Concept and description
Porsche Panamera in front of the new Porsche Museum
The Panamera’s name is derived, like the Porsche Carrera line, from the Carrera Panamericana race. Earlier prototypes and concepts of the four-door saloons, such as the 1991 Porsche 989 prototype, the four-door 911 based prototype, and the C88 supermini sedan concept for China, never went into production.[citation needed]
The Panamera is generally considered to be the long-awaited fruit of Porsche’s 989 concept from the late 1980s; some argue that it also presents itself as a successor to the two-door 928, but there may be plans to develop a new 928 as well.[8]
The Porsche Panamera is marketed as a more exciting and higher performing alternative to the traditional executive saloons such as the BMW 7 Series, the Audi A8, and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. However, Porsche is not the only auto manufacturer to design a four-door super-car.[9] The Panamera competes more directly with cars like the Aston Martin Rapide, the Maserati Quattroporte, the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, and the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo.[10][11]
Like the Porsche Cayenne SUV (which has become the marque’s best-selling vehicle), the Panamera upset many Porsche purists, since it was seen as an attempt to broaden Porsche’s appeal beyond that of hardcore fans. The Panamera ran contrary to the company’s signature offerings, particularly its light two-door rear-engine sports cars like the 911. The Panamera on the other hand is considered a full-size luxury car, weighing at nearly 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg), with four doors, and its V8 engine mounted in the front. The Panamera’s unusual appearance with its long hood and bulbous rear hatch bears little resemblance to a stretched 911, although it does resemble the 911 from certain angles.[12] The iconic 911 has a sparse interior, as it was focused on raw performance, while the Panamera has a sumptuous interior loaded with modern technological amenity and expensive leather upholstery.[10] [13]
Production
Engines are first assembled in Stuttgart, and the car’s body is built and painted at the Volkswagen Group facility in Hannover. The final assembly of the vehicle takes place in Leipzig, Germany, alongside the Cayenne.[14]
Production began in April 2009, one month after its debut in the Shanghai Motor Show in China. Porsche will keep production rate at around 20,000 cars per year.[15]
Porsche has applied for patents on a four-door convertible version of the Panamera that keep the same general dimensions.[16]
Specifications
The V8-powered Panamera S, 4S, and Turbo models were the first versions that debuted in 2009. In addition to the 4.8L Twin Turbo 500hp V8, Porsche launched two further models in 2010: the Panamera and Panamera 4 which are both powered by 3.6-litre V6 engines producing 300 horsepower. The Panamera, S, Hybrid and Diesel are rear-wheel drive, while the Panamera 4 and 4S have the same four-wheel drive system as the Turbo and Turbo S.
Being derived from the V8 engine of the Panamera S and Panamera 4S, the V6 retains the V8′s technologies like Direct Fuel Injection, infinitely-variable intake camshaft adjustment with variable valve lift (VarioCam Plus), an on-demand oil pump, water cooling with thermal management, a variable intake manifold, as well as integrated dry sump lubrication with two-stage extraction of oil and, and an Auto Start-Stop function (only with the PDK transmission).[17] US models include an engine start/stop system, and the Turbo version uses active aerodynamics with a multi-stage, adjustable rear spoiler.[18]
In 2011, the Panamera S Hybrid,[19] Diesel[20] and Turbo S[21] variants were added to the range.
Engines
| car model | displacement & configuration |
max. motive power @ rpm | max. torque @ rpm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panamera, Panamera 4 |
3.6 litre V6 | 300 PS (221 kW; 296 bhp) @ 6,200 | 400 N·m (295 ft·lbf) @ 3,750-4,250 |
| Panamera Diesel | 3.0 litre V6 | 250 PS (184 kW; 247 bhp) @ 3,800 | 550 N·m (406 ft·lbf) @ 1,750-2,750 |
| Panamera S, Panamera 4S |
4.8 litre V8 | 400 PS (294 kW; 395 bhp) @ 6,500 | 500 N·m (369 ft·lbf) @ 3,500-5,000 |
| Panamera S Hybrid | 3.0 litre V6 | 380 PS (279 kW; 375 bhp) @ 5,500 | 580 N·m (428 ft·lbf) @ 3,000-5,250 |
| Panamera Turbo | 4.8 litre V8 twin turbo | 500 PS (368 kW; 493 bhp) | 700 N·m (516 ft·lbf) @ 2,250-4,500 |
| Panamera Turbo S | 4.8 litre V8 twin turbo | 550 PS (405 kW; 542 bhp) @ 6,000 | 750 N·m (553 ft·lbf) @ 2,250-4,500 |
Transmissions
The new 7-speed ZF Friedrichshafen PDK dual clutch transmission is standard on the Panamera 4, 4S and Turbo models.[22][23] With the addition of the optional sport chrono package, this provides faster acceleration times. In some markets a 6-speed manual is available for rear-wheel drive petrol versions. The S Hybrid and Diesel models come only with an Aisin-supplied 8-speed automatic transmission called Tiptronic S.
Panamera Turbo
- Drag Coefficient: 0.30[24]
- 0- 60 mph (97 km/h): 3.3 seconds[24]
- 0- 100 mph (160 km/h) : 8.2 seconds [24]
- 1/4 mile: 11.7 seconds @ 119 mph (192 km/h) [24]
- Top Speed: 188 mph (303 km/h) [24]
- Braking 70 mph (110 km/h) to 0 mph (0 km/h): 159 feet (48 m) [24]
Top speeds in gear:
| Gear | mph | km/h | rpm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7th | 193 | 311 | 4450 |
| 6th | 193 | 311 | 6100 |
| 5th | 169 | 272 | 6600 |
| 4th | 123 | 198 | 6600 |
| 3rd | 84 | 135 | 6600 |
| 2nd | 51 | 82 | 6600 |
| 1st | 28 | 45 | 6600 |
Panamera S Hybrid
Porsche Panamera S Hybrid at the Geneva Auto Show 2011
In 2008, Porsche AG announced the development of a parallel hybrid system for the Panamera.[25] and in February 2011, Porsche unveiled the Panamera S Hybrid. Using the same drivetrain seen in the Cayenne S Hybrid – an Audi-sourced supercharged 3.0L V6 engine producing 333 bhp (248 kW; 338 PS) along with an electric motor rated at 47 bhp (35 kW; 48 PS), as well as the Cayenne’s eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission – the 380 bhp (283 kW; 385 PS) Panamera S Hybrid can accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 6.0 seconds. It would produce only 159 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, rendering it the cleanest car in the entire Porsche model range, but still provide a top speed of 270 km/h (167.8 mph).
Panamera Diesel
The Panamera Diesel was launched in May 2011. The vehicle uses the same 3.0L V6 engine used in the Cayenne Diesel, itself a tuned carryover of an existing Volkswagen engine. The Panamera’s engine has a power output of 250 bhp (186 kW; 253 PS). The car is capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 242 km/h (150.4 mph). It is also the most economical Porsche in the entire vehicle range, consuming just 6.3 liters per 100 kilometers.
Handling
The Panamera comes with the Porsche Traction Management (PTM), which is Porsche’s name for its fully-controlled, four-wheel drive system. PTM is standard on both the Panamera 4S and the Panamera Turbo. Optional Sports Chrono Packages include a Sport Plus button, which has tighter damping and air springs, and lowers the car body by 25 mm (1.0 in).[26]
Reception
Despite the differences in dimensions and design, a reviewer noted that the Panamera’s driving dynamics were close to that of the 911, and it “seems to occupy the no-man’s-land between really good sports sedans and proper sports cars”, and so far the Panamera has won every comparison test against other four-door performance cars on the market such as the more expensive Maserati Quattroporte and Aston Martin Rapide.[27][28] Function was also praised, with the 15.7 cubic feet hatchback trunk, and the four-corner adaptive air suspension that retained superior handling while also providing a comfortable ride for public roads. Edmunds stated that the Panamera was an innovative engineering feat that “makes a unique statement about the way that luxury transportation and serious high-performance potential can be mixed together in one car”. [10] [13]
Unlike most of the V8-engined contemporaries, all models of the Panamera avoid the US Gas Guzzler Tax. The V6-powered Panamera was also praised, as its downsized engine still retained respectable acceleration,[29] and as it had even better handling than its V8 siblings, due to the engine being lighter by 100 lb (45 kg) which gave the car better weight distribution.[30]
However, the CAR magazine of the U.K. described the S model not as sporty as they expected, which they blamed the car “oriented to comfort as it’s possible”[31] and called the Turbo model “a missed opportunity on behalf of Porsche” to be “the world’s first lightweight four seater” as the top model weighs as much as an Audi S8.[32]
The vehicle’s styling on the other hand has not been well received. Top Gear in particular has been very critical of it ever since the first photos were shown, meanwhile evo has called the car “big and ugly.”[33]
Sales
A year into production by September 2010, the Panamera overtook the Cayenne to become Porsche’s best selling model with 22,185 copies sold. The largest national market was the United States with 6188 sold.[34] Sales by cities: Los Angeles (890), New York (760), Hong Kong (300), Dubai (285), Tokyo (223), Munich (206), Moscow (203), Shanghai (188), Hamburg (117) and Berlin (108).[35] Sales by model variant: Panamera 4S (9394), Turbo (6171), S (4563) and V6 (2390 – introduced weeks earlier).[34]
Publicity
On the 20 April 2007, a spy video of the Porsche Panamera became available on the Internet.[36]
In September 2008, Porsche released the first teaser image for the Panamera.[37] In early October 2008, an undisguised Panamera was captured on film in Busan, South Korea.[38]
On 28 November 2008, Porsche sent a mailer containing two photos of the Panamera which were labeled as “the first official images of the Porsche Panamera” with an invitation to have online access to via Porsche USA’s website.[39]
The 30 November 2008 edition of Top Gear featured a look at the Panamera in its news section, with the three presenters critically comparing its looks to those of the Austin Maxi. On 21 May 2009 Richard Hammond and James May from Top Gear were seen driving the Panamera along the A30 in Devon. They were racing against a letter sent via Royal Mail between the Isles of Scilly and the Orkney Islands. This episode was broadcast on the BBC on 12 July 2009. Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the Porsche Panamera for an article with The Times newspaper and said, “Porsche plainly gave the job to a janitor”. In his article, Clarkson rated the Panamera 2 out of 5 stars, claiming it “makes Quasimodo look like George Clooney“.[40]
On 19 April 2009, Porsche finally unveiled the Porsche Panamera saloon to the public at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show.[41] One of the highlights of the Panamera’s debut was fitting the car in the freight elevator of the Shanghai World Financial Center and sending it to the skyscraper’s 94th floor.[42]
2010 recall
On 27 April 2010, Porsche announced the recall of all 2010 Panameras due to potentially faulty seatbelt mounts. It is claimed that the seatbelt mounts can possibly come undone if the front seats are set in the extreme forward position and the vehicle has an accident. So far, no actual incidents of this problem have been reported; rather, Porsche is issuing the recall as a precautionary measure.