The four-door Porsche Panamera sports saloon doesn’t so much herald an evolution of a brand as it does an evolution of the customer.
Porsche owners were always seen as die-hard driving enthusiasts, the sort of people who would only ever drive manual derivatives and who didn’t really care all that much about safety features.
People who drove Porsches weren’t “hotshot heavy-feet” who raced from robot to robot; they didn’t feel the need to show off the way drivers of a certain other German brand are prone to do.
Essentially they were control freaks, yet now they’re willing to relinquish some of that control to technology and this tectonic shift is evidenced by the fact that not a single customer who bought any of the new Porsche Boxster or Cayman models in South Africa chose the manual option. They all chose the new PDK double-clutch, semi-automatic gearbox, which is obviously the more logical option because the PDK system changes gears faster than any driver could as it constantly engages two gears at the same time. But the fact that Porsche drivers were willing to trust technology, and admit that an innovation might just be better than their finely honed skills, is quite a significant change. Then again, maybe it’s just a case of more lazy politicians and BEE types buying Porsches to gain the street cred that’s so important to them.
Whatever the reason, Porsche had no option but to develop an almost family sedan because, as Porsche Centre South Africa chief executive and racing aficionado Toby Venter said at the Panamera launch: “It would be virtually impossible to stick only to making sports cars.”
Lamborghini is set to launch the four-door Reventon and Aston Martin is also on the verge of launching its own four-door Rapide — all proof that no sports car manufacturer is able to pursue the dwindling niche of dyed-in-the-wool sports car enthusiasts.
Even more proof of how much Porsche is adapting to global sea changes is the all-new stop-start fuel-saving function, which is standard across the Panamera range. This technology cuts the engine off when the car comes to a standstill and starts it up again when pressure is applied to the accelerator pedal. This method isn’t in any way new as other vehicle manufacturers have been using it for a few years, but it is new to Porsche and this is the first time this technology is available in a Porsche model range.
The three Panameras on offer are all powered by a petrol 4,8-litre V8, but the top-end model is turbo-charged. The Panamera S (R1 040 000) and the all-wheel drive 4S (R1 065 000) develop 294kW and 500Nm and the Panamera Turbo pushes out 368kW of power and 700Nm of torque, which propels it from 0 to 100kph in 4.2s.
Despite its blistering pace the turbo never feels difficult to drive — there’s no torque steer, no feeling that you’re about to lose control of the car. You obviously do feel the speed, but it accelerates very smoothly unless, of course, you engage the launch control function to get the quickest off-the-line start.
Thanks to its wide chassis, it was nigh impossible to upset the Panamera as all derivatives felt supremely comfortable in tight twists or on long sweeping curves.
The steering feels perfectly balanced and the PDK transmission allows for the quickest of gear changes.
The instrument layout in the binnacle in front of the driver is as near perfect as you’re going to get. There are three dials: on the left is the speedo, in the middle is the rev counter and the one on the right quite cleverly displays vehicle information, as well as the satnav map.
In the long, flowing centre console there are enough gagdets and buttons to intimidate the most ardent of technophiles. But after spending a few short hours in the car, I knew exactly which buttons were the most important so maybe it’s not that confusing.
Surprisingly the interior in this snug four-seater is really roomy. I sat behind a fairly tall driver for a few minutes and had more than enough space and I’m not exactly a Hobbit-sized person.
It’s difficult to categorise the Panamera because it’s trying to be so many things — gran turismo, performance car, executive saloon, coupé of sorts — and it can probably best be described as the metrosexual of sports cars. Its mostly heterosexual, but its interest in fashion and its refined sense of taste might just cause you to ponder which team it plays for.
And that’s a good thing because though you can’t pigeonhole the Panamera its appeal is indisputable, not just because it’s a phenomenally rewarding car but also because it’s just so much fun to drive.
I can’t say whether it’s a true Porsche or not because I haven’t driven too many Porsches, but given that 30 to 40 Panameras have already been sold in South Africa it’s safe to say it has already garnered a fervid fan base much like every other Porsche ever built.