PORSCHE PANAMERA
Praise be – the superb exec saloon is now even better
Think of it as major tech and cabin upgrades in a car that looks very familiar
Even by Porsche’s conservative standards, this new, third-generation Panamera has a remarkable resemblance to its predecessor. Parking old and new cars side by side doesn’t offer much clarification. I’m still not confident I could tell the two apart at a glance.
That’s until you open the door. Inside, Porsche has applied the same logic to the Panamera as it has its latest Cayenne. There’s a new digital instrument cluster that wraps beautifully behind the steering wheel, new infotainment and an optional touchscreen for the passenger (but I mean, what’s the point?). The previously chunky gearshifter becomes a little toggle on the dashboard.
But the cabin changes are nothing compared to improvements under the surface, which are much more significant. So don’t think of this as a very mild facelift; think of it as major tech and cabin upgrades in a car that looks very familiar.
Air suspension is now standard across all versions, with the old steel set-up ditched completely. On the plug-in hybrids there’s an option to have a new Active Ride suspension system, which you may recall CAR previously sampled on a pre-production Panamera. (It’s reserved for the PHEVs for technical rather than marketing reasons: it needs their 400-volt architecture.)
It’s capable of keeping the car almost completely level over rutted roads, courtesy of active shock absorbers, each connected to a hydraulic pump, driven by an electric motor, that works to counteract the forces the car has to deal with. Even when you stamp hard on the brake, or mash the accelerator, the car remains almost completely flat. I’ve never seen anything like it.
It also delivers exceptional balance out on the track (Monteblanco near Seville in this instance) just in case you take the wrong turn off the A43 in your hybrid Panamera and find yourself suddenly within the confines of Silverstone. Unlikely, but the car is more than capable.
The plug-in hybrids consist of the V6-powered 464bhp 4 E-Hybrid and 537bhp 4S E-Hybrid. At the top of the range is the ferociously quick V8 Turbo E-Hybrid with the same 671bhp as before. For now at least that’s the only Turbo-badged Panamera available. You can expect a Turbo S version in the future, likely with the same 729bhp as the top Cayenne. The hybrids now use a larger 25.9kWh battery, enabling them to drive up to a claimed 58 electric-only miles.
If you’re averse to any kind of electrification, you’re now restricted to the standard Panamera or Panamera 4. Both use a 2.9-litre turbocharged petrol V6 producing 348bhp and 369lb fit of tor
