Now in its third generation, the Panamera continues to be the German brand's luxury internal combustion-powered saloon car offering. Despite this segment seemingly losing volume consistently, there's no denying the often exceptional automobiles that come from this market segment. From my recent encounter with the Panamera, it is better in almost every way than its predecessor.
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Pros:
-Exceptionally refined
-Practical
-Build quality
-Surprisingly quick
Cons:
-The looks remain polarising
-It feels big
-Interior can look grubby thanks to mirror-like finishes
Styling
The exterior styling of the Panamera has always been polarising. Arguably, it has been trending in the right direction, with this latest third-generation car looking more like a 911 saloon than ever before. Still, there will be those who find its design less appealing, and while I wouldn't deem this a particularly pretty vehicle, it is inoffensive and effective in a clinical way that very few brands can pull off to such an effect.
Interior & Space
Inside the latest Panamera is an increased emphasis on digitisation, with the instrument cluster now being a fully digitised 12.6-inch curved screen instead of the traditional analogue cluster. At the same time, infotainment is taken care of by a 10.9-inch central screen and, in the case of our press units, an additional screen for the passenger to utilise. The infotainment functionality is exceptional, with great resolution and ease of use, and the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto make utility a breeze! Gone is the old 'twist and start' mechanism and a Start/Stop button is in its place. Like Cayenne, the gear lever has been relocated to the dashboard between the instrument cluster and the infotainment screen. While this presents as cleaner in terms of design, a part of me misses the gear lever and "turn key" start procedure.
As is expected, the fit and finish and the material quality on offer are exceptional from the Leipzig-made model. When clean and new, the interior presents a premium black mirror, with key surfaces presenting a glass-like effect. While this looks stealthy and is beautifully contrasted by the light-coloured interior of our press unit, after a few days of use, dust and fingerprints tarnish the once-immaculate surface. This means this interior requires frequent cleaning and requires carrying a micro-fibre cloth in the vehicle at all times. The Panamera is by no means the only premium product to suffer from this, but it's worth mentioning.
Practicality is impressive, as you'd expect from a large executive sedan. There is ample rear leg and headroom for two rear occupants, and the boot space is 494 litres, which expands to 1 328 litres with the rear seats folded.
Drivetrain
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Driving impression
The latest Panamera is a nuanced driving experience; you see, the car always feels rather large, and that's because it is. But, its low driving position and firmer low-speed ride despite adaptive air suspension combined with a more supple ride as the speed increases leaves you with a car that should feel disjointed but somehow comes together for a far more satisfying driving experience than I had anticipated. Sure, it's no 911, and the narrower and tighter the road becomes, the less enjoyable it becomes, but conversely, the wider and more flowing the road, the more endearing the big Porsche becomes as a GT driving tool.
The aforementioned engine is seriously impressive and allows the 1920kg Panamera 4 to out-perform the brand claims in traditional Porsche style, with a 0-100km/h time below the 4.8-second claim, while the 270km/h top speed is probably all one could ever need in what is only one derivative above the base model Panamera! The sound emitted by the V6 is a bit more muted than we had anticipated. However, it's more understandable considering this model's target audience, which is after more effortless performance and luxury than a snarling V6 sports car.
Fuel economy
Porsche claims a fuel consumption figure of 9.9 L/100km, but our real-world figure of 13.1 L/100km is more believable. A single 90-litre tank of petrol yields around 680 km of driving range.
Safety
The new Panamera has not been crash-tested; however, there are 8 airbags and a host of active, passive and semi-autonomous driving aids, making it safe to assume that the new model will be exceptionally safe.
Pricing
At R2 244 000 before options, the Panamera 4 is similar in price to the BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupe, which is R2 255 353. The model comes standard with a 3-year/100,000 km maintenance plan.
Verdict
There are very few chinks in the Panamera's luxury saloon armour, and indeed, placed within context, this is an exceptional GT car that is right at the pinnacle of its segment; however, considering the ever-shrinking nature of the segment in which the car competes, we have to ask, who will buy one?
