THE 2024 PORSCHE PANAMERA 4 IS GREAT, IT JUST NEEDS MORE POWER

For a car costing well over $100,000 and wearing a Porsche crest, it’s not unreasonable to expect a horsepower figure starting with a '4.'

There’s nothing like a Porsche Panamera. It splits the difference between large luxury flagship, lithe sports sedan, and grand tourer. All 15 years it’s been on sale, the Panamera’s done an admirable job balancing its various tasks, and this new third-generation model is the best one yet. 

Beyond new sheet metal, there’s a reworked interior and new infotainment system, a fully digital gauge cluster, and a simplified center console. Both twin-turbo V-6 and V-8 engine options carry over, tweaked to meet Europe’s newest emissions regulations. Hybrid models get a larger battery and more-powerful electric motor. Active suspension is optional on Panamera hybrids, while standard Panameras get air springs and new adaptive dampers.

There is a base rear-wheel-drive Panamera, but this is the Panamera 4, which adds all-wheel drive. For its $111,795 base price, you get a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6 making 348 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque, slight increases over the last base model’s power figures. This well-equipped tester stickers for $142,240.

But the Panamera 4 probably isn’t the one to buy.

Pros: Phenomenal Ride/Handling For A Car This Size, Excellent Build Quality, Everyday Usability.

It’s a fascinating car in many ways. One of Porsche’s stated goals for this new Panamera was to improve both ride comfort and handling, and while you need the optional Active Ride suspension to get the maximum bandwidth between cossetting and hardcore, the new base suspension setup does a damn fine job too. In the ways that matter, the Panamera 4 feels like a Porsche.

As ever, Porsche gets so much right. The ride quality in the Panamera’s “Normal” drivetrain and chassis setting feels as good as most luxury sedans. Tighten everything up in the Panamera’s “Sport” or “Sport Plus” modes, and the sedan handles in a way a car weighing 4,374 pounds has no business doing. Especially when you consider this car has no active anti-roll bars or any other clever chassis hardware. Those new dampers allow for quicker adjustments on the fly, and the air springs do a remarkable job of… not feeling like air springs. There’s no floatiness here whatsoever.

The steering feels excellent too. Not super textured like an old 911’s, but the way the weight winds on and off is honed to perfection. No other large luxury car steers this well, except maybe Porsche’s own Taycan. The brakes, beyond doing an admirable job of stopping all this mass, feel excellent too. And the Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tires seemingly never quit.

This is all the stuff that Porsche does so well. You get the sense that engineers sweat every detail. Porsche’s cars are very expensive, but this is what you’re paying for. 

As a luxury car, it’s quite good too. The road noise is remarkably low despite the massive tires— 325/30ZR21s at the rear!—and as so many other luxury cars feel increasingly cheap inside, the Panamera feels every bit as expensive as it is. The digital gauge cluster is perhaps a step back, though. I just miss the analog tachometer.

Now, however, I’m going to say something I very rarely say in this era of too-fast performance cars—I wish the Panamera 4 had more power. The engine is fine in a vacuum, smooth and torquey, if not at all characterful, but so often when you’re driving around in Normal, you get on throttle and are left wanting for power. 

Cons: Feels Underpowered, Expensive, Missing Analog Tachometer

Leave it in Sport mode, and the transmission stays in lower gears, helping keep the engine in its power band, but then you’re just sacrificing fuel economy. On New York’s crowded and chaotic highways and parkways, you often need a quick boost of power, and this Panamera can’t provide. It’s a frustrating experience.

And even when you’re on a back road, driving the car hard, it never feels that quick. Its 4.7-second 0-60 mph time is good on paper, but in the real world, the power underwhelms. Especially when you consider the base price, let alone the as-tested cost here. A BMW M850i isn’t quite as sweet to drive, but for a lower base price than the Panamera 4, you get a 523-horsepower twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8. 

I think the Panamera would really benefit from the added kick of the E-Hybrid’s electric motor, even if the whole system increases weight significantly. Engineers call it transient response—the thing that happens the moment you hit the throttle pedal. Unless you’re in the right gear, the Panamera 4 could really benefit from some instant electric torque. 

It’s a shame because usually Porsche base models are something of a sweet spot in the range. You get the essential goodness of the fancier trims, but at a lower price, and generally, they feel powerful enough. That’s not the case here, as it is with, say, a base 911. And while power and speed aren’t everything, it’s not unreasonable to want a $100,000-plus Porsche to feel quicker than something like a BMW M340i. 

Thankfully, the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid is only $6,300 more than the Panamera 4 and the hybrid system adds more than 100 hp and lb-ft. while shaving eight-tenths of a second off the 0-60 time. That seems like a worthy tradeoff for the expected improvements in fuel economy, plus the option for all-electric driving. Though, we’re curious if the extra weight spoils the excellent handling.

The new Panamera is a great car. Superbly built, luxurious, and it handles like you expect a Porsche should. I’d just take a strong look at the hybrid before committing to this Panamera.

Competitors

• Audi A7
• BMW 8 Series

More On The Porsche Panamera

• Porsche's Active Suspension Is Mind-Blowing. Here's How It Works 
• The 2024 Porsche Panamera's Active Suspension Is A Game-Changer

Engine	2.9-Liter Twin-Turbo V-6
Output	348 Horsepower / 368 Pound-Feet
Transmission	Eight-Speed Dual-Clutch
Drive Type	All-Wheel Drive
Weight	4,374 Pounds
Efficiency	18 MPG City / 25 Highway / 21 Combined
Seating Capacity	4
Cargo Volume	17.4 Cubic Feet / 46.9 Cubic Feet
Base Price	$111,795
As-Tested Price	$142,240
On Sale	Now

2024-09-18T16:23:23Z dg43tfdfdgfd