Porsche Panamera GTS 2014 Review

The highpoint of the Panamera on test was its 4.8-litre V8. A relatively quiet engine in normal driving, it would utter a bear-like growl through its bi-modal sports exhaust system, along with some dramatic whining at higher revs. It didn't pound the ground the way a C 63 does, but nor was it high-revving and race-oriented like the previous M3's V8 engine.

The Porsche's performance was astonishing however – no less so for giving away 88kW and 160Nm to the M6 Gran Coupe tested last year. Even handed that power and torque deficit, though, the Panamera is just 0.2 seconds slower (4.4) to 100km/h than the turbocharged BMW.

Few cars will slap you back in the seat from a standing start the way the Panamera GTS did. That acceleration was all the more remarkable for the Porsche sedan's kerb weight of 1.9 tonnes. All-wheel drive helped, of course. And the power delivery combined with the intelligent, adaptable PDK transmission made this particular Panamera highly responsive in traffic too.

Waiting at an intersection to make a right turn, a jab at the throttle had the engine spooling up to around 2500rpm, but the PDK slipped the clutch in anticipation of a full-blooded conclusion to the manoeuvre. The power delivery was very carefully measured and didn't induce oversteer, wheelspin or axle tramp.

If I had $300,000 to spare, I would buy the Panamera just to get across one particular arterial road on my regular morning commute. I could probably afford the weekly fuel bill too...

The Panamera's trip computer averaged 15.8L/100km with a brief spell of freeway driving. That's some improvement on the sort of fuel consumption figures I've seen in cars the likes of the BMW already mentioned or Audi's V10-engined RS 6. Without the Porsche's idle stop-start system the figure would have been up around 17L/100km.

Still, you don't buy a car like this for its eco-friendliness.

The engine drives through Porsche's seven-speed PDK transmission to all four wheels. While the PDK delivered aggressive and responsive shifting whenever required, it could be milquetoast mild when the Panamera was being driven sedately around town. It's a highly adaptive box equally adept shifting manually or picking the changes itself – even when the drivetrain was in Sport Plus mode.

As is often the case with dual-clutch transmissions, it wasn't always free of bump and thump, but mostly when the car was running full pelt and the box was channelling heaps of torque to the drive wheels. It generally coped well with stop/start urban driving.

The shift toggles on the optional multi-functional steering wheel operated unconventionally, with the toggle on either side pushed forward with the thumb for upshifts, or pulled back with the index finger for downshifts. Once I'd settled on pulling back the left toggle and pushing forward the right toggle I found the system worked effectively.

As a touring machine the Panamera proved agreeably quiet. On a calm night there was practically no discernible wind noise at all. Tyre noise was more prevalent, although still pretty quiet by the standards of its rivals. There was a subdued undertone from the driveline when cruising.

Ride comfort was fine on the open road and adequate around town when the dampers (Porsche Active Suspension Management) were set to Comfort mode. Switched to Sport (or even Sport Plus) the Panamera still rode acceptably well on country roads, given the car's excellent cornering.

The Panamera's steering response was fast and it could be placed very precisely on the road. Grip was outstanding, with the front tyres just beginning to wail at speeds that would put much lighter cars to shame. Even then, as the tyres approached the limits of their adhesion, the Panamera remained composed and safe. Its handling was undeniably aided by the all-wheel drive, in combination with the optional Michelin tyres and a 20-inch alloy sports wheel package worth nearly $7000.

The ride height could be adjusted up from a button on the centre console. It's a handy function, allowing the Panamera to clear speed humps of the extreme variety, for instance. Beware, however; even with the suspension at normal ride height the Panamera's suspension was prone to bind up with a lot of steering lock wound on. It was worse still with the suspension raised.

Brakes provided good feel through the pedal so you knew precisely how far they could be pushed, and they delivered strong braking action to counteract the Panamera's sensational straight-line performance.

The Panamera banks on Porsche brand cachet to be let off the hook for some equipment shortcomings. Driving assistance aids you might find in much cheaper cars (lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, et cetera) are missing in the Porsche. Where's the wiper for the rear glass, for that matter? Somewhere on the options list as it turns out...

And it's unusual in the modern era to drive a large German car that doesn't have blinkers in the side mirrors. At least it did have a reversing camera, but that didn't fully compensate for the Panamera's large C pillar, which obliquely hindered the field of vision to the rear.

Take it or leave it, the C pillar design – and the car's long wheelbase – are both distinct elements of the Panamera's packaging, which is very good in parts. For a car suspended so near the ground the Panamera was relatively easy to enter and leave – thanks in no small part to properly contoured front seats with just enough bolstering to hug occupants in corners without detracting from comfort. There was plenty of legroom and headroom for rear seat occupants also, who benefited too from heating and cooling airflow out of vents in the rear of the centre console and the B pillars.

A powered lift-back tailgate offered easy access to the boot, but the boot itself was rather shallow and narrow for such a large car. There were handy pockets with luggage nets at the side, however, and a little extra storage space in the cabin. One cupholder and a small ashtray in the centre console, combined with small storage bins in the doors could not be considered sufficient for the driver and front passenger.

Behind the wheel the Panamera was all carbon-fibre, suede, leather and satin-finish aluminium. Style is in the eye of the beholder, but I like the Panamera's interior design, which is soothing but functional. The instruments were easy to read and despite the plethora of controls in the centre console the Panamera was fairly straightforward to operate from the word 'go'. Not a vital concern, the Porsche's fuel gauge read full on the left, empty on the right, which is contrary to practically every other fuel gauge I've ever seen.

And the indicator stalk was on the left of the column, but then you would expect that in a German car anyway.

2014 Porsche Panamera GTS pricing and specifications:
Price: $340,550 (including options, excluding on-road costs)
Engine: 4.8-litre eight-cylinder petrol
Output: 324kW/520Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 10.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 249g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A