The design of the new Porsche Panamera has been systematically refined, giving it an even more commanding presence. Sharpened lines on the redesigned front and rear sections underscore the car’s sporty character. The headlights are steeper than on the previous model, the wings are more pronounced and the bonnet is more clearly contoured. It all gives the new Panamera a fresh, technical and even more muscular look. Two filigree light guides in the three-dimensional, continuous rear light of the Panamera create an unmistakable look at the rear. Porsche has also sharpened the car’s flanks in many areas. The redrawn window line emphasises the coupé-like line of the four-door sports car. All measures unmistakably identify the Panamera as a Porsche and give it an even more athletic and modern look. They put the stamp of the future on the classic silhouette and proportions of the Panamera. The Porsche Panamera is one of the first models to hit the road with the carefully modernised Porsche crest. Following the revision to mark the ’75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars’ anniversary, the crest of the sports car brand is now cleaner and more modern, and the rearing horse has been thoughtfully redesigned. The designers reinterpreted classic elements and enhanced the logo with innovative design elements such as brushed metal and a honeycomb structure. This clearly anchors the Porsche trademark in its history while further developing the design.
Directly under the modernised crest, there is a new, additional air inlet above the number plate holder. It takes into account the requirements of the new engines for an increased air flow and forms a single visual unit with the trapezoidal lower air intake. The large, rectangularly contoured side air intakes emphasise the width of the new Panamera. In the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid, they only end at the level of the upper air intake and thereby signal the car’s enhanced performance. In addition, the Turbo E-Hybrid is visually differentiated by precisely crafted Turbo front lights, vertical bars in the vehicle colour and side airblades. They lend the top-of-the-range model an even more commanding presence. In the case of the Panamera and the Panamera 4, vertical front lights now frame the front bumper at the sides. One particular highlight is the new, high-resolution HD matrix LED headlights (these are optional, though standard on the Turbo E-Hybrid). By dividing the main lighting functions into four almost squarely arranged LED modules, the characteristic Porsche four-point lighting graphics of the daytime running lights can also be seen at night in the new system for the first time – in both the dipped and high beams. This ensures an easily recognisable visual signature at night. An important design feature of the new Panamera is the more pronounced wings in front. The bonnet, by contrast, appears lower. This clearer reference to classic Porsche shapes also makes the Panamera look more striking and muscular. The more contoured central part of the bonnet continues the line of the new matrix LED headlights. They are steeper in the front of the new Panamera, emphasising the vehicle’s width.
Characteristic features of the Panamera include the dynamic side view, which highlights its sports car genes. This flyline is even more striking on the new Panamera. The re-contoured window line rising at the rear of the vehicle, with its distinctive bend on the D-pillar, clearly identifies the new Panamera as a sports sedan. The air outlet integrated in the front wing is now more strongly flared and continues in boldly contoured form over the flank, giving the flyline a greater sense of tautness. The three-dimensional rear light with the integrated PORSCHE logo emphasises the dynamic look of the car’s rear. The continuous light strip spans the entire rear of the vehicle, while two filigree arcs produce a distinctive light signature. The illuminated and free-standing lettering is effectively highlighted by the three-dimensional integration of the tail light. The designers succeeded in integrating the rear hatch into the C-pillar without a visible gap. The frameless rear window gives the tail end of the car a fresh, elegant look. Sharper tear-off edges on the roof and on the adaptive extending rear spoiler, as well as the overall tighter lines, give the rear of the Panamera a cleaner and more athletic appearance. The new side tear-off edges in the rear part not only convey a high level of dynamism but also improve the aerodynamics. The same applies to the redesigned rear bumper. The exhaust system for the Panamera and Panamera 4 features two single-tube tailpipes on the outside left and right in brushed stainless steel.
Traditionally, Porsche Turbo models are the range-toppers in their respective model lines. In the new Panamera, Turbo versions can be identified in the interior by several exquisitely designed accents in Turbonite. In combination with carbon elements, this Turbo-specific colour creates a particularly sporty ambience and can be found, for example, on the Porsche crest on the GT sports steering wheel, in the central rev counter in the digital instrument cluster, as the colour of the controls in the centre console and as an accent on the door panels. Porsche is offering a new premium suspension system as an option exclusively for the Panamera E-Hybrid models. Porsche Active Ride, which features active two-valve shock absorbers and single-chamber air springs, regulates the forces of each individual damper actively, individually and at lightning speed. In this way, it always achieves maximum driving comfort and performance for any given situation. The design is fundamentally different from regular adaptive systems and other active suspension concepts. Porsche Active Ride offers a unique driving experience that spans the entire spectrum of dynamic behaviour, from the gliding comfort of a luxury sedan to the directness of response that’s typical of a sports car. It delivers top marks in the disciplines of pitch and roll support, body stability, slow-speed driving comfort and handling performance. It also provides extensive additional functions.
The Porsche Active Ride shock absorbers are each connected to an electrically driven hydraulic pump. They generate a volume flow in the damper as required, which is then regulated separately in both the rebound and compression directions. The volume flow enables the piston in the damper to be moved up or down at lightning speed, allowing each wheel to actively extend or compress individually. The wheels therefore actively follow the contour of the road surface – they are pushed into potholes, for example, and lifted going over bumps. This is always done with the aim of correcting the unevenness of the road and keeping the surface as far away from the body as possible. The dampers operate at up to 13 Hz, which means they can adjust the setting up to 13 times per second and therefore react at lightning-fast speed to the driving situation and the road surface at any given moment. Porsche Active Ride also does not require traditional anti-roll bars, as their effect is provided entirely by the active dampers. The dampers also perform the function of electronic anti-roll stabilisation (PDCC Sport). Moreover, the new shock absorbers make it possible to replace the complex three-chamber air suspension of the previous model with a system that features lightweight and efficient single-chamber air springs. The air suspension is used for speed-dependent control of the vehicle’s ride height to improve driving stability and aerodynamics, as well as for automatic self-levelling depending on the occupancy or cargo load condition. A lower or higher ride height can be selected manually in the Porsche Communication Management system (PCM).
Porsche has deployed an electric brake booster in the new Panamera. All variants benefit from newly adapted brake pedal characteristics, which significantly improve pedal feel and brake precision. In the E-Hybrid models, engineers have also succeeded in smoothing out the transition between the energy regeneration braking effect (which is achieved via the electric motor) and the effect of friction braking (which is achieved via the wheel brakes). Although two braking systems complement each other in these variants, this gives the driver optimal control of the braking force. And no energy is wasted in the process: the electric motor generates current when decelerating to a standstill. For the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid, Porsche is offering a new 21-inch performance tyre as an option: the Pirelli P Zero Corsa improves track-driving suitability through increased grip levels, improved precision and higher temperature resistance. Its wet-weather properties have also been further optimised. In the Panamera and Panamera 4, Porsche uses a brake system with six-piston fixed callipers and grey cast iron discs measuring 360 millimetres x 36 millimetres at the front. At the rear, there are four-piston fixed callipers and 330 mm x 28 mm grey cast iron discs. The standard-fit brakes on the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid are 10-piston fixed callipers at the front and grey cast iron brake discs measuring 420 mm x 40 mm, with four-piston fixed callipers and 380 mm x 30 mm grey cast iron brake discs at the rear.
A Porsche is always the most dynamic car in its class. Yet with its positioning as a luxury sedan, the requirements for an outstanding level of comfort are also particularly high in the Panamera. So Porsche has equipped the new Panamera with newly developed two-valve air suspension as standard. The two-valve technology enables the adaptive dampers to adjust the rebound and compression stages independently of each other. This considerably expands the breadth of chassis capabilities between that of a comfortable, gliding character and a decidedly high-performance setup. The technology makes it possible to switch from the tried-and-tested three-chamber air spring to a lighter two-chamber system with improved suspension performance. In addition, optimisations to the hydraulic mounts on the front axle, the rear axle beam bearings and the wishbone bearings on the rear suspension ensure noticeably increased comfort when driving over bumps. With the new suspension, Porsche simultaneously achieves reduced body movements and improved body insulation. The four-door sports car pitches and rolls less when braking and when driving through dips or over undulations and crests. The result is a faster, more sensitive chassis response and noticeably smoother suspension behaviour. At the same time, the suspension has the potential to significantly increase the damping force in the rebound and compression directions depending on the situation, thereby optimising the car’s performance. This is particularly evident in fast cornering. In addition, the new air spring with optimal valve control reduces the energy consumption of the suspension.
Efficiency and performance are core values for Porsche. With the new generation of the Panamera, Porsche is once again heightening this focus. The Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid is one of a total of four variants with a plug-in hybrid drive that Porsche will launch successively for the third-generation car. With a total output of 500 kW (680 PS) and torque of 930 Nm, the Turbo E-Hybrid makes its debut at the top of the model line, succeeding the previous Panamera Turbo S in its range-topping role. The extensively revised 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine and a newly developed electric motor enable impressive driving performance and long-lasting electric performance. The Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid reaches a top speed of up to 140 km/h in pure electric mode with an output of 140 kW/190 PS and torque of 450 Nm from the new electric motor. If the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid taps into its full power, it can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 315 km/h. The upgraded powertrain dispenses with cylinder deactivation. Instead, it adjusts the valve lift to a low or high level with actuators on the intake camshafts. At low loads, the engine works with short opening times and minimal lift to achieve the highest possible efficiency. Under high loads, the valves open wide and for a long time in order to achieve a high cylinder charge and therefore achieve high torque levels combined with optimised CO2 emissions. Special magnetoresistant camshaft sensors determine the positions of the camshafts in real time and thereby enable the engine control system to set the valve lift and valve opening times in the best possible way. By optimising insulation, engineers were also able to reduce unwanted background noise and heighten the exhilarating character of the charismatic engine note. The heart of the powertrain system remains a compelling combustion engine.
