Possibly the sexiest 4-door in the world

WORDS: PHOTOGRAPHY

The Panamera brings new tech, new power and new style to the streets of the Gold Coast.

 

Unique and yet immediately identifiable as a Porsche, the Panamera has come of age with its sheer power and luxury combined together in this exciting new motorcar. 

 

Damian Holley, Dealer Principal of Porsche Centre Gold Coast, has again been willing to part with the all new Panamera Turbo for it’s Dream Drive testing.
Porsche has not held back on technology here, with the new Panamera now somewhat of a tech showpiece for the brand. The German automotive firm has retooled the larger, wider sports sedan to more closely resemble its smaller, sleeker 911 sports cars however this feels like a true CEO businessman’s car.
You only need to glance through the car’s windows to see that first impressions of the cabin have much more wow factor thanks to the large 12.3-inch touch screen mounted in the centre of the dash. Also, the twin digital instrument displays that sit either side of the traditional centre-mounted tacho.

 

All three can be configured in a myriad of ways to suit personal preferences, but it’s the centre screen which offers a wormhole of functionality, from sat nav, audio, phone connections and vehicle settings. It even includes the electronic adjustment of the lower air vents and turning the exhaust from silent to sports mode. The seats can be heated, and adjusted in an uncountable variety of ways.

 

This is Gran Turismo excellence – it folds sports car performance and handling into long-distance comfort with innovation and high-level refinement.
It’s over five metres bumper to bumper, and weighs in at 1995kg. Even though the Panamera Turbo accelerates almost as hard as its 911-based sibling, it doubles as a luxury saloon. The new 404kW 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 turbo. With an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and more adventurous all-wheel drive system, the 32-valver pushes all four seats from 0-100km/h in only 3.6sec in Sport Plus mode. Yes you hear correct – this is a seriously quick motorcar…
The new Panamera has the roar, agile handling, and power of the sports car, forever in the DNA of the Porsche brand. Launch-controlled take-offs are serious events in a car this massive. The initial urge hurls you to excessive speeds as the motor merely starts to get put through its paces taking you well into the 300+km hour should you continue to push it harder.

Quote

Any CEO or Senior Executive would be proud to call this car their own.

 

 

Drive this car with enthusiasm and the transmission adapts, ignoring 7th and 8th, shifting down earlier, holding gears longer. Seventh gear on M1 lets you max the beast but while the official average consumption is 7.3L/100km, I believe it may have been reading a little higher than this on the occasion when pushed a bit harder. While power is one thing, it’s the way it drives and performs with 770Nm from 1960 to 4500rpm that really matters.

There’s a real personal side to the drive too, the optional sports exhaust adding a real touch of grunt allowing the driver to hear what horsepower he or she is achieving through the note of the exhausts. Part-throttle action has an impatient rumble, while pedal-to-the-metal it really does open up and sound very aggressive.

I don’t think at one point this button was turned off whilst I had the car for 48 hours!

 

 

While it’s bristling with innovation, goodies such as rear-wheel steering, adjustable anti-roll bars, compound brakes and wide wheels do cost a little extra. Despite having extra-wide 21-inch wheels on the test car it wasn’t unduly harsh and didn’t tramline excessively however they really do look the part on this vehicle and I really couldn’t see anything smaller as choice.

Drive modes are Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual. Suspension modes come in similar flavours.
In the Panamera, with its fixed-rate steering, what you feel is what you get, without amplifier or filter. The car turns in swiftly, oozing confidence, and stays on the ball as you wind on more lock. The steering is precise and well damped. It’s a compelling level of involvement.

 

If smartphones are second nature to you, you’ll love the new layout of the touch screen. There are hard keys for the basic functions while steering-wheel controls manage the small info screens on each side of the large analogue rev counter. At first it seemed a bit daunting to find all of the controls when needed however after a day in the car it was second nature and everything was very adaptable at the touch of a button.

Keep ticking boxes and you can add all manner of luxury fare, from self-sucking doors and a rear sunblind to ambient lighting, Alcantara roof lining or a sensational 21-speaker, 1455-Watt Burmester 3D sound system.
This car combines grand cruiser and sports coupe traits at will, which means your drive can be as relaxed or focused as you want. Instead, the new Panamera offers technology and luxury, fine materials, rear-seat entertainment and the biggest panoramic roof in its class.

 

The choice of engines elicits similar thoughts. The 404kW powerhouse is the ultimate engine for this vehicle and still, the V8 runs on four pots part time. This turbo V8 is sure to remain the favourite of all engine choices for the new Panamera and I say it’s that good that cost is not even part of the equation once you have test driven the twin turbo.  What a car! All I can say is… Breathtaking. 
See Damien and the team at Porsche Centre Gold Coast for more details on this car at 1 Harvest Court Southport or call 55557911.

 

Info Box

Model: Panamera Turbo
Engine: 3996cc twin-turbo V8
Max power: 404kW @ 5750-6000rpm
Max torque: 770Nm @ 1960-4500rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1995kg
0-100km/h: 3.6sec (with Sport Chrono pack)

• Extras :

• Rear Axle Steering including Power Steering Plus

• Sport Chrono Package

• Adaptive Sports seats in the front

• Sports Exhaust System

• Rear and Rear door Electric rollup blind

• 21-inch 911 Turbo Design Wheels

• Carbon Interior Package

• Six-disc CD/DVD Autochanger

•  

On sale at Porsche Centre Gold Coast.