Porsche Panamera 2021 Review

The entry model of the 2021 Porsche Panamera range tested for this review was reduced in price late last year to $199,500 plus on-road costs, but has since risen again to $203,500 plus ORCs.

Buyers are still around $16,000 better off than they would have been in 2019, however.

New items on the standard equipment list for 2021 include lane change assist and LED matrix headlights with PDLS (Porsche Dynamic Light System) Plus, Power Steering Plus, head-up display, front seat ventilation and soft-close doors.

Simply known as the Panamera, the entry model is powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 shared with the Porsche Macan Turbo, rather than the previous 3.0-litre V6.

Standard features on the most affordable Panamera include 19-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry/start, a two-panel sunroof, privacy glass, four-zone climate control, leather-accented upholstery, electro-chromatic (auto-dipping) rear-view mirror, ambient lighting, front seat heating/ventilation, powered tailgate, power windows/mirrors, multifunction steering wheel, adaptive cruise control and head-up display.

For infotainment, the Panamera offers a 14-speaker Bose surround-sound system, digital radio, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, satellite navigation and voice control.

Additional to the standard specification, the test vehicle came equipped with 21-inch wheels in a high-gloss black finish ($9730), sports exhaust system ($7100), Sport Chrono package ($3950), thermal/noise-insulated glass ($2850), ‘4+1’ seats ($1750), a heated sport steering wheel ($1140), two-tone leather upholstery ($750) and USB porting for the rear seats ($350).

There were also other (cosmetic) options, taking the total price of the car to $237,260 before on-road costs are factored in.

Disappointingly, but not surprisingly, the Panamera comes with only a three-year warranty (with unlimited kilometres), but is also covered by three years of roadside assistance.

The services are 12 months or 15,000km apart.

ANCAP offers no safety rating for the 2021 Porsche Panamera (nor any Porsche in fact), but the Panamera promises to be a car that would score five stars in the current testing protocol.

It has an active bonnet to protect vulnerable road users, for a start.

Other features that are part of the Panamera’s safety suite include side-impact (thorax-protecting) airbags for front and rear passengers, knee airbags for the driver and front passenger, side-curtain airbags and dual front airbags.

Young children can be accommodated in restraints with the provision of ISOFIX anchorage points for the outboard rear seats.

Porsche has developed a system that works much like the route-based speed adaptation function from Mercedes-Benz, but Porsche’s version of its adaptive cruise control is named ‘Porsche InnoDrive’.

The Porsche system seems less sophisticated than the Benz set-up – which can actually reduce speed automatically to negotiate street corners – but the Porsche system will automatically reduce or increase speed in accordance with the ceiling speed for speed limit zones.

In addition to InnoDrive, the Panamera comes with night vision assist, lane change assist and LED matrix headlights with PDLS Plus.

This last system is so clever that it masks out highly reflective road signs, lest the Panamera driver be dazzled.

During a night-time test of the Panamera, the headlights proved to be outstanding. Both the headlight system and the lane change assist system are new to the Panamera at this level.

Lane keeping assist and traffic jam assist are both standard too.

So this is your basic Porsche Panamera, right? The cheapy in the range? Why’s it so good to drive then?

The engine’s power delivery in the 2021 Porsche Panamera feels vital and alive.

It’s a flexible powertrain that truly musters accessible torque and will rev to its redline (6600rpm) without fuss or drama, delivering plenty of performance and a velvety thoroughbred soundtrack that goes way beyond other V6 engines for refinement and charisma.

The launch control system winds the engine up to 4000rpm for a fast start, and you won’t be disappointed.

Traction is impressive, and the Panamera will rocket away on dry bitumen without putting a foot wrong. Porsche claims that the Panamera will reach 100km/h from standstill in 5.4 seconds.

Yet the Panamera is not all brawn to the exclusion of refinement. At 100km/h the V6 is spinning at just over 1200rpm in eighth gear and it’s as silent as the grave.

On our test run, the Panamera consumed fuel at the rate of 10.3L/100km, which is more than fair in a car of this size and weight – and being driven for results other than economy.

The engine is bolted to Porsche’s eight-speed PDK (dual-clutch) transmission, which won’t shift up automatically at the redline when in manual mode, leaving it to the driver to choose a higher gear or holding off for engine braking from higher revs, as required.

It’s smooth most of the time, but can be felt declutching on the overrun.

Plainly the PDK is a dual-clutch unit, but more because of the way it rides the clutch from a standing start, rather than some of the flaws commonly associated with this type of transmission.

Unlike some BMWs, the Panamera will pull up softly and kill the engine to save fuel without any unfortunate hiccups. The engine restarts quietly and smoothly too, when the traffic light turns green and the driver lifts their foot off the brake pedal.

It goes without saying that any Panamera should uphold the Porsche tradition of lively but safe dynamics. And this entry-level 2021 Porsche Panamera certainly does.

It holds the road very well, and delivers steering response and communication that is essentially class-leading. Braking is strong and effective too, with pedal feel that’s practically beyond reproach.

Porsche has tuned the Panamera’s chassis for a sporty ride, which is not to say it’s harsh or punishing.

In Normal rode the Panamera rides quite comfortably, but it’s also well controlled. Even set to the Sport+ mode, the Panamera remains acceptably compliant, albeit slightly sharp and unforgiving on country roads.

Most owners will turn a blind eye to this, due to the balance of ride and handling, which favours dynamic response in the more extreme Sport setting.

Given its size, the Panamera feels surprisingly agile at low speeds, and easy to park. The 11.9m turning circle is pretty tight for such a large car.

Tyre noise – from the Z-rated 21-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres (275/30 up front, 315/30 at the rear) – is heavily muffled at touring speed and at lower speeds on coarse-chip bitumen. There’s also some light wind noise on the open road.

While the front seats look sporty and shaped for racing, they’re actually not as aggressively contoured as the design suggests. That means they’re easy to enter or leave, but they do also hold the occupants securely in tighter bends.

The cushioning is a little firm, and I personally needed to adjust the lumbar support for my lower back. Both front seats get a two-position memory facility as standard.

Porsche’s ergonomic practices are easy to understand if you’re familiar with the conventions.

Having the drive mode selector (a dial) at the 4 o’clock position on the steering wheel – right near the hub – puts the driving of the car literally at front and centre of the driver’s focus, along with the tachometer in the centre of the instrument binnacle.

Porsche’s cruise control operation is at odds with sister brand Audi’s. In the Panamera, the driver pushes the cruise control stalk away to increase speed, or draw towards them to reduce speed.

This is the reverse of Audi’s system. The button on the end of the stalk in the Panamera cancels or enables the cruise control. It’s a pretty easy system to use with familiarity.

The instruments combine very clear high-resolution graphics for digital readout with analogue dials. Unfortunately, and depending how you have the driver’s seat position, some of the peripheral dials can be slightly obscured by the spokes and rim of the steering wheel.

But much of what’s in those peripheral dials can also be viewed easily through the trip computer or even the now standard head-up display.

And you can quickly scroll between the vehicle’s various safety and operational systems, including tyre pressure monitoring, powertrain temperatures and pressures, fuel consumption, navigation, Sport Chrono and g-force meter.

I encountered some difficulty programming the Panamera’s satellite navigation using voice control. It couldn’t make head nor tail of my accent, apparently.

Passengers will revel in the luxury of the Panamera’s interior, which is very attractive, with burr walnut, leather and black gloss lacquer, plus what appears to be satin-finish metal applied throughout the cabin.

There’s one cup holder and one bottle holder in the centre console, plus a USB-C port and 12V power outlet under the lid of the centre arm rest.

For rear seat occupants, there are two additional cup holders in the fold-down centre arm rest, plus climate control vents in the B-pillars and the rear of the centre console, along with controls for the third and fourth zones of the climate control system.

Porsche has integrated two demist vents in the upper sections of the B-pillars to maintain a clear view through the rear side windows.

It’s no Lexus LS in the rear seats, but the Panamera does provide passengers (outboard at least) with decent headroom, despite the two-section sunroof.

It helps though if the passengers are of average height at most. Taller adults might find the headroom marginal. There is generous legroom in the rear for even the high and mighty however, and the outboard seats are certainly well shaped and comfy.

Not for anyone seated in the centre position though. The optional 4+1-style seating in the rear offers no legroom or comfort for the centre occupant.

The liftback tailgate of the Panamera is electrically powered and can be activated by motion gesture – in the form of a kick under the rear bumper. It works quite well, but doesn’t lower the tailgate as some systems do.

The tailgate has its own retracting cargo blind fastened to the base of the tailgate window. This is a nice touch, keeping goods concealed when the car is parked, but staying out of the way when loading or unloading those same goods.

Fully lined and nicely finished, the boot is long and relatively deep for a car that is this low to the ground.

It features four tie-down points in the floor and a 12V power outlet on the left side (near side) wheel-arch. Side-mounted lights illuminate the interior of the boot, but for this price buyers might expect levers (finger pulls) to lower the triple-split folding rear seat.

Finally, there’s no spare tyre of any distinction under the boot floor.

The Porsche Panamera is largely an unknown quantity in the top-shelf sedan segment. Buyers are more likely to think of even the Lexus LS before the Porsche if they’re in the market for a ‘limousine’.

Unlike its obvious rivals – Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class – the Porsche does skew closer to the aspirations of buyers who would rather drive themselves than be driven by a chauffeur. The 4+1 seating option is frankly a joke in this segment.

But that shortcoming is offset by the Panamera’s driving-focused prowess. It’s a unique selling proposition for Porsche among this crowd.

So the Panamera certainly does stand out from the rest, for both positive and negative reasons. But on balance the positives far outweigh the negatives.

The Panamera is one car that deserves to be on the shopping list of any buyer who loves driving, but has a growing family as well.

How much does the 2021 Porsche Panamera cost?
Price: $203,500 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.9-litre V6 turbo-petrol
Output: 243kW/450Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 8.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 201g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested