Add a sunroof, comfort seats, some more leather and the Burmester sound system, and the total figure becomes obscene. Adaptive air suspension is standard, but Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, Sport Chrono pack, sports exhaust and ceramic composite brakes are not. VerdictĪfter spending time with the Porsche Panamera Turbo it becomes clear that to enjoy Porsche levels of performance, significant options must be fitted. And while luggage will climb aboard without complaint, passengers won’t. However, the high boot floor means bespoke luggage is a must. Accessibility to the 432-litre load space is good thanks to the large tailgate. Practicality is championed by the boot, which with the split rear seats folded, is large enough to rival some estates. On the upside, the fuel-saving start/stop system works well.
The Panamera also uses the awkward shift paddles from the 911, so the ergonomics are terrible. Taking off on a steep hill is tricky and when under full throttle it feels less than smooth. In terms of comfort and practicality, however, PDK is disappointing. Part of this performance is thanks to Porsche’s dual-clutch PDK gearbox, which is quick, responsive, and a generally efficient way of swapping cogs. The Porsche Panamera Turbo does boast good performance with a recorded top speed of 188mph (that 200mph read out was optimistic, remember) and a 0-60mph sprint of 4.9sec. Could the Panamera still be a practical performance Porsche? Instead, the top-spec Panamera weighs in at about the same as Audi’s S8 and is over 200kg heftier than the benchmark BMW M5. It could and should have conceived the world’s first lightweight four seater. Unfortunately though, the Panamera still marks a missed opportunity on behalf of Porsche. Luckily, what hasn’t translated into the four-seater is a scary lack of weight over the front wheels, awful crosswind stability, lift-off throttle histrionics and horrific tramlining. At least, in its huge grip and unbreakable traction, as well as its dislike of transverse ridges and manhole covers. Look past the styling and concentrate on the car underneath and you find that it does indeed perform like a 911. Good or bad? That depends where you’re coming from. Inside, the story is much the same, as the instruments and some of the switchgear are pure 911. As such, Porsche mercilessly applied 911 styling and effectively ruined what could have been a very handsome car. The Panamera Turbo does desperately want to play the family-sized 911 card. > Click ‘Next’ to read the rest of CAR’s review of the Porsche Panamera Turbo A ‘Sport Plus’ mode tunes the engine, transmission and suspension, whilst launch control and a turbo overboost that comes in under full acceleration are also good assets. The Sport Chrono pack is also a useful tool. A clever rear diff also apportions torque from side to side. More impressive than this, however is Porsche’s dynamic chassis control, which combines active yaw and roll via switchable anti-roll bars. Perhaps a little irrelevant on British roads, but in Germany, this performance makes all the difference. Then, with the rev counter pegged at 6700rpm, the digital speedometer shows a spectacular, if slightly optimistic, 200mph.
We know, because we drove the Panamera Turbo on the autobahn. The Porsche will happily kick down into sixth at an indicated 175mph. The Turbo variant of the Panamera boasts 493bhp at 6000rpm (99 horsepower more than the Panamera S), and a whopping 516lb ft of torque slugging it out between 22rpm. Porsche Panamera Turbo – do you notice its namesake? You’ve no choice but to use it, as the dozens of console buttons don’t control everything. And because of the extra-dry ride, finding the desired spot on the faraway touch-screen monitor is quite a hit and miss affair. On the beefy transmission tunnel sits a mass of buttons – the iDrive revolution seems to have gone unnoticed here.
Despite measuring just 1418mm from road to roof, the Panamera Turbo does not suffer from a shortage of room. Could the £100k Turbo be the Panamera we were hoping for? Behind the wheel of the Panamera Turboĭrop yourself into the Porsche’s seat and you find yourself sitting go-kart low in one of four identical, deeply contoured buckets.
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