2017 Porsche Panamera – second-gen debuts in Berlin

The wraps have officially come off the 2017 Porsche Panamera, the new iteration of the four-door coupé making its debut in Berlin. While the shape remains unmistakable, the second-gen displays a sleeker, sharper exterior character, with long, dynamic proportions, pronounced shoulders, athletic flanks and an extremely fast roof line that’s now 20 mm lower at the rear.

It’s also a slightly larger car than its predecessor, measuring in at 5,049 mm (+34 mm) long, 1,937 mm (+6 mm) wide and 1,423 mm (+5 mm) tall, and the wheelbase has been increased by 30 mm to 2,950 mm. Despite the slight increase in height, the new Panamera looks much lower and longer. This is primarily due to the new roof line, which the automaker says changes the car’s overall image completely. Also reinterpreted are the overhangs, reduced in front, and increased at the rear.

The new car features LED headlights with four-point LED daytime running lights, of which three versions are available. At the back, it’s dressed with three-dimensional LED rear lights, replete with integrated four-point brake lights. Of note is the extendible rear spoiler on the Panamera Turbo, the wing also splits as it extends, thereby gaining additional surface area.

As previously intimated, the use of aluminium has gone up in order to keep weight manageable; on the exterior, the side body, bonnet, boot, roof and wings are made entirely of the material.

At point of introduction, three new bi-turbo direct injection engine variants are available, the Panamera Turbo, the Panamera 4S and the Panamera 4S Diesel. All three – including the diesel, for the first time – may be equipped with a permanent all-wheel drive system and a new eight-speed Porsche PDK dual-clutch transmission.

The Panamera Turbo is equipped with a 4.0 litre biturbo V8 that develops 550 PS at 5,750 rpm and 770 Nm between 1,960 and 4,500 rpm, which is 30 PS and 70 Nm more than in the previous outing. Performance figures include a 0-100 km/h time of 3.8 seconds (with a Sport Chrono Package present, 3.6 seconds) and a top speed of 306 km/h.

The variant 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, reducing fuel consumption by up to 30%.

As for the 2.9 litre V6 unit in the Panamera 4S, that’s good for 440 PS at 5,650 rpm and 550 Nm from 1,750 to 5,500 rpm, an increase of 20 PS and 30 Nm over that in the previous model. Performance figures include a 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds (4.2 seconds with the Sport Chrono Package) and a 289 km/h top speed.

The last of the trio is the Panamera 4S Diesel, which is equipped with a new eight-cylinder diesel engine, available for the first time in conjunction with permanent all-wheel drive. The unit has variable turbine geometry (VTG) biturbo charging with a central turbo layout, but is equipped with sequential turbocharging, which allows the engine to work as a biturbo or monoturbo, depending on the operating state.

At low to moderate engine speeds, the entire stream of exhaust gas is directed solely through one of the two turbochargers, which improves throttle response – the otherwise passive second turbocharger doesn’t become active until the engine speed reaches 2,700 rpm or more.

With 422 PS at 3,500 rpm and 850 Nm from 1,000 to 3,250 rpm, the automaker says the unit is the most powerful diesel implemented in a Porsche production car to date. It’s also the world’s fastest production vehicle with a diesel engine, with a 285 km/h top speed. As for 0-100 km/h time, the 4S Diesel manages the sprint in 4.5 seconds (4.3 seconds with the Sport Chrono Package).

The Panamera can be specified with an optional Mode Switch to the Sport Response Button. The Mode Switch, first introduced in the 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.

The new car also gets a new rear axle steering, adapted from the 918 Spyder and 911 Turbo, while brake performance has also been improved. Elsewhere, there’s adaptive air suspension with new three-chamber technology and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM electronic damper control). Also on, an enhanced Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) system, Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) and active roll stabilisation, as well as a new electromechanical steering system.

The interior presentation has been spiffed up, and aside from a plusher feel and improved equipment (options include a panoramic tilt roof, massage seats, ambient lighting and a 3D high-end sound system from Burmester), there’s a high degree of digitalisation.

The latter, which began with the 918 Spyder, goes into its next stage here in the form of a Porsche Advanced Cockpit. Despite a significantly extended range of communication, convenience and assistance systems, different functions can now be used and operated more clearly and intuitively, the automaker says.

New panel surfaces and interactive displays feature strongly, with touch-sensitive surfaces replacing classic hard keys and individually configurable displays taking up the work of conventional instruments. A new control panel with touch-sensitive switches on the centre console enables control of various functions, and the louvres of the central air vent are electrically adjusted by touch-sensitive sliders.

As for the instrument cluster, it features 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 is still an analogue instrument, and its design is said to be a nod to the 1955 Porsche 356 A.

A 12.3-inch touchscreen sits in the centre of the dashboard console, and the next-generation Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system features online navigation, the online functions of Porsche Connect, smartphone integration via Apple Car Play and a new voice control system that responds to natural language input.

Elsewhere, the rear 40:20:40 split design rear seats offer greater versatility, and boot space is 495 litres, increasing to 1,304 litres with the rear bench backrests folded. The boot, meanwhile, features electric opening and closing as standard.

Finally, standard and optional assistance systems, and these 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 as well as Porsche InnoDrive, which includes adaptive cruise control. The latter is able to compute and activate the optimal acceleration and deceleration rates as well as gear selection and coasting phases for a distance of up to three kilometres.

In Europe, the order books for the new Panamera have opened, though the car will begin arriving in showrooms only in November.

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