During the introduction of the first-gen Porsche Panamera, it is engulfed with critics for its design, but gained honest praises for its performance and readability. The new 2017 Porsche Panamera made world debut in Berlin recently and has set the bar even higher for the four-door coupe segment with the aspiration of new turbocharged engines, apart from restyled appearance and re-engineered aspects of the new car.
Engine
Three engine choices are available for the new Panamera, with all of them being turbocharged, namely the Panamera 4S Diesel, Panamera 4S and Panamera Turbo.
The Panamera 4S Diesel is equipped with a direct-injection V8 in conjuntion with Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG). The new engine features a sequential turbo system, which enables it to work as a monoturbo or biturbo at will, depending on driving conditions.
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Capable of 416hp and 850Nm, Porsche claims that the engine is the most powerful diesel powerplant ever equipped on their production cars.
In the mid-range is the Panamera 4S, with a 2.9-litre V6 mill producing 434hp and 550Nm of torque. Despite bring smaller in capacity, the petrol 4S is 19hp and 30Nm more over the previous gen.
The range-topping Panamera Turbo is equipped with a 4.0-litre V8, good for 543hp and 770Nm. Despite all variants being force-fed, it is the Turbo-badged Panamera that'll get the crème de la crème of features, boasting adaptive cylinder control and revised suspension.
Both petrol units - 4S and Turbo - also feature 'hot V' layout, where twin-turbochargers are mounted between the cylinder banks, effectively shortening the path between exhaust and the blowers, resulting in a more responsive engine characteristic.
All three variants will be paired with a new 8-speed PDK transmission and permanent all-wheel drive.
2017 Porsche Panamera
Engine: 4S Diesel: 4.0-litre turbocharged V8; 4S: 2.9-litre turbocharged V6; Turbo: 4.0
-litre turbocharged V8
Power: 4S Diesel: 416hp at 3,500 rpm; 4S: 434hp at 5,650 rpm; Turbo: 543hp at 5,750 rpm
Torque: 4S Diesel: 850Nm at 1,000 to 3,250 rpm; 4S: 550Nm at 1,750 to 5,500 rpm; Turbo: 770Nm at 1,960 to 4,500 rpm
Zerotohundred: 4S Diesel: 4.3 seconds; 4S: 4.2 seconds; Turbo: 3.6 seconds
Transmissions: 8-speed PDK
Dimensions: 5,049mm (L), 1,937mm (W), 1,423mm (H)
Weight from: 1,995 kg
Exterior
The new Panamera is larger in every dimension compared to its predecessor. However, its new lower stance is likely contributed by the re-profiled roof line.
Despite the dimension increment, Porsche put plenty of thought into managing unnecessary weight with the application of aluminium in various body panels; side, bonnet, boot and roof.
The new car gets LED headlights with four-point LED DRLs (similar to other recent Porsches) and its tail lights feature a three-dimensional LED units, inspired from the 911 that works to make the Panamera look that much sleeker.
Interior
The cabin is all-new, with digitalisation put to a certain extent. There's a 12.3 inch screen in the center console, and two 7-inch displays acting as primary instrument clusters and is individually configurable. The tachometer remains analogue. Mechanically classy, Porsche.
Featuring Porsche Advanced Cockpit, the interior panels on new Panamera are embedded with touch-sensitive surfaces, replacing the more primitive plastic buttons on the first-gen. Porsche claims that the new functions and operations can be controlled intuitively.
Chassis
Standard across all variants of the new Panamera is Porsche's rear-wheel steer system, first introduced on the 918 Spyder hypercar. There is also adaptive air suspension with three-chamber technology and PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management), PDCC Sport (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport) as well as PTV Plus (Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus).
Body control is further enhanced with active roll stabilisation and new electromechanical steering system.
The Sport Response Button that has been applied to 918 hypercar and 911 sports car is now available in the new Panamera, with four selectable driving modes; Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual.
Safety
New driving assistance for the Panamera include Porsche InnoDrive with adaptive cruise control and night vision which uses thermal imaging camera.
The Panamera will arrive in showrooms across Europe end of this year. Expect the car to come to our shore by second quarter of 2017.
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