Introduction
What Car? says...
Why should you compromise in life? If you have the funds to treat yourself to a luxury car but need four seats, you can have sports car performance too. For proof of that, take a look at the Porsche Panamera.
You see, underneath the Panamera’s sharp four-door exterior is a rather athletic frame, with a choice of V6 or V8 petrol engines and rear or four-wheel drive. Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models are also available, in case you want to reduce your fuel consumption, go very quickly – or both.
Wondering whether the Porsche Panamera could be the ideal luxury car for your? Well, we've road-tested it, and over the next few pages, we'll tell you what the performance is like, how pleasant the tech-laden interior is, how much it will cost you to buy and run, and much more.
And whatever you choose as your next car, search our free What Car? New Car Deals service for big savings without lifting a finger. It features lots of new luxury car deals.
FAQs
The latest Porsche Panamera didn’t feature in our 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey but Porsche as a brand didn’t do very well at all, coming 25th out of 30 manufacturers. That puts it way behind other luxury car brands, with Lexus, BMW, Tesla, Jaguar and Mercedes all finishing higher up the table. Read more here
Yes, there are three plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Porsche Panamera options: the 4 and 4S E-Hybrid, and the Turbo S E-Hybrid. The 4 and 4S combine electric motors with a 2.9-litre V6 engine for a combined output of 456bhp and 552bhp respectively, while the Turbo S has a monstrous 690bhp. They can cover around 30 miles on electricity alone (if you’re not too enthusiastic with the accelerator). If you want an electric car have a look at the Porsche Taycan. Read more here
We’d say the non-hybrid 4S is the best Porsche Panamera option. Its 2.9-litre engine is potent enough (434bhp) and the car is well equipped. For example, you get electrically adjustable and heated front seats, a 10-speaker stereo, cruise control, plus bigger brakes and adjustable air suspension. Unfortunately, automatic emergency braking (AEB) and a lane-departure warning are optional extras. Read more here
No Porsche Panamera is slow because even the ‘basic’ 325bhp car can hit 62mph in 5.6sec. The top-of-the-range Turbo S E-Hybrid has more than double that power, with 690bhp, dropping its acceleration time to a mere 3.2sec. The official top speed of that version is not far short of 200mph. Read more here
The Porsche Panamera’s 12.3in high-definition touchscreen looks really sharp and there is no noticeable lag when you prod it. It’s a bit distracting to use when you’re driving, though, because there are no physical shortcut buttons, and when you delve into menus, the icons are quite small. If you have an iPhone, you can run its apps on the screen with Apple CarPlay but you don’t get Android Auto. Read more here
It depends which engine you choose. Non-hybrid Porsche Panameras have a 467-litre boot, which sounds good, but because of its shape, we could fit in only four carry-on suitcases. Hybrid versions have less boot volume (403 litres) because of the battery pack under the floor. The hatchback opening makes it easy to load up, though. Read more here
| RRP price range | £74,970 - £146,596 |
|---|---|
| Number of trims (see all) | 6 |
| Number of engines (see all) | 7 |
| Available fuel types (which is best for you?) | hybrid, petrol |
| MPG range across all versions | 104.6 - 27.7 |
| Available doors options | 5 |
| Warranty | 3 years / No mileage cap |
| Company car tax at 20% (min/max) | £5,395 / £10,510 |
| Company car tax at 40% (min/max) | £10,789 / £21,020 |
| Available colours |
