Stuttgart’s 192mph miracle hybrid
The AMG GT 4 Door might be aiming at a narrow niche in the market but this key rival has shown it’s possible to make a comfortable home there. From frumpy beginnings the Panamera has matured into a cornerstone of Porsche’s range, a car that convincingly straddles the divide between limousine and sports car – just as the AMG aims to.
Like the Merc, the Panamera blends coupe and saloon design with a hatchback tailgate. It’s grown into its looks since its awkward early days and wears its 911-esque cues more convincingly, even if it’s still no beauty. Acid-green calipers show this car’s a hybrid, in this case the flagship Turbo S E-Hybrid, combining the twin-turbo V8 engine from the Panamera Turbo with the electric drivetrain from the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid. That equates to 542bhp and 568lb ft from the V8, plus a 134bhp/295lb ft e-boost for a combined 671bhp and 627lb ft. The hardware makes it a weighty beast – over 2.3 tonnes – but it goes like a car half the weight.
We’re following a dawdling SUV through a particularly tangled knot of B-roads in the hills, enjoying the Panamera’s soothingly pliant low-speed ride and well-insulated refinement, letting the powertrain unobtrusively switch between electric and bent-eight power. Rounding a bend, the road opens into a well-sighted straight. Click the Sport Response button in the middle of the drive-mode selector – that’s the full Al Pacino ‘gimme all ya got’ function, which musters all of the car’s energy, electric and internal
combustion, for 20 seconds. Dithering trac might as well not exist. There’s a swooshing, whooshing rush with undertones of burbling V8 and suddenly you’re a mile up the road.
Rotating the drive-mode wheel to Sport and Sport Plus triggers extra regenerative-energy capture to help keep the battery topped, and it remains close to full a long way into this test. Selecting either of the sportier modes when stationary instantly brings the V8 to life in readiness, and there’s no doubting its potency. The Porsche’s 4.0-litre V8 isn’t as charismatic as the rumbling AMG, but has a deep burbly note nonetheless (albeit one that’s more audible outside the car than in). It’s hooked up to an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox, which feels the most responsive of the three cars in manual paddleshift mode.
The Panamera rides on adaptive air suspension, and it feels more tied-down than the Alpina; there’s less float over crests and it’s keener to change direction. Small bumps tremor through the car more readily, and in sudden compressions and over larger bumps the car can be jogged vertically in a bouncing motion, no doubt partly a result of its weight and partly its larger wheels (the Porsche is on 21-inch wheels to the other cars’ 20s). But overall it rides very well, and it’s as relaxing to waft around unhurriedly as it is composed to drive at pace.
Its interior possesses the biggest wow factor of the trio. Its low-set dash offers a great view ahead, yet the low hip point means you still feel
cocooned, and the infotainment displays look the cleanest here, the glassy central widescreen flowing into the digital instrument cluster (although still with an analogue revcounter in the centre) more neatly than in the other two. It’s a quicker system to learn than that of the AMG, although not without its quirks; the main touchscreen feels like it’s not quite calibrated accurately, seemingly responding more easily to a finger prod just off-centre than to one that’s bang on.
The lack of physical buttons on the gloss-black console around the gear selector makes it look uncluttered in comparison with the AMG but it takes a while to memorise its layout so you can use it without taking your eyes off the road. Of our three cars, I’d argue the Alpina’s iDrive system is the safest, most user-friendly media set-up, if the least avant garde.
The Porsche cabin’s an event for rear passengers. This car is fitted with optional rear-seat entertainment, which connects two removable tablet screens to the main infotainment system via a WLAN link, allowing rear passengers to browse the internet, play with apps or check in on the car’s vital stats – tyre pressures, fuel range and its current speed – so no Panamera pilot is safe from back-seat drivers. The upshot is that the Porsche feels special whichever seat you’re in, the overall atmosphere akin to a particularly low-flying private jet. It’s worth mentioning that the Mercedes is also available with a rear-seat multimedia package. Boot space is broadly comparable to the AMG; neither Panamera nor GT 4 Door can match the Alpina’s boot for volume, although their hatch doors have it beaten for accessibility.
Of the three the Panamera feels most like a sports car; low-set driving position, measured and accurate feedback from the steering wheel. It’s more responsive than the Alpina, and less immediate than the Mercedes, but similarly precise. The Panamera can’t completely disguise its weight, of course, and brake feel is occasionally slightly inconsistent, as with many hybrids, but it’s a very convincing package overall. ⊲
The cabin’s a real event for passengers, so the Porsche feels special whichever seat you’re in
Three enormously charismatic cars, and each with more strengths than weaknesses. Choosing between the AMG GT 4 Door and the Alpina B5 is agonising. In a world of blank cheques you’d have both, because they contrast and complement each other perfectly. The Alpina’s combination of complete civility with earth-shattering pace is compelling, and if its comfort-orientated suspension makes it less sharp to drive than the other two (on a twisty road, at least), it also makes it the easiest of the three to live with every day.
The Mercedes is brasher, less urbane but more thrilling to drive more of the time, thanks to its combination of savage, almost lag-free V8 turbo power and quite astonishing body control. But there are a few too many negatives to detract from its dynamic brilliance: its infotainment interface is complicated and its screen graphics cluttered; refinement doesn’t feel up to snuff for a six-figure luxury car; and while its styling has bags of head-turning presence, it might just be a little too ungainly for some.
After a final drive in the GT my grin’s so wide I can’t help placing it ahead of the Alpina by a whisker – but while the AMG’s novelty might fade over time, I can imagine how satisfying a B5 would be to own long-term. An M5 might have come closer to the AMG for thrills, but the Alpina’s more rounded approach and rare-groove appeal take it from sports saloon to grand tourer in ethos. It’s quite a machine.
The Panamera, meanwhile, offers the best aspects of both rivals. It can cosset and waft almost as calmingly as the Alpina, corner like a racing car in the same vein as the AMG, and feel as shockingly quick in a straight line as them both. While good enough to take the win here, the Turbo S E-Hybrid isn’t necessarily the pick of the Panamera range, either – the lighter, purer regular Turbo S is a superb car. But still the S E-Hybrid is a dynamic match for the two lighter, less complex cars in this test.
The Panamera also makes the most interesting design statements of the three, outside and particularly within. It’s the most absorbing car to sit in, to drive and to spend time with. In a trio of star cars, it’s the Panamera that radiates the most star quality.