pricing and specifications:
Price: $376,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 petrol
Output: 404kW/770Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 9.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 214g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A

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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
78/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
17/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
14/20
Safety & Technology
16/20
Behind The Wheel
18/20
X-Factor
13/20
Pros
  • Power
  • Luxury
  • Technology
Cons
  • Firm ride
  • Expensive
  • Appearance
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