By Guilherme Marques
Not happy with the shockwave caused by the Cayenne seven years earlier, Porsche decided a four-door saloon was the next logical step.
With the widely recognised success of the first Porsche SUV, nobody stuck their neck out saying the Panamera was going a bit too far. And they were right because the neck would have suffered – the Panamera was another jackpot by the Germans, a money-making machine that, in Portugal for example, accounts for 25% of all Porsche sales.
Four years on and it is time for a re-style, a mild facelift to keep it fresh and up to speed with an ever-changing marketplace. There is a wider rear window, a relocated number plate, now positioned in the new rear bumper and new front and rear lights, but the overall shape remains the same.
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Still, it looks better than the previous model, more proportioned and better resolved, especially the back. So, if looks were the reason not to buy it, sorry but not anymore – the Panamera is now an attractive, if not beautiful, luxury saloon.
The presentation for the Spanish and Portuguese press was in Benidorm, at a very nice hotel called Asia Gardens. If you ever feel like getting away for a few days, I would strongly recommend it. Although Benidorm is a seaside village, there are some truly magnificent mountain roads to play with when you have a sports saloon at your disposal. We were given free rein to blast around in three models: the Turbo, the 4S and the biggest news of this new Panamera, the S E-Hybrid.
Now I won’t bore you too much with the technical stuff, but this number will leave you wanting to know more: 2.8. That is right, the hybrid Panamera can average 2.8 litres per 100km, something even a small diesel engine can only dream of.
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The plug-in system helps, and to achieve this you should let the car manage the electric and petrol modes by itself. It is actually mesmerising that a two tone, five-metre long car can do this, but I saw it, nobody told me, so I can assure you it is true.
And then, if you don’t feel like saving baby seals anymore, just switch on Sport mode and enjoy the combined output of 416 horse-power. That means 0-100km/h in a scarcely believable 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 270km/h. Technology? Yes, these guys seem to know something about that.
As for the Turbo, it has a 4.8 litre V8 producing 520hp and it will leave 10-year-old supercars for dead and I mean for dead, dying of a painful death.
The 420hp 4S was the most engaging drive of the three, even though Porsche has switched the old naturally aspirated V8 for a (very good) twin-turbo V6, but in today’s world, all things considered, I have to say that, in a car like the Panamera, the S E-Hybrid makes the most sense and is probably the best option.
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This being a family as much as an executive saloon, I cannot end without talking about the interior. For me, it was the best part of the original car and it just got better in this one.
There is a reason why all Porsche models today have taken their interior inspiration from the Panamera, and that reason takes little longer than a few seconds to shine through: quality. My God there is a lot of it going around. Everything you touch feels expensive, the fit and finish is perfect and the feel-good factor of the inside is my favourite part of the Panamera experience – which I guess is a major selling point because you do tend to drive a car from the inside.
Get a dark colour for the body and a light colour for the seats and this is one classy saloon. Just please don’t buy it in white with red leather seats.
So, how much will a four door, four seat Porsche saloon set you back? Well, the hybrid starts at €121,000, the 4S is €131.000 and the Turbo a whopping €186,000. It is a lot of money, no question about it, but for those who can get there, I believe it is worth it.
