Stirring up a dust devil in Porsche's Panamera

Published Oct 15, 2009

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Locked and loaded, 368kW of turbocharged Porsche is unleashed on to a desert highway in Dubai, where the four-seater Panamera is being introduced to African and Middle East media.

The force-fed 4.8-litre V8 purrs a little louder as I thrust the throttle down but there's a lack of acoustic aggression - as in all turbocharged Porsches - which contrasts sharply with the thrust that presses me into the finely sculpted bucket seat.

The non-turbo Panamera 4S I'd driven earlier in the day had more of a predatory growl, adding in character what the lack of a turbo robs from outright performance (though 0-100km/h in 5.6sec and 285km/h aren't exactly pedestrian).

After all the hype and controversy about its ungainly styling, I'd wondered how true to its sporting DNA this "family" Porsche would feel. The answer came soon after I grasped the chunky steering wheel and fired 'er up. My first stint at the wheel of Stuttgart's new four-seat grand tourer revealed a car that feels exactly like a Porsche in its hard-charging acceleration and granite-solid feel.

Despite weighing in at just less than two tons (without its four South African occupants) the Panamera Turbo really makes hay as I find an empty piece of speed trap-deficient Dubai highway.

As the big sedan builds pace it's clear from this car's directional stability that it was built for high velocities. Even at close to 300km/h it moves with unshakeable poise and a lack of drama that is out of kilter with the blurred speed of the roadside scenery. A top speed of 303km/h and 0-100km/h in 4.2sec are its bragging stats.

The double-clutch, seven-speed gearbox is a picture of smooth-shifting efficiency and the brakes are the business, too. The cabin's a marriage of classy elegance and athletic intent and, as in its stablemates, the driver interface is dominated by a large rev counter.

So far so Porsche, except the Panamera deviates from family form in its limousine-like ride comfort. No teeth-loosening jarring; this is a comfortable grand tourer that dispenses fresh passengers at the end of long journeys, as I discover after a 200km desert cruise.

And it's not a token four-seater but a spacious sedan - a whisker under five metres long - that provides leg- and headroom aplenty for me and the three journalists I'm sharing the car with (none of whom can be described as short or skinny). Not to mention a 445-litre boot. I did mention it was a family Porsche…

PRODIGIOUS GRIP

Adjustable air suspension, however, gives the Panamera the ability to turn from luxury tourer to cornering athlete at the press of a button on the Star Trek-like centre console.

The few direction changes that present themselves in this mostly flat desert kingdom reveal the all-wheel drive Panamera Turbo has prodigious levels of grip with beautifully weighted steering - all straight from the Porsche textbook - though the heavy mass is palpable and it's clear I'm not behind the wheel of a nimble 911.

The Panamera's contentious shape has been widely discussed but it's styled that way to retain the Porsche DNA, the company's design chief Michael Mauer told us at the launch presentation.

True, its raised front fenders and coupe-like roofline are straight out of the Porsche family album, but it's not a beauty that stops you in your tracks; it hasn't the raw sex appeal of a Maserati or Aston Martin.

FIFTH MODEL

To me it looks like the gangly love child of a 911 and an old 928, though I concede it looks better in the metal than in pictures.

The Panamera fits alongside the 911, Cayenne, Boxster and Cayman ranges as Porsche's fifth model and is available in South Africa as:

Panamera S (294kW/500Nm) - R1 040 000

Panamera 4S AWD (294kW/500Nm) - R1 065 000

Panamera Turbo AWD (368kW/700Nm) - R1 665 000

- INL Motoring

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