What Porsche Panamera Turbo
Specs 500bhp, 0-100 km/h in 4.2s, top speed 303 km/h
Price 132,600 USD (without tax)
Why The Panamera Turbo manages to pull of Porsche's goal of fulfilling a variety of criteria. Essentially it’s a four-door super saloon capable of beating the 911 GT3.
I actually attended two Middle East launch events for the Panamera. The first was held in Beirut’s Sky Bar and apart from the dancers, fireworks and heart-pumping music all I, and the other 2,000 guests, managed to accomplish was to ogle a bit of sheet metal, and from afar at that. The second event, held in Dubai, was far more to my liking as this time I got the chance to actually drive the car.
First things first, the styling has been the source of much controversy since Porsche first revealed images of the car in September 2008. But I was pleasantly surprised upon seeing it in the flesh. It’s a car that looks better on the road than in photos. It isn’t beautiful however and the reason is twofold, firstly the designers had to mask some serious bulk, and secondly they mercilessly applied 911 styling cues, much to the detriment of its overall beauty. The Panamera is wide, low and long and, Porsche claims, sports coupé looks, but next to the originator of the four-door coupé, the Mercedes CLS, the Porsche looks a tad awkward and heavy. From certain angles, the Panamera’s looks succeed brilliantly, but from others you can’t help but wander if it’s the ugly duckling striving to be a swan. Having seen almost ten different colours in the flesh I’d say it’s a hugely colour-sensitive vehicle, and you’d do best to stick to one of the darker metallic options. Please don’t opt for white, as it just doesn’t work on this car.
Opening the door and slipping into the supportive seats is a wonderful way to escape the controversy of the exterior. The finish of the cabin is nothing short of beautiful. It’s a low-set affair; the driver’s seat position is similar to a 911’s in relation to the front wheels but of course there’s a lot more behind you here. It’s a strict four-seater and a nicely cosseting one too thanks to a high centre console that runs the length of the cabin. If you believe the rumour mill this is where Porsche will hide the batteries on the hybrid version but I was unable to get any confirmation about this.
My initial driving experience was a bit of a bore as I was constrained to abide by Dubai’s smothering system of radars, which are placed on every road at 200-metre intervals. Luckily I soon escaped that emirate and was into the much freer regions of Fujeirah and it was here that the Panamera really came alive. The Turbo is capable of running at just over 300 km/h and I must admit that I pushed it all the way to 250 km/h without ever even feeling a sense of speed. This car is a phenomenally composed and explosively fast super saloon. Porsche’s dynamic chassis control, which combines active yaw and roll via switchable anti-roll bars, combines well with the clever rear differential that apportions torque from side to side. Mated to an impressive twin-clutch PDK gearbox, the Panamera Turbo is made for unrestricted and spirited driving. Unfortunately however, though it can surprise you with its breadth of talent, it also rarely excites. Even with the bi-turbo's prodigious grunt there was a sense that everything was just too efficient and you rarely have any sense of theatre whether through sideways antics or acoustic delights.
Don’t get me wrong, this car does indeed perform as well as a 911, at least in terms of endless grip, massive acceleration and unbreakable traction. It’s just that (as strange as it sounds) I’d have preferred to feel as though it was a little more fallible so that I could’ve felt as though I were the one in control. Much of the blame can be apportioned to the car’s bulk. I think if Porsche had made the world’s first lightweight four-seater sportscar, that car would’ve undoubtedly won the Ultimate Vehicle of the year. Instead this top-spec Panamera weighs in at about the same as Audi’s S8 and over 200kg heftier than BMW’s M5 and that extra fat requires a plethora of electronic and mechanical aids to keep the Panamera from becoming your worst nightmare. Porsche has done its best to find ways of saving weight; I just don’t think it went far enough in that pursuit.
Okay rant out of the way, I must now mention what I really loved about the car. Firstly the ride; it’s sensational. The combination of air suspension and PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) makes for a variety of comfort versus control settings, with even the firmest riding well. I also loved the engine, obviously. Dare to step on the pedal and you’ll be catapulted forward into another dimension. Thankfully the brakes were also amazing, and I’m talking the standard steel ones so I can only imagine how incredible the optional composites are. I was also very impressed by the interior headroom. Even in the rear, I noticed that there was more room than in a Lexus LS for example. One other thing that really surprised me was the fact that the Panamera is remarkably quiet – a blessing and a curse. Racing through Fujeirah’s tunnels, I may have at times longed for an unadulterated aria of exhaust notes, similar to the Quattroporte GTS’s, but at least (as a backseat passenger) I was able to sit back in peace and quiet, going so far as to take a kip while the world blazed past at triple-digit speeds.
So how special is the Panamera Turbo? Very, is the answer. Forget about its shape. That’ll grow on you with time, especially with the arrival of other fastback-shaped cars like the Aston Martin Rapide, BMW 5-series GT and Audi A7. The fastest Panamera is a very, very impressive machine particularly because it manages to pull off Porsche's goal of fulfilling such a wide variety of criteria. It’s a worthy luxury performance flagship, and for plenty of people that’ll be more than enough. Sadly, in my honest opinion it’s simply trying to be too much to too many people and a lot of Porsche’s usual visceral brilliance has been lost in translation. The Panamera’s particular magic is superlative German engineering, yet sadly it’s just too emotionless and clinical and that's an oddity in marketplace in which Porsche’s rivals focus on the emotional connection. If you‘re looking for the comfort of a luxury saloon that has the spirit and dynamism of a sportscar then this is the car for you. It’s without a doubt the most capable automobile to be launched this year. It isn’t, unfortunately, this year’s greatest vehicle.
