Porsche’s Panamera has been a solid seller for the Stuttgart marque since its 2009 debut, but not everybody warmed to its bulbous styling – and even a facelift in 2013 did little to alleviate the visual awkwardness.
There are several other coupé-mimicking saloons that are far easier on the eye – the Audi A7, BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé and Mercedes CLS. Despite this, Porsche has managed to peddle 20,000-plus Panameras almost every year since its inception. But the existing car is now distinctly long in the tooth, hence the recent global reveal of the second-gen model at a media extravaganza in Berlin.
The unveiling of the Mk2 Panamera showed that it has banished all the aesthetic shortcomings of its predecessor. The lardy derrière of the oldie makes way for a sleek and tapered rump that lends the newbie strong visual ties to the current-generation 911 coupe. The roofline is 20 millimetres lower, so the slab-sided frumpiness of the current Panamera is thankfully no more.
The front is more evolutionary, but it’s sharper-edged than before, and the effect is to give the car a leaner, more muscular visage. You will also notice the proportions are more cab-rearward than the outgoing Panamera (in other words, the passenger compartment has been shifted back slightly with the aim of endowing the car with GT proportions).
Despite the lowered roofline, there’s still loads of headroom in the rear, and knee room is decent, aided by a 30mm stretch to the wheelbase. The car is also 5mm wider than before, but overall weight is much the same, partly as a result of all-aluminium body panels.
Key tech highlights include the introduction of a brand-new 4.0L twin-turbo V8 that thumps out 550hp and 770Nm in the flagship Panamera Turbo, which scorches from 0 to 100kph in 3.6 seconds when equipped with the optional Sport Chrono package. And although largely academic, top speed is a staggering 306kph. The lesser 4S model is no slouch either, as its 3.0L turbo V6 ekes out 440hp and 550Nm, for a 0-100kph sprint in 4.2 seconds. Both models come with a new eight-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox.
One of the hallmarks of the existing Panamera is its dynamic excellence, and the second-gen model ostensibly builds on this, having clocked a seven minute, 38 second lap around the daunting Nürburgring Nordschleife (a dipping, diving circuit nicknamed “The Green Hell” by three-time Formula One champion Jackie Stewart). Just to put that time in perspective, it’s on par with the best lap a previous-generation (997 series) 911 Carrera S could post five years ago.
When you consider that the Panamera is a two-tonne luxury sedan that transports four adults in comfort, that’s quite a feat – and it represents a new record for the genre. It’s an important benchmark, as record-setting antics at the Nürburgring have become a valuable marketing tool for purveyors of high-performance vehicles.
Just two versions will be offered when the new Panamera lands here in January. It will cost from Dh483,700 for the entry-level 4S, while the range-topping Turbo bows in at Dh679,800. Further down the track, there will be other derivatives, including a long-wheelbase Executive model, as well as a Shooting Brake wagon-esque variant that was previewed by the Sport Turismo concept at the Paris Motor Show in 2012. In addition, there will be a couple of performance-focused hybrids that should prove popular in the European and Asian markets, where fuel consumption is a key priority.
Porsche boss Oliver Blume says the evolution of a “family of models” will be crucial to the long-term success of the Panamera, particularly as well-heeled buyers are often lured away from the high-end saloon genre by the ever-increasing array of performance luxury crossovers and SUVs on offer.