06-22-2009, 10:23 AM
Sounds like the Panamera is a winner
<!--QuoteBegin-motor trend+-->QUOTE (motor trend)<!--QuoteEBegin-->First Drive: 2010 Porsche Panamera
Don't Count the Doors -- It's a Real Porsche.
Let's cut to the chase: The 2010 Porsche Panamera is big, fast, and comfortable; a genuine four passenger Gran Turismo capable of loafing across continents in giant 130 mph bounds, leaving you relaxed and refreshed at the end of the day at the wheel. Press a few buttons, stiffening the suspension, quickening the seven speed PDK transmission's responses, allowing the deep-throated dual exhaust to breathe easier, and the Panamera is ready to tackle a snaking mountain pass with the panache of...well, a Porsche.
You see, the Panamera has the same ready-for-anything combination of performance and practicality that made the Porsche 928 S4 one of the world's most underrated GTs. The Panamera Turbo is four second fast to 60 mph and will hit 188 mph. Yet the rear seats fold to boost the luggage capacity from 15.7 cu ft to 44.6 cu ft, just under what you can fit behind the third row of a Chevy Suburban, and Porsche offers a roof rack and a trailer hitch (as it did for the 928) as factory options. For the record, the Panamera is rated to tow a 4850 lb braked trailer or a 1654 lb unbraked trailer. Try that with your Ferrari...This car is designed to be a daily driver, not a valet parking showpony.
The Panamera is a truly epic automobile. The controversial exterior styling is still awkward from side on, but on the road, in the traffic, it's a striking looking car, cutting a wide, rakish path through the traffic, and prowling the fast lane on the autobahn like a predator, hunting down speed-limited S-class Benzes and 7 Series BMWs.
Inside, the Panamera is truly gorgeous, mixing colored leather, wood veneers, carbon fiber, and soft-sheen aluminum in ways that will have Audi's interior designers sitting up and taking notice. The interior's signature item is the angled center console that recalls the Carrera GT. It's festooned with buttons controlling everything from the air conditioning to the suspension settings, to the rear spoiler. Although the Panamera boasts a state of the art graphic interface at the center of the dash, Porsche designers believe the buttons are quicker to use than playing hunt-and-peck on a touch screen. And after an hour or so behind the wheel, you see their point -- everything is within easy reach, and there's a clear hierarchy to the layout.
You sit low in the Panamera, cocooned by the high cowl and beltline. The Panamera's rear seat is terrific -- which is what you'd hope, given it's the raison d'etre for the whole car. It swallows a pair of six foot adults with ease, and the ride is remarkably composed, even when your chauffeur up front is hustling through the turns. The secret, says Porsche R&D chief Wolfgang Durheimer, is that the rear passengers' H-points have been kept as low as possible.
Porsche has dreamed of building a sporting four door for decades, but somehow the 911 always seemed to get in the way. Until now. The good news is, the Panamera has been worth the wait.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-motor trend+-->QUOTE (motor trend)<!--QuoteEBegin-->First Drive: 2010 Porsche Panamera
Don't Count the Doors -- It's a Real Porsche.
Let's cut to the chase: The 2010 Porsche Panamera is big, fast, and comfortable; a genuine four passenger Gran Turismo capable of loafing across continents in giant 130 mph bounds, leaving you relaxed and refreshed at the end of the day at the wheel. Press a few buttons, stiffening the suspension, quickening the seven speed PDK transmission's responses, allowing the deep-throated dual exhaust to breathe easier, and the Panamera is ready to tackle a snaking mountain pass with the panache of...well, a Porsche.
You see, the Panamera has the same ready-for-anything combination of performance and practicality that made the Porsche 928 S4 one of the world's most underrated GTs. The Panamera Turbo is four second fast to 60 mph and will hit 188 mph. Yet the rear seats fold to boost the luggage capacity from 15.7 cu ft to 44.6 cu ft, just under what you can fit behind the third row of a Chevy Suburban, and Porsche offers a roof rack and a trailer hitch (as it did for the 928) as factory options. For the record, the Panamera is rated to tow a 4850 lb braked trailer or a 1654 lb unbraked trailer. Try that with your Ferrari...This car is designed to be a daily driver, not a valet parking showpony.
The Panamera is a truly epic automobile. The controversial exterior styling is still awkward from side on, but on the road, in the traffic, it's a striking looking car, cutting a wide, rakish path through the traffic, and prowling the fast lane on the autobahn like a predator, hunting down speed-limited S-class Benzes and 7 Series BMWs.
Inside, the Panamera is truly gorgeous, mixing colored leather, wood veneers, carbon fiber, and soft-sheen aluminum in ways that will have Audi's interior designers sitting up and taking notice. The interior's signature item is the angled center console that recalls the Carrera GT. It's festooned with buttons controlling everything from the air conditioning to the suspension settings, to the rear spoiler. Although the Panamera boasts a state of the art graphic interface at the center of the dash, Porsche designers believe the buttons are quicker to use than playing hunt-and-peck on a touch screen. And after an hour or so behind the wheel, you see their point -- everything is within easy reach, and there's a clear hierarchy to the layout.
You sit low in the Panamera, cocooned by the high cowl and beltline. The Panamera's rear seat is terrific -- which is what you'd hope, given it's the raison d'etre for the whole car. It swallows a pair of six foot adults with ease, and the ride is remarkably composed, even when your chauffeur up front is hustling through the turns. The secret, says Porsche R&D chief Wolfgang Durheimer, is that the rear passengers' H-points have been kept as low as possible.
Porsche has dreamed of building a sporting four door for decades, but somehow the 911 always seemed to get in the way. Until now. The good news is, the Panamera has been worth the wait.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
