Porsche ladles more power on Panamera

Friday, 28 August 2020

Porsche's customers mainly prefer their pride-and-joy as a rear- or mid-engine sports car, or more likely today, a performance-laden SUV.

For a few, Porsche ownership blends high-performance with lavish comfort and the more formal status of a large saloon in the shape of the Panamera.

It’s now mid-life upgrade time across the second-generation Panamera family – including the Sport Turismo wagons – with the spotlight shared by two very different approaches to performance.

Porsche has updated the Panamera. Would you like it with conventional or plug-in hybrid power?

Buyers desiring the apex of internal combustion Porsche muscle will find the biggest serving yet with the new Panamera Turbo S. Others seeking pace with efficiency will discover a significant boost in plug-in hybrid performance and EV driving range from the new Panamera 4S E-Hybrid.

It doesn’t look all that different but that’s okay – it’s not exactly hard on the eyes.

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How does a 0-100 kmh sprint of 3.1 seconds for the V8-powered Turbo S sound?

The mighty Turbo S is a full-fat 4.0-litre V8 turbocharged saloon now boasting 463kW output (up by 59kW) and 820Nm of torque (up by 50Nm) over the previous flagship model. It propels the Turbo S from 0-100kmh in 3.1secs with a top speed of 315km/h.

The first shipment will land in New Zealand in the first quarter of 2021 with a $367,900 price-tag.

Love that Porsche has retained the five-dial gauge cluster, especially the analogue rev counter.

Priced from $262,300, the Panamera 4S E-Hybrid is an almost as powerful - but contrasting - solution using a new 2.9-litre V6 turbo petrol developing 342kW and a 100kW electric motor integrated into the eight-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission.

Combined system output is rated at 412kW along with maximum torque of 750Nm. With the standard Sport Chrono Package, the Panamera 4S E-Hybrid can sprint from 0–100 kmh in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 298km/h.

Compared to previous hybrid Panamera models, the all-electric range has been boosted by up to 30 per cent to a WLTP tested 54km.

The battery capacity has been increased from 14.1 to 17.9 kWh compared to previous hybrid models by using optimised cells and the driving modes have been tuned for even more efficient energy utilisation

There will be seven models in the 2021 Panamera line-up for New Zealand with the entry point Panamera and Panamera 4 (with all-wheel-drive) offering a 2.9-litre V6 biturbo engine delivering an unchanged 243kW and 450Nm priced from $189,900 and $198,200 respectively. The Panamera 4 is also available in the Sport Turismo body style priced from $204,500.

Panamera GTS and Panamera GTS Sport Turismo - priced at $274,300 and $280,600 respectively - also boast increased V8 biturbo power with a 15kW increase over its predecessor to 353kW and 620Nm. Porsche has tuned this engine to deliver the power delivery of a naturally aspirated engine with V8 engine note is enhanced by the new standard sports exhaust system.

The previous king of the Panamera hill, the Turbo S E-Hybrid, is noticably missing from the line-up. Porsche New Zealand told Stuff that it is “anticipated” to become part of the local offerings again, with more news expected later this year.

There are detail styling changes for the 2021 Panamera, notably the previously optional Sport Design front end with striking air intake grilles, large side cooling openings and a single-bar front light module becoming standard.

The Panamera Turbo S front end is further differentiated by the larger side air intakes and newly designed elements in the exterior colour, which are connected horizontally and thus emphasise the width of the vehicle. The light modules of the dual Turbo front lights are now set much further apart.

GTS models sport the new darkened Exclusive Design tail light clusters as standard with dynamic coming/leaving home function. The addition of three new 20- and 21-inch wheels mean a total of 10 different designs are now available.

Porsche Panamera model line-up for the New Zealand market (deliveries expected from the first quarter of 2021) is as follows:

Panamera $189,900
Panamera 4 $198,200
Panamera 4S E-Hybrid $262,300
Panamera GTS $274,300
Panamera Turbo S $367,900
Panamera 4 Sport Turismo $204,500
Panamera GTS Sport Turismo $280,600