2022 Porsche Panamera GTS is Like a V8-Powered, Four-Door 911

A four-door liftback sport sedan is the final word sort of auto; it doesn’t get any higher than having one thing that’s quick, roomy, and glossy. The Porsche Panamera is the very best instance of the sort of automobile, and the GTS is arguably the candy spot of the lineup.

(Full disclosure: Porsche lent me a Panamera so I may take my household on a street journey to San Diego.)

What Is It?

The Panamera lineup is expansive, consisting of a whopping 23 variants cut up between 15 sedans and 7 Sport Turismo wagons. Pricing is equally expansive. Including a $1,350 vacation spot cost, the vary begins at $92,400 for the bottom mannequin and runs all the way in which as much as $200,400 for the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo. The Panamera GTS is simply above the halfway level within the hierarchy, and importantly, it’s the least costly strategy to get a V8 this automobile. Of course, I’m nonetheless speaking 1-percenter pricing; the GTS begins at $135,200. And with Porsche’s a-la-carte choices construction, the value of my check automobile rises to $160,330.

Specs That Matter

This V8 is a hell of a powerplant. The 4.0-liter twin-turbo engine places out 473 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. That will get routed via an eight-speed dual-clutch automated transmission and all-wheel drive. It all provides as much as some severe efficiency: The Panamera GTS sedan can hit 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and go on to a prime velocity of 187 mph.

The better part? It’s a efficiency automobile you may really use. That liftback is a lovely factor for performance. There’s 17.6 cubic ft of house within the again with the seats up, however fold them down and that grows to a small-crossover-rivaling 47.3 cubic ft.

How It Drives

The Panamera critically drives like an extended 911. You can take corners at speeds you wouldn’t count on, with super-flat general composure due to Porsche’s Active Suspension Management (PASM) tech. Combined with steering that’s dead-on exact, the Panamera GTS is a Porsche via and thru.

Despite how good the GTS handles, the trip doesn’t undergo. Even with the adaptive dampers in full-on Sport Plus mode and using on giant, 21-inch gold (“Satin Aurum” in line with Porsche) wheels with low-profile summer season tires, bumps and street imperfections are completely soaked up. A whole lot of that may be attributed to the PASM adaptive dampers since they mitigate street imperfections whenever you’re driving over tough pavement.

When it involves bringing all of the enjoyable right down to metropolis speeds, that’s not an issue. This Panamera GTS is provided with 15.3-inch entrance and 14.3-inch rear carbon ceramic brakes, a $9,860 possibility.

What’s Great

For starters, the Panamera’s design. The 2017 mannequin 12 months redesign actually cleaned up the sedan’s appears, particularly within the rear. The skinny taillights are related by a cohesive gentle bar, and the built-in and electronically deployable rear spoiler works means higher with this extra streamlined design.

The inside is sweet and spacious, and there’s a lot of rear seat legroom. Headroom can also be fairly good, even with that low roofline. The general sprint design is clear and trendy, one other large enchancment over the primary era. And the Panamera’s seats are unbelievable, particularly on an extended drive. My check automobile’s particular seats have Race-Tex (learn: fancy suede) trim, which is a $3,480 possibility.

Porsche’s LED matrix headlights are among the greatest and brightest I’ve ever used. They’re a $1,210 possibility – add one other $600 if you need the headlight surrounds in black – and that value is greater than justified. In addition to automated high-beam help, there are cornering lights that swivel the low beams primarily based on steering enter, and the turning angle will increase when the automobile is in Sport mode. The lights even have speed-dependent dynamic vary management, which will increase the size of the sunshine distribution at speeds above 68 mph.

What’s Weak

The first-generation Panamera had means too many buttons on the middle console – over 80 in whole. The second-gen redesign mounted this with a flat, backlit panel, however Porsche added one thing that’s arguably worse: haptic controls. Every single button, save for the switches used to regulate the fan velocity and temperature, is a haptic management. While it appears cleaner and fewer cluttered, these buttons generally is a ache to make use of. They’re designed in order that they will’t be simply (or mistakenly) pressed, which is comprehensible; you don’t wish to by accident brush your hand in opposition to a management you didn’t imply to have interaction. But when it comes time to truly flip one thing on or off, you find yourself having to press more durable than regular, which may be annoying when you’re not attempting to take your eyes off the street. There’s all the time that second look again to be sure you’ve hit the button accurately. What’s worse is that these controls are all set on a piano black floor, so the entire heart console is a magnet for fingerprints and smudges.

Then there are the Panamera’s air vents. While the shops subsequent to the window and within the B pillars are regular, those within the heart of the sprint are electrically operated. These vents have 4 flaps that open when the local weather management is activated, however weirdly, you may solely alter them via an interface within the 12.3-inch Porsche Communication Management infotainment touchscreen. This is tremendous annoying.

Verdict

The Panamera GTS’ mixture of V8 energy, liftback versatility, and wonderful chassis tuning are unmatched. Unfortunately, the automobile’s excessive value places it out of attain for most individuals, and furthermore, lots of people searching for a fast and opulent Porsche sedan are selecting to go electrical; the Taycan now outsells the Panamera by an enormous margin. Still, the Panamera GTS embodies among the greatest qualities of Porsche’s engineering, and it’s an extremely versatile all-rounder that under no circumstances sacrifices efficiency.