Panamera: Is this really Porsche?

18 Nov 2009

Speaking of which, are three very interesting buttons on the panel between the two front seats - the controls for the adaptive air suspension -Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus. Needless to say it is this functionality on the Panamera that transforms the big car from soft, comfortable family car to menacingly sharp racetrack machine - especially when car sheds 25mm of ground clearance when the Sport Plus mode is engaged. Coupled with Porsche's very own version of the double clutch transmission, Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe or PDK for short, the Panamera Turbo seems like the quintessential grand tourer to have in your garage. Driving the Panamera on Dubai's arrow straight highways, the Panamera Turbo pinned all four of us occupants into our individually comfortable seats and kept on accelerating till 270 km/h, at which point we had to ease off - there were tell-tale signs of a speed camera up ahead! But even then it felt like it had loads and loads of power to keep pushing harder ahead, and keep us pinned in those seats for a lot longer.

A lot has been said all over the world about the Porsche Panamera - about its styling, about the whole idea of Porsche making a proper four seater and about whether it will live up to its Porsche badge. Colleagues from around the globe have driven it and been blown away by its sheer power, but is that all that makes the Panamera a real Porsche? I mean, the engine is in the front, and not in the rear. Heck, its two cylinder banks aren't even at 180 degreed to each other - it's not a boxer. The Panamera has a 4.8 litre V8 on the S and 4S models and an additional twin-turbo bolted on the Turbo which gives it that mad performance. It may look good, but it's not the prettiest of all things automotive - while the 911 wins beauty competitions hands down. So what exactly is it that makes the Panamera a real Porsche?

Pedigree.

The Panamera is the dark horse proving itself and very effectively so at every step of the way. It is the hero in a saga that tells tales of Porsche's long-standing ode to sports cars and every bit in them that makes us want to drive them. It is living testimony and sequel to the Cayenne's huge success. It is automotive nirvana - for four. It is as sports car as any can be and with all the Stuttgart-induced specifications, it holds the mantle high for its maker. It is the answer to critics around the world who said Porsche should stick to making just the 911. It is most definitely the kind of automobile you'd want to be seen in - whether it's just ferrying the family around town every day, trips to the office or even that long weekend getaway. The Panamera is that great a car. The Panamera really is a Porsche.