Panamera sets standards in technology, style and comfort

THE Panamera is Porsche's first sedan after more than six decades of manufacturing sports coupes and, since 2002, the Cayenne car-based sport utility vehicle.

The Panamera entered the market last September in three V8 versions to be followed later by a V6 entry-level model and a Panamera with hybrid drive.

The Panamera series starts with the Panamera S combining a 400-horsepower 4.8-litre eight-cylinder with rear-wheel drive. The power of the Panamera S is transmitted via a six-speed manual gearbox and Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) with seven gears.

With this transmission, the Panamera S can reach 100km/h in just 5.4 seconds. Top speed with PDK is 283km/h, top speed with manual gearbox an even more impressive 285 km/h.

The Panamera 4S also features a 4.8-litre V8 developing maximum output of 400 bhp.

The top model in the range is the Panamera Turbo offering a maximum output of 500bhp from its 4.8-litre V8 with bi-turbo technology. Standard fuel consumption of the Panamera Turbo is 12.2 litres/100 km, equal to 23.2 mpg imp, with CO2 emissions of 286 g/km.

Efficiency

Efficiency plays a fundamental role in the Panamera series.

All models feature Direct Fuel Injection (DFI), low-friction drivetrains, and lightweight body technology.

Even the top model in the range, the Panamera Turbo, weighs less than 2,000 kg or 4410 lb (to the DIN norm), despite its wide range of standard equipment.

To reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions even further, all versions of the Panamera equipped with the PDK or double-clutch gearbox that comes with Porsche's new auto start-stop function that automatically switches off the engine as soon as the car comes to a standstill or as long as the driver keeps his foot on the brake— for example at the traffic lights or in a traffic jam — and then automatically starts the engine again as soon as the driver takes his foot off the brake pedal.

The result is a significant reduction of fuel consumption particularly in city traffic.

Sportiness and comfort

The Panamera offers a combination of sportiness and comfort as compared to other car models in its class.

Apart from the regular steel suspension with variable dampers on Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), the Panamera is available as an option (and standard on the Panamera Turbo) with brand-new, adaptive air suspension including PASM able to build up additional air volume in each spring.

This revolutionary suspension offers an even wider range of different driving characteristics and set-ups, ranging from even greater driving comfort on the one hand to very sporting driving dynamics on the other.

The Panamera's Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) actively compensates the car's body roll in bends and at the same time improving the car's behaviour and smoothness when driving straight-ahead on bumpy roads.

PDCC comes in with a fully controlled rear axle differential enhancing both traction and agility to an even higher standard.

Showing utmost finesse and style, Porsche's designers have succeeded in making the Panamera a brand-new and truly unique model featuring that special look so typical of Porsche.

The proportions of the body alone make the Panamera quite exceptional, combining the widest with the lowest body of all comparable four-door models to make Porsche's Gran Turismo truly unmistakable at very first sight.

The styling of the car reflects the philosophy refined throughout decades on the 911 Carrera and successfully applied also on the Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne.

All models in the Panamera range come with sporting comfortable seats for the driver and passengers.

Electrically adjustable in no less than eight directions, these superior seats ensure excellent individual driving comfort right from the start in the Panamera S and 4S.

The Brunei Times