Even though it disconcerted enthusiasts when it appeared in 2009 at the Shanghai Motor Show, the Porsche Panamera has found its audience. In fact, more than 385,000 units have been sold, in two large generations, each subdivided into two series. The German manufacturer invited us to its Leipzig factory to preview the Panamera G3, which is starting a new cycle.
Finally, new… In 2016, the German sports sedan completely changed platform, and it is an evolution of it, called MSB, that we find on the latest model, which also retains the length 5.05 m of the replaced model. However, Porsche could not be satisfied with a simple update for a model starting a generation.
State-of-the-art air suspension
Thus, the Panamera G3 is equipped with a rather astonishing air suspension. Of unique design (and supplied by ZF), this device called Active Drive consists of struts each superimposing a two-valve shock absorber and a two-chamber air cushion, all of which is powered by an individual electric pump. This device increases not only the responsiveness but also the power of each leg, so each can be controlled individually, in compression and relaxation. As a result, we can have an increased influence on cash movements, or even reverse them.
Thus, the new Panamera can lean into the bend it enters, like a motorcycle. This in itself is not new, but the Porsche exercises the same behavioral subversion when accelerating, where instead of rearing up, it dives, and when braking where, instead of diving, it rears up. The Porsche also adapts its suspension to optimize comfort and road behavior, taking into account the load on each wheel. It lowers as speed increases but can also be raised by 5.5 cm to facilitate access on board. Let’s also point out a function that will please slick show-offs: with an app, from your smartphone, you can make the Porsche dance on its wheels. Perfect for getting noticed before going to order bottles of champagne in the Macumba VIP area.
Fortunately, the Panamera can also “settle” for eradicating pitch and roll. To offer all these functions, it is equipped with a very sturdy hydraulic pump. It is therefore equipped with a hydropneumatic system managed electronically, eliminating body movements. Like the Citroën Xantia Activa… in 1996.
More volts and watts
In this regard, the Porsche increases its electrical skills compared to its predecessor. It now integrates in its newly designed PDK gearbox an oil-cooled electric motor, developing 140 kW and 450 Nm. It is combined with an enlarged battery (25.9 kWh), weighing 150 kg but allowing 91 km of travel. zero-emission autonomy. This is not a record but a very good value in the category, especially since the outgoing model sticks to 17.9 kWh and 53 km. In addition, thanks to the 11 kW on-board charger, you can fill up with ions in at least 2 hours 18 minutes according to Porsche.
This set initially equips the Panamera with the Turbo E-Hybrid, equipped with a revised variant of the current 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8, and allows the cavalry to peak at 680 hp, for a monstrous torque of 930 Nm. Thus rigged, the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid peaks at 315 km/h and passes 100 km/h in 3.2 s, exactly like the current Turbo S E-Hybrid (700 hp for 670 Nm). We can therefore imagine an even more muscular future Turbo S E-Hybrid. Also presented, the Panamera 4 (all-wheel drive), equipped with a 2.9 liter supercharged V6 developing 353 hp for 500 Nm. Enough to propel the German sedan to 270 km/h, while making it exceed 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. The two-wheel drive Panamera requires 3 tenths more in this last exercise. Later, versions equipped with this original Volkswagen block will appear, supplemented by an electric machine. Note that the rear-wheel steering remains included.
We were able to experience the new iteration of the big Porsche in a studio next to the Leipzig factory, where it is manufactured. Small disappointment: it looks a lot like the one it replaces. It is distinguished on the outside by its sharper lines and its grille inserted above the license plate.
In the cabin, the Panamera is mixed with Taycan. From this one, we practically find the instrument cluster without visor and the screen on the passenger side, while from the old model, the silhouette of the dashboard and the controls on the steering wheel (traditional, chic!) remain .
On the other hand, the central gear lever is replaced by a small lever next to the steering wheel. Nothing revolutionary, just evolutionary, but the quality seems perfect. Pure Porsche taste.
An astonishing suspension, but not for its eccentricities
We had the opportunity to take a test run behind the wheel of a Turbo E-Hybrid camouflaged for the joke. A black covering on the bodywork, plastic layers in the passenger compartment to hide the dashboard and door panels, and presto, that’s it. Funny thing, the car stands up to greet us. We sit comfortably, press the start button on the left of the steering wheel and we drive. First in electric mode, completely silent. There, we appreciate the suspension comfort, although the German roads are well paved. In hybrid mode, you use the accelerator a little more: as expected, it works very, very hard, but no more than the old model. The newly designed PDK gearbox changes gear in a flash, as normal, and the controls appear to be well calibrated. But this famous suspension which reverses body movements?
She is disconcerting. The front lowers when accelerating, you get used to it. That the body tilts towards the inside of the bend is even pleasant. But the nose rising when braking, so that’s hard to get used to. Especially since the movement is sensitive, to the point of hiding a string point. In fact, this is all a gimmick. According to Porsche, this helps passengers feel less the forces the car exerts on them, but for me it’s mainly to impress the customer during a test drive. Because when you leave the car in its basic set-up, it is much more pleasant. It truly avoids any body movement, while preserving not only its exceptional handling, but also the comfort of the occupants, including the driver. This is actually where the Panamera convinces the most. In Sport mode, it gains in responsiveness and perhaps punch, but then suffers from a perfectly ridiculous artificial engine noise. We’ll do without it!
The new Panamera is already on sale: €109,726 in V6 2WD, €113,883 in 4WD and €194,833 in Turbo E-Hybrid. Emitting from 219 to 253 g/km of CO2, the two entry-level variants face the penalty of €60,000, without forgetting the surcharge due to weight, while the Turbo (from 26 g/km) escapes. both. The latter should therefore represent the overwhelming majority of sales, as soon as deliveries begin in March 2024.
If the Porsche does not particularly contrast with the current one, we should not deduce that it will mark the end of its lineage. Indeed, if Europe will, in all likelihood, ban the marketing of thermal models in 2035, it will be different from the rest of the world, particularly China where the great Porsche is enjoying great success. Except in Sport Turismo, a version which will not be replaced…
2023-11-24 17:35:26
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