Porsche Panamera
Four door sportscar benchmark
Since its arrival a little over a decade ago, the Porsche Panamera has been the benchmark in the sports car cum luxury sedan space. What it lacked in terms of aesthetic appeal, personal opinion of course, was rectified with the arrival of the second generation Panamera and for 2021, Porsche has given it subtle exterior revisions and fined tuned the ride and handling overall.
Visual updates are hard to spot, more so in case of the Panamera’s front end. Honestly, I had to refer to the official literature to figure out exactly what has changed. Essentially, the Sport Design package available previously as an optional extra is now standard adding sportier bumpers and side skirts. There is now a different SportDesign package available as an optional extra. The rear fares better with its revised tail lamp cluster, but on the whole it’s tough to tell the new one and the pre-facelift version apart. Not complaining, just pointing out facts. Personally, I’d pick the Sport Turismo over this one, but it is yet to be listed on Porsche India’s official web page. So, for now, this is only body style you can buy the Panamera
PORSCHE HAS WORKED ON THE RIDE AND HANDLING MAKING IT A TAD MORE COMFORTABLE AND DYNAMICALLY SORTED THAN BEFORE
in. The cabin and all that equipment available remains unchanged. Space in the rear, legroom & knee room is aplenty and although the sloping roofline does take a toll on head room. Another reason I’d pick the Sport Turismo over this one.
In terms of features, the standard list is quite healthy with a semi-digital instrument cluster, a high-res super responsive touchscreen, fourzone climate control, all four seats with electric adjust, Bose audio setup and more. However, that Rs 1.44 crore starting price does leave a lot out including a panoramic sunroof, seat heating, ventilation and massage and memory function, head-up display, 360-degree surround view, etc. The list of optional extras is frankly endless. In fact, I managed to add a full crore to the base price ticking the options list.
This here is the entry-level Panamera equipped with a 2.9-litre biturbo V6 that produces 330bhp of maximum power and 450Nm of
peak torque. Power is sent strictly to the rear wheels. It may be the least powerful Panamera on sale, but it still manages to dole out enough excitement to keep the driver happy. With launch control, this “base” Panamera will hit the ton in 5.4 seconds and reach 200kmph in 21.6 seconds. The faster you go, the smaller the car feels shrinking itself around the driver impressing, nay, amazing you with the way it handles, changes direction and grips the tarmac. Porsche has worked on the ride and handling of Panamera so, it now a tad more comfortable and dynamically sorted than before. In comfort mode at slower speeds is when the Panamera’s size becomes apparent. The air suspension helps transform the car’s behaviour to suit the driver’s and passengers’ needs. The big new addition to the Panamera range comes in form a the range-topping Turbo S variant that draws 630bhp and 820Nm from its 4.0-litre biturbo V8. Hopefully, we’ll get our hands on that one soon and preferably at a track. Fingers crossed.