Still Hot, Even with the Baggage

The Porsche mystique roars on, and lets you share the experience.
By Bill Heald

There’s an amazing thing about Porsche: The company’s depth of engineering and design expertise, along with the peerless understanding of its own brand, means that it can build pretty much anything with wheels and still stay true to the marque. Porsche did it when it graced the world with its Cayenne SUV about a decade ago, and again most recently with a big, roomy fivedoor sedan that has a dizzying array of available powertrains. It manages to possess the kind of performance and attitude the name demands, but before we examine the awesome mechanicals, let’s take a gander at the svelte bodywork that surrounds this long, low, front-engine, rear- (or all-wheel-) drive masterwork called the Panamera.

Built on an expansive wheelbase just shy of 115 inches, the “family” Porsche offers generous passenger room but still has the low, wide look that defines this sexy German icon. It’s almost as if a large Hulk-like creature grabbed a 911 Carrera and stretched it to a longer length, and then (stylishly) grafted on two more doors. A rear hatchback gives access to decent cargo capacity for your exotic Maruman golf clubs, and all those doors let you haul your whole foursome. And speaking of hauling, as promised, the Panamera has boatloads of engine options (there’s a total of eight versions of the car), starting with a 3.6-liter, 300-horsepower V-6 and either rear- or all-wheel drive. This is Porsche’s first V-6 design, and we guarantee it has teeth.

The transmission is a seven-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) double-clutch gearbox with auto start/stop technology. The PDK name is not only worth a lot of points in German Scrabble; it’s also a very sophisticated gearbox found on all Panameras except the hybrid model (which uses a Tiptronic S transmission). The PDK is one of those new-generation automatics that shifts with the direct precision of a manual, without the bother of a clutch. Start/stop means the engine shuts down at stoplights while all the accessories still operate, in the interest of saving fuel.

And as we’re firing up the engine, let’s look at more choices under the bonnet. If you like to spare the environment yet still enjoy the exquisite Porsche experience, a hybrid model is available that combines a 333-horsepower supercharged V-6 with a 47-horsepower electric motor to get to 60 mph in less than six seconds, as well as get the best gas mileage of any production Porsche. It’s as green as the aforementioned Hulk, yet it gives up little in outright performance.

But if you’re all about the horses under the hood, you can opt for the Panamera S, 4S, GTS, or Turbo S. With these Panameras, you are graced with a stunning 4.6-liter V-8 that in the normally aspirated units delivers 400 horsepower (430 with the GTS). But life is short, and we say you should pick up your date as quickly as possible. Therefore, our choice is the Panamera Turbo S with 550 horsepower and standard all-wheel drive. Twin turbos pump the V-8 to joyous levels of torque output at all rpms, and with the Sport Chrono Package you push a button and “overboost” temporarily spikes torque output at 590 foot-pounds. This allows you to really punish your tires, and/or flirt with the fabric of the space-time continuum.

As with all Panameras, the unit-body design enhances the handling of the car with strong, lightweight construction, thanks to extensive use of boron steel, aluminum, magnesium, and the latest in composite technology. Still concerned those extra doors slight the Porsche racing heritage? As the company points out, even the placement of the start button comes from the traditional sprint to the car at the start of Le Mans: “By positioning the starter to the left of the steering wheel, the Porsche driver could start the car with his or her left hand while shifting gears with the right and thus get a jump start on competitors trying to do both with the same hand.” You see? A bigger Porsche is still a Porsche, only more so.