When Porsche introduced the Panamera in 2009, the car was met with mixed reactions. It wasn’t quite the 911 sportscar with four doors that enthusiasts hoped for. However, buyers took to the luxury sports sedan, to a point where demand exceeded Porsche’s expectations. The carmaker is now out with a new Panamera that looks sharper, sleeker, and a lot more sportscar-like. But, what's this five-metre long, two-tonne sedan like to drive?
Engine
Although the 550hp, 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged, V8 petrol engine isn’t very loud or vicious, even in the most aggressive ‘Sport Plus’ setting, this is a blisteringly quick car. 0-100kph comes in just 3.58sec, while the 20-80kph run is achieved in a brisk 2.51sec. This engine also features fuel-saving tech like cylinder deactivation: it switches off four cylinders to boost fuel economy under low-load conditions. Impressively, you can never tell when the cylinders are deactivated or reactivated. However, the highlight is the car’s eight-speed automatic gearbox. It’s so intuitive, you hardly ever need to use the paddle-shifters to shift gears manually.
From behind the wheel
Given the power on tap, overtaking will never be an issue. But, if you want the car for driving pleasure, you should tick the Sport Chrono package option. It gets you Launch Control and four driving modes – Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual. ‘Sport Plus’ primes the engine, gearbox and adjustable air-suspension for maximum performance. There’s even a Sport Response button which acts as a boost-mode for 20-second bursts.
Be it on a straight, around corners or winding ghat sections, this sedan powers along with its grippy, high-tech all-wheel drive system. Being a sports sedan, the Panamera is understandably firm, but the ride is quite comfortable. It feels bumpy on broken roads, and you need to watch out for potholes. But, the ride gets flatter as you go faster. Also, the car intelligently alters ride height automatically, and in the highest setting, you can clear medium-sized speedbumps.
On the inside
The interiors are befitting of a Rs 2 crore car. Touch-sensitive surfaces replace the old car’s button-riddled dashboard. The large, feature-packed, 12.3-inch touchscreen is intuitive to use, and a lot of the buttons are haptic touch – just hover your fingers on them to select their functionality.
Sitting behind the steering wheel is an analog rev counter flanked by two 7.0-inch screens; these can be configured to display navigation maps. Both the front and rear seats even have a massage function.
At the rear, legroom and headroom are sufficient for average-heighted people. The two power-adjustable, reclining bucket seats get an extendable thigh support, and there’s a neat touchscreen built into the centre armrest for infotainment and AC controls. Due to the small windows and massive central tunnel, space isn’t a talking point here. The large dual sunroofs do help in making the cabin feel airy though.
Is it worth the money?
In conclusion, the new Panamera is handsome, comfortable, packed with features, and a hoot to drive. Clearly, this isn’t a car for the chauffeur-driven. It’s instead for those who like to take family and friends on fun, thrilling road trips.
