Porsche Panamera 2024 Review – International

The new 2024 Porsche Panamera is now available to order in Australia, where two variants are initially on offer including the entry-level ‘Panamera’ and the Turbo E-Hybrid flagship (for now), which we drove in prototype from last November.

The base Panamera kicks off at $227,000 plus on-road costs, while the Turbo E-Hybrid is pegged at $402,300 plus ORCs.

Three additional all-wheel drive hybrid variants will eventually join the line-up – Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Executive and Panamera 4S E-Hybrid. Pricing for these will be announced at the beginning of April and a Turbo S E-Hybrid flagship will spearhead the range later on.

All models in the 2024 Panamera range are equipped as standard with air suspension, complemented by two-valve adaptive dampers. E-Hybrid models can be optioned with Porsche Active Ride, which features a hydraulic pump at each corner for ultra-fast and micro-precise wheel control (more on this later).

Among the key upgrades for the new Panamera is a revamped Porsche Driver Experience cockpit concept that features a blend of digitised functions (accessible via a 12.3-inch infotainment screen) and physical buttons for key functions such as volume control and HVAC settings.

The fully digitised 12.6-inch instrument cluster has a curved surface, and switching between drive modes – Normal, Sport and Sport+ – is easily done on the go via a rotary dial on the steering wheel. (E-Hybrid models have two additional modes – E-Power and Hybrid Auto).

As per the Taycan, the gear selector now sits on the dashboard (next to the steering wheel), which frees up space on the centre console for a larger storage bin and the aforementioned buttons.

New for the Panamera is an optional 10.9-inch passenger display screen that allows operation of the infotainment system and supports video streaming while the car is driving. In order to avoid distracting the driver, the passenger display cannot be seen from the driver’s seat.

The standard 14-way electrically adjustable comfort seats include a driver memory feature, while 18-way adjustable adaptive sport seats are also available. Available at extra cost are four-zone climate control and HD Matrix LED headlights.

There’s a choice between two premium audio systems – a 14-speaker, 710-Watt Bose Surround Sound System with separate subwoofer, as well as a 21-speaker, 1455Wt Burmester 3D High-End Surround System with an active 400W subwoofer.

The 2024 Porsche Panamera is equipped with the usual raft of driver aids, including lane-keeping assist and traffic sign recognition.

Optional driver assistance features include night vision assist, lane-change assist, surround view cameras, and Porsche InnoDrive with adaptive cruise control.

Porsche InnoDrive takes the adaptive cruise control concept a step further, actively working to optimise your speed and assisting in traffic jams to reduce driver fatigue. This tech scans the road up to 3km ahead and plans accordingly.

Even if you prefer to stay in control, the Panamera can keep you appraised of road conditions with real-time traffic information delivered to the 12.3-inch centre touchscreen or displayed on the head-up display (HUD).

The 2024 Porsche Panamera is once again underpinned by the MSB platform that was developed for its predecessor. The key hardware and suspension geometry remains unchanged, but the third-gen car gains new bushings.

Air suspension with two-valve dampers is now standard across the range, and the two-valve tech separates damper control in the rebound and compression stages, providing a greater bandwidth between comfort and sportiness.

The Porsche Active Ride (PAR) feature that’s offered as an option in E-Hybrid models ups the ante via a hydraulic pump at each corner working in unison with the two-valve dampers. In a nutshell, this tech is able to provide lightning-fast responses to uneven road surfaces, keeping the body level over even appalling tarmac.

PAR also has other tricks up its sleeve as it lifts the car up by 55mm when you open the door, making for easier entry and egress. The car then drops down again when you close the door.

In the comfort-oriented drive modes, PAR pulls the nose down when accelerating and the rear down when braking, lessening the forces acting on the car’s occupants. It also enables the car to lean into corners – similarly to a motorcycle – again with the aim of lessening physical forces on occupants.

These functions are deactivated in Sport+ mode, where PAR works to optimise the car’s dynamic capabilities, dropping the car down when braking or cornering, thus lowering the centre of gravity and maximising the tyres’ contact patch on the road.

Unlike active roll stabilisation systems that require a separate 48-volt electrical system, Porsche Active Ride leverages the 400-volt electrical system of the E-Hybrid models. This, plus the elimination of stabiliser bars, means the system is weight neutral compared to Panameras with the standard air suspension setup.

Externally, the new-gen Panamera doesn’t look dramatically different to the outgoing model, but only the door skins have been carried over. The notable changes are 911-esque front fenders with a pronounced bulge over the wheelarches, as well as squarish-shaped LED headlights.

The rear-end also gains brawn as there’s the visual perception of greater width, thanks partly to a full-length light bar that runs across the tailgate.

The entry-level 2024 Porsche Panamera is propelled by an uprated 2.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 with modifications to boost pressure, fuel-injection flow rate and ignition timing.

These mods bump up power and torque to 260kW and 500Nm (+17kW and +50Nm versus the oldie), sharpening performance as a result. Porsche quotes a 0-100km/h time of 5.3sec (5.1sec with the Sport Chrono package), while top speed rises to 272km/h.

The 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 in the range-topping Turbo E-Hybrid has also been worked over and it’s supplemented by a newly developed electric motor housed in unison with the PDK eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The e-motor chimes in with 140kW and 450Nm, combining with the 382kW/770Nm twin-turbo V8 to deliver a total system output of 500kW and 930Nm. That said, the 620kW/1470Nm Mercedes-AMG GT63 SE Performance still has the Porsche covered in the grunt stakes.

Few buyers are likely to complain about a lack of performance though as the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid scoots to 100km/h in just 3.2sec and tops out at 315km/h.

It’s worth pointing out that Porsche’s acceleration figures are usually conservative, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the car dispatches the 0-100km/h sprint in under 3sec.

The e-motor is paired with a 25.9kWh battery pack that provides a claimed electric-only range of 91km, according to the WLTP cycle. In addition, a new 11 kW on-board AC charger shortens charging time at suitable charging points to two hours and 39 minutes, claims Porsche.

Tipping the scales at 1885kg (DIN), the entry-level 2024 Porsche is claimed to consume a combined 9.6-10.5L/100km (WLTP).

You need a few kilometres behind the wheel for it to sink in, but then the realisation dawns that even the entry-level 2024 Porsche Panamera is a lovely car to pedal.

No other German manufacturer has nailed electrically-assisted power steering nearly as well as Porsche, and this crucial touch point sets the tone for the rest of the driving experience.

There’s a beautiful tactility and progression to all of the Porsche’s controls, so it doesn’t take long to feel completely at ease and in command of the car. The driving position is perfect and the new cockpit layout is easy on the eye and generally intuitive to use.

The only major gripe I had was that the bottom of the head-up display was obscured from where I sat – that said, I’m no giant at 1.72m and I do tend to set the seat quite low.

The base-model Panamera is acceptably brisk when you really stretch its legs, although I feel it’s a bit short on firepower for an almost-$230K performance sedan.

However, any perceived lack of grunt is offset by the car’s superb agility and leech-like grip on the tarmac, which means it can carry more speed through corners than any sedan of similar dimensions.

The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door is the only rival that comes close dynamically, although this comes at the cost of a bone-jarring ride.

There’s subsequently the opportunity to have a thrash on the technically challenging Circuito Monteblanco in the flagship Turbo E-Hybrid, equipped with Porsche Active Ride and four-wheel steering.

Five hard laps later (see the on-track footage here), there’s a brief period of head shaking as it doesn’t seem physically possible for a 2.36-tonne, five-metre-long luxury sedan to scoot around a twisty track with as much pace and composure as the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid musters up.

A hat tip is due here to the wizardry of the chassis engineers who have conjured up this seeming black magic. The Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid is hilariously rapid, especially considering it’s shod with all-purpose Michelin Pilot S 5 rubber.

Porsche insiders say the go-faster Turbo S E-Hybrid flagship that’s due over the coming months will be equipped with more track-focused boots.

We’ve already touched on the 2024 Porsche Panamera’s cleaner and more functional cockpit layout, which is supplemented by a new palette of colour and material options inside.

Initially, two part-leather and six all-leather variants as well as two high-quality club leather seat upholstery options are available, and there’s a broad selection of two-tone designs, multiplying the trim permutations in the cabin.

Porsche is also offering leather-free trim in the Panamera for the first time, combining sporty materials such as Race-Tex imitation suede with faux leather.

The Panamera’s tapered roofline might have you believe that headroom is compromised in the rear seats, but this isn’t the case and even occupants up to 2m tall should be able to sit in reasonable comfort.

The base Panamera offers a decent 494 litres of luggage capacity, but the packaging of the Turbo E-Hybrid’s electrical gubbins reduces storage space to 421 litres, which isn’t great for such a large car.

If you’re on the hunt for a full-size luxury sedan with genuinely sporty dynamics, the 2024 Porsche Panamera stands head and shoulders above anything else in the segment.

What makes this particularly noteworthy is that its dynamism and fun-to-drive characteristics don’t come at the cost of comfort and refinement.

As a general trend, buyers have been deserting premium performance sedans in favour of luxo crossovers and SUVs. However, given that few (if any) of these individuals go off-road, they’d be much better served by a fast and ultra-capable sedan, which is what the Panamera is.