The Porsche Panamera - a completely new development

The sports car among luxury sedans

MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 28, 2016 /CNW/ - The new 2017 Porsche Panamera reconciles two contrasting characteristics more than ever before: the performance of a genuine sports car and the comfort of a luxury sedan. The second generation of the Panamera is advancing to become a performance icon in its segment. In this transformation, Porsche has systematically improved the Panamera concept – with a four-door car that has been redeveloped and redesigned down to the last detail. Its engines and transmissions have been redesigned, its chassis perfected, and its display and control concept reinterpreted for the future. The new Panamera also extends the borders between the world of ambitious sports cars and the world of comfortable cruising cars with highlights such as rear axle steering, active roll stabilization, and three-chamber air suspension.

911 design language with a much more dynamic silhoutte
Visually, the unique concept of this large Porsche is reflected in a new expressive design: unmistakably a Panamera, unmistakably a sports car – with long, dynamic proportions, pronounced shoulders, athletic flanks and an extremely fast roof line that is 20 mm lower at the rear. This typical Porsche flyline creates a stylistic link to Porsche's design icon, the 911.

New V6 and V8 biturbo engines and eight-speed PDK gearbox
A Porsche has always impressed with more than just power; its efficiency is equally important. To elevate this formula to a new level, all of the second generation Panamera's engines have been redesigned. All have been made more powerful, while significantly improving fuel economy and reducing emissions. Two new biturbo direct injection engines are being introduced in the Panamera 4S and the Panamera Turbo. Both of them may be equipped with a permanent all-wheel drive system and a new eight-speed Porsche dual-clutch transmission (PDK). A V6 engine with 440 hp drives the Panamera 4S and a 550 hp V8 propels the Panamera Turbo.

A luxury sedan that can take to the race track
In keeping with the overall concept of the new Panamera, the chassis also unites the cruising comfort of a luxury sedan with the performance of a true sports car. This is achieved by supplementing the impressive basic layout with optional innovative systems such as an adaptive air suspension with new three-chamber technology, including Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) electronic damper control, the enhanced Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) system including Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), and active roll stabilization, as well as a new electromechanical steering system. The integrated 4D Chassis Control system analyzes and synchronizes all chassis systems in real time and optimizes the road performance of the new Panamera. Porsche is also taking the steering precision and handling of sports cars into the GT class with rear axle steering – which is also new, adapted from the 918 Spyder and 911 Turbo. Brake performance has been improved as well.

Next generation assistance systems
The Panamera is equipped with many standard and optional assistance systems, which make life while driving more convenient and safer. The most important new systems include a night vision assistant, which uses a thermal imaging camera to detect people and large animals and displays a colour highlighted warning indicator in the cockpit.

New engines in detail: more power, better fuel efficiency
The new, powerful and fuel-efficient V6 and V8 turbo engines of the Panamera share a special conceptual design characteristic, the turbochargers are integrated centrally into the V of the cylinder banks. This central turbo layout yields numerous benefits: The engines are more compact, enabling a lower mounting position. This, in turn, has a positive effect on the vehicle's centre of gravity. The short paths between the two turbochargers and the combustion chambers produce spontaneous throttle response. Engine response can be further increased using the optional Mode Switch with the Sport Response Button. The Mode Switch, which was first introduced in the Porsche 918 Spyder, is an intuitively operated rotary ring on the steering wheel, which can be used to activate one of four driving modes (Normal, Sport, Sport Plus or Individual). Located at the centre of the switch is the Sport Response Button. It can be used to free up the maximum power potential of the Panamera at the press of a button.

The Panamera Turbo has the most powerful engine of this model series. Its 4.0-litre biturbo V8 develops 550 hp (at 5,750 rpm) and a maximum torque of 567 lb-ft (between 1,960 and 4,500 rpm). It has 30 hp more power than the previous model, and its maximum torque has been increased by 51 lb-ft. The eight-cylinder engine accelerates the Panamera Turbo to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds; with the Sport Chrono Package the sprint time is just 3.6 seconds. The Porsche can reach a top speed of 306 km/h. These are impressive figures that illustrate just how easily the engine can propel the Panamera with its power-to-weight ratio of just 3.6 kg/hp. These extraordinary performance figures contrast with lower combined fuel consumption figures which, at 9.4 – 9.3 L/100 km, represent a reduction of up to 1.1 L/100 km less than that of the previous model (according to the New European Driving Cycle or NEDC).

Porsche uses complex twin-scroll turbochargers to supply compressed air to the V8's combustion chambers. The two counter-rotating chargers produce maximum torque figures at very low engine speeds. The Panamera Turbo is also the first Porsche to be equipped with the new adaptive cylinder control in its engine. In part-load operation, the system temporarily and imperceptibly turns the eight-cylinder into a four-cylinder engine. This reduces fuel consumption by up to 30 per cent, depending on power demand in the four-cylinder phases.

The 2.9-litre V6 biturbo engine of the Panamera 4S develops a maximum power of 440 hp (20 hp more than the previous model); it is already available at 5,650 rpm. Between 1,750 and 5,500 rpm, the new six-cylinder delivers 405 lb-ft (21 lb-ft more) to the drive axles. The Panamera 4S can reach 100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds (4.2 seconds with the Sport Chrono Package). With a top speed of 289 km/h, this Porsche also approaches the 300 km/h mark. Combined fuel consumption is 8.2 – 8.1 L/100 km (according to the New European Driving Cycle or NEDC). Compared to the first generation Panamera 4S, this represents a fuel saving of up to 1.0 L/100 km or eleven per cent (according to the New European Driving Cycle or NEDC).

Like the eight-cylinder engine of the Panamera Turbo, the six-cylinder motor of the Panamera 4S also has direct-injection injectors that are positioned in the combustion chamber. This offers optimal combustion, maximum efficiency, and very good engine response.

Details of the new design: even more dynamic proportions
The exterior character of the Panamera has also been sharpened with the dawn of the second generation. It is based on very dynamic proportions. The new Panamera is 5,049 mm (+34) long, 1,937 mm (+6) wide and 1,423 mm (+5) tall. Despite the slight increase in height, the four-door car looks much lower and longer. This is primarily due to the reduced height above the rear of the passenger compartment – reduced by 20 mm – while maintaining consistently good headroom. The wheelbase has been increased by 30 mm to 2,950 mm; this too lengthens the car's proportions. The front wheels were shifted further forward, reducing the front overhang and making the prestige dimension – the distance between the A-pillar and the front axle – even larger. The longer rear overhang gives the car a more powerful appearance.

The new side body – like the hood, trunk, roof, and wings – is made entirely of aluminium, and it accentuates the silhouette of a sports car more than ever thanks to its dynamic roof line. At the rear, this roof line becomes the charismatic Porsche flyline – the distinctive lines that adorn all of the brand's coupés. Two precisely executed edges on the lateral roof line visually lower the centre of gravity. The look of the side windows has also been redesigned: its visually continuous surface, together with its lines on the rear body, creates a stylistic affinity to the Porsche 911. The flared lips of the wheel arches are also powerful. The large arches provide space for the 19-inch (4S), 20-inch (Turbo) and optional 21-inch alloy wheels.

The fact that the Panamera is a four-door coupé and not a conventional sedan is clearer from the rear than from any other perspective. The 'greenhouse' – made up of the roof, roof pillars, window surfaces – is supported by a powerful and broad shoulder section. The most prominent components identifying the rear body are the three-dimensional LED rear lights with integrated four-point brake lights. The rear lights are interconnected by a narrow LED strip. All of these elements together create an unmistakable night design. Integrated seamlessly and elegantly into the rear, which features electric opening and closing as standard, is the extendible rear spoiler that is now finished in body colour. On the Panamera Turbo, the wing also splits as it extends, thereby gaining additional surface area. Finishing the lower rear body is a diffuser into which the dual stainless steel tailpipes of the exhaust system are integrated on the left and right. The Panamera 4S can be recognized by its round tailpipes, while the Panamera Turbo has trapezoidal tailpipe trims.

Porsche operating philosophy – future-based interpretation
The new Panamera exhibits a completely new interior design. In many areas, touch-sensitive surfaces replace classic hard keys, and high-resolution displays merge into the interior. In the luxury sedan segment, the digitalization of the Porsche interior, which began with the 918 Spyder, has reached the next development stage aboard the Panamera in the form of the new Porsche Advanced Cockpit. From the low seat position typical of sports cars, drivers not only see a fascinating front-end landscape of the car's wings and powerdome, but also two 7-inch displays that are placed directly in the driver's line of sight for ideal ergonomics. Located in the middle of these two displays is the tachometer, which historically remains analog. Meanwhile, the gearshift console between the driver and the front passenger is dominated by the 12.3-inch touchscreen of the next generation Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system. The driver and front passenger can configure this display individually. Naturally, this is integrated into the PCM: Features such as the online functions of Porsche Connect, smartphone integration via Apple® CarPlay capability and a new voice control system that responds to natural language input. The PCM area – with its high-end, high-resolution display – transitions harmoniously into the black panel concept of the centre console with a shift-by-wire gear selector for the PDK. A new control panel with touch-sensitive switches on the centre console enables intuitive control of various functions. Even the louvres of the central air vent are electrically adjusted by touch-sensitive sliders. Rear passengers can control air conditioning and infotainment functions using an optional four-zone automatic climate control system.

In addition, the Porsche Panamera offers the best layout variability of any model in the luxury class, making it the most practical for everyday use with a 40:20:40 split of the folding rear bench backrests (495 to 1,304 litres of luggage capacity). Raising the comfort experience of the Panamera to an entirely new level are new equipment such as the standard panoramic tilt roof as well as optional massage seats, ambient lighting, and a 3D high-end sound system from Burmester.

Orders for the new Panamera can be placed immediately. The first units will begin arriving in Canada in the first quarter of 2017 with pricing starting at $114,300 for the Panamera 4S and $167,700 for the Panamera Turbo.