The 2011 Porsche Panamera is no four-door coupe, like the Aston Martin Rapide or the Mercedes-Benz CLS, but a true "gran turismo," with tremendous power, great handling, and ample room for four real-world adults.
The "2011 Panamera" models for enthusiasts and true Porschephiles and track hounds remain the Panamera S, with its 400-horsepower, direct-injection 4.8-liter V-8 engine, making a peak 369 pound-feet, and the Panamera Turbo, which makes a stout 500 horsepower and 516 lb-ft.
Power in this front-engine car is sent to either the rear wheels or all four wheels through a seven-speed, dual clutch PDK automatic transmission that uses Porsche's push-pull shift levers. Open the Porsche Panamera up on a road course at 140 mph and you'll find the 911's flat-six ripple replaced with a more industrial-sounding whir that's still distinctly Porsche.
From the front seats forward it doesn't take much imagination to think that you're in an exceptionally plush Porsche 911.
The new, entry-level Porsche Panamera is essentially the same car as the S and it, too, is a joy to drive. The base Panamera starts at $75,375 with rear-wheel drive and $79,875 with all-wheel-drive. Standard equipment on the new entry-level model is the same as on the S and includes leather upholstery, eight-way power front seats with driver memory functions, hard-drive-based navigation and 11-speaker sound systems, a sunroof, a power rear hatchback, rear parking sensors, a tilting and telescoping steering wheel, and a cooled glove box.
When I outfitted an entry-level Panamera, I easily topped 90 grand and was just getting started (more on options later).
The key difference between the Panamera and the Panamera S is acceleration. Porsche says the base Panamera jumps from 0 to 60 in 6.0 seconds with rear-wheel drive—5.8 seconds with all-wheel drive. If 0.8 seconds is worth 15 grand to you, then, the Panamera S is your car.
2011 Panamera S rear wheel drive model is superb. From the Porsche Panamera and Panamera 4 with the 3.6 liter 300 horsepower six cylinder models to the more powerful eight cylinder models. The Panamera S, the Panamera 4 wheel drive known as the 4S, and the new Turbo Panamera 4 wheel model. The Turbo Panamera has 500 horsepower and only all wheel drive while the Panamera S and Panamera S4 offer 400 horsepower.
A ZF seven-speed dual clutch known as Porsche's PDK.
