2017 Porsche Panamera Turns up the Speed and Sex Appeal [w/ Videos]
Porsche’s Panamera, like the Cayenne, has been a ludicrously lucrative venture for the company that was, for much of its history, all-sports-cars-all-the-time. However, not everyone was able to get past the clumsy, caboose-heavy proportions, particularly the back half of the greenhouse (a.k.a. roofline), which was made taller late in the first gen Panamera’s development process because, no joke, then-CEO Wendelin Wiedeking wanted more headroom when he sat in the back of one. But now the new second iteration of the Panamera is here and, with the previous abnormally tall big cheese having been booted in the wake of a failed takeover of Volkswagen, the more-door Porsche now has its curves in all the right places.
But just because the 2017 Porsche Panamera is the looker its predecessor should have been, doesn’t mean the engineering geeks in Zuffenhausen and Weissach have scrimped on substance for the new car. The body shell is now all aluminum, so despite being longer, taller and wider than the current car, the weight won’t be much different. Inside, there’s more room in pretty much every direction, and the dashboard incorporates a big (but not Tesla big) 12.3” center touchscreen and optional Apple CarPlay (Android users are banished to Bluetooth, apparently.).
As for drivetrains, the initial models will all feature all-wheel-drive, all-wheel-steering and a new 8-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission. First-year buyers here in the U.S. will be limited to two models: The Panamera 4S with a 2.9L twin-turbo V6 rated at 440 horsepower and 405 lb.-ft of torque, and the Panamera Turbo with Volkswagen Group’s 4.0L twin-turbo V8 producing 550 horsepower and 567 lb.-ft. In addition to the two aforementioned models, European buyers will be able to opt for the Panamera 4S Diesel, featuring the new Audi-designed twin-turbocharged and electrically-supercharged 4.0L V8 diesel generating 416 horsepower and 627 lb.-ft of bone-liquefying twist (Jealous rage mode, engage.).
Porsche says the $101,040 Panamera 4S will scoot to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds (4.2 with the optional Sport Chrono Package) and max out at 180 mph, while the $147,950 Panamera Turbo will do the deed in 3.6 seconds (3.4 if you order Sport Chrono) and top out at 190 mph. The company also says the new Panamera Turbo has lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 38 seconds, which Porsche claims is a luxury sedan record. Coincidentally, 7:38 is the same ‘Ring time as the 997.1 chassis 911 Turbo of just a few years ago, and just 10 seconds slower than the mighty Carrera GT. Progress is a hell of a thing, isn’t it?
Source: Porsche