Porsche unveils new Panamera

Porsche has unveiled the second-generation Panamera at an event in Berlin ahead of its launch in India early next year.

Porsche says that the new Panamera is a car “redeveloped and realigned down to the last detail” in a renewed challenge to luxury rivals, such as the soon-to-be-replaced Audi A8, latest BMW 7 Series and the Maserati Quattroporte.

The all-new liftback-style saloon replaces today’s seven-year-old model, which has contributed to record sales for the German car maker in recent years. The initial line-up comprises three four-wheel drive models: the Panamera 4S, the Panamera 4S Diesel and Panamera Turbo.

Further derivatives are planned to be unveiled globally early next year, including entry-level rear-wheeldrive variants with petrol and diesel engines, as well as successor models to today’s GTS and petrol-electric plug-in S Hybrid.

Built on MSB platform

The new Panamera is based on the second incarnation of Porsche’s MSB (or modular standard architecture) platform. It contributes to a reduction in weight through the use of aluminium for the main structure as well as the bonnet, wings, roof and tailgate.

The new model marks a concerted effort by Porsche’s design team to provide the Panamera with some of the iconic stylistic cues of the 911, with tauter surfacing and more precise swage line detailing.

Dimensionally, the new Panamera has put on 35mm in length (to 5050mm), 5mm in width (1935mm) and 5mm in height (1423mm). This makes it 50mm shorter, 35mm wider and 67mm lower than the latest BMW 7 Series.

A more curved roofline has reduced the height above the rear passenger compartment by 20mm, with the effect that the new Panamera looks lower and longer than before. This is further enhanced by a wheelbase that is 30mm longer, at 2950mm.

Despite the reduction in roof height at the back, Porsche says rear head room has increased. So has the boot capacity, up by 50 litres over the first-generation Panamera, at a nominal 495 litres. That extends to 1304 litres when the standard 40/20/40 split rear seat is folded.

Powered by V6 and V8 engines

The new Panamera is the first recipient of Porsche’s new turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 and twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engines. In a move that is becoming increasingly common among performance car makers, the new V6 and V8 engines rely on twin-scroll, counter-rotating turbochargers that are mounted centrally within the space between the two cylinder banks. This, claims Porsche, provides shorter charging paths for added response and greater torque at lower engine speeds.

The new engines come mated to a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a reworked version of the multi-plate-clutch four-wheel drive system used by the Mk1 Panamera.

In the Panamera 4S, the new turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 delivers 434hp at 5650rpm and 550nm of torque between 1750rpm and 5500rpm — sufficient for the car to hit 100kph from rest in 4.2sec (when equipped with the Sport Chrono package) and reach a top speed of 290kph.

The new turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 in the new Panamera Turbo develops 542hp at 5750rpm and 770nm between 1960rpm and 4500rpm. When the car is fitted with the Sport Chrono package, it has an official 0-100kph time of 3.6sec, beating its predecessor by 0.5sec.

New V8 diesel engine

New to the line-up is the Panamera 4S Diesel. It is the first Panamera model to be offered with a V8 diesel engine. The 4.0-litre unit produces 416hp at 3500rpm and 850nm of torque from 1000rpm to 3250rpm. The new V8 oil burner provides the Panamera 4S Diesel with the distinction of being the world’s fastest production diesel, according to Porsche, with an official 0-100kph time of 4.3sec (in combination with the Sport Chrono package).

Porsche makes big claims about the new Panamera’s agility. It features a new electromechanical steering system and, mirroring recent developments in its sports car line-up, four-wheel steer in a bid to further enhance steering precision despite the car’s increase in dimensions.

Lower-end models continue to have standard steel sprung suspension, whereas upper-end models, including those available at launch, adopt a newly developed air suspension system with three-stage dampers in combination with electronic damper control and dynamic chassis control that supports torque vectoring and active roll stabilisation.

Changes to the electrical system have brought a number of new driver assistance features, such as InnoDrive, an autonomous driving function that includes adaptive cruise control.

Inside, the Panamera introduces a new interior design with touch-sensitive surfaces along the middle console conceived to reduce the number of buttons confronting the driver.

Described as continuing the digitalisation theme that began with the interior of the 918 Spyder, the dashboard houses a heavily hooded instrument binnacle with a traditional, centrally mounted analogue rev counter book-ended by two 7.0in high-definition displays. A 12.3in touchscreen is used for the various functions of the Porsche Communication Management system, including navigation, entertainment and connectivity features.

Along with the liftback Panamera, Porsche is also putting the finishing touches to an estate variant, first previewed by the Sport Turismo concept at the Paris motor show in 2012.

Also read: Porsche launches updated 911 range in India