Porsche Panamera S

Porsche Panamera S
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How much?	$ 119650
Engine:	4806cc, 8cyl, 394BHP @ 6500, 369lb ft @ 3500-5000
Transmission:	Automatic
Fuel Economy:	10.8 - l/100km
Performance:	5.4 sec 0-100kph , 282kph
How heavy?	1770kg

Tom Bird
01 July 2009

After one of the longest, most drip-fed introductions of a car in modern times, we finally got behind the wheel of the 911 for the family man - the Porsche Panamera. On sopping wet roads in Munich where the international launch was held, we sampled all three of the Panameras – the 500bhp Turbo and 394bhp four-wheel drive 4S, plus the

Three Panameras will go on sale in the region when the car arrives just after Ramadan, the 500bhp Panamera Turbo, 394bhp Panamera 4S and Panamera S. We spent most time behind the wheel on sopping wet German roads in the entry-level (for now at least, there’s a V6 coming next year) rear-wheel drive S.

So, how does it drive?

Brilliantly, so long as you don’t expect it to drive like a 911. It may look like a squashed 911 of sorts, but the Panamera is very different. The Panamera S is actually the only front-engined rear-wheel drive Porsche makes and handles itself extremely well for something so big.

How big is big?

Well, the Panamera measures in just under 5-metres in length and weighs just shy of two-tonnes. It’s actually not as wide as a Cayenne, yet it feels it on the road as you sit very low therefore it can take a while to get used to the bulk of the thing.

What about space inside?

No complaints from the front seats – in fact, the whole driving position is spot-on. You’re hemmed in by the high centre-stack – with buttons for everything – and the wheel (nicked from the 911) is exactly where it should be. And to top it off, everything is finished in the highest quality materials – leather, wood, etc – to exacting standards.

And in the back?

It’s good, but not great. Porsche likes to think of the Panamera as rival to the likes of the 7-series, S-class, A8 etc. which it is when you look at it from a power/luxury/kudos point of view. Through in driving ability and things look even better for the Porsche. However, there’s one area where the Panamera falls down on.

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