Cars/ First-drive/ Porsche Panamera Turbo S | INTER-STELLAR (EXEC) MISSILE | First Drive

Porsche Panamera Turbo S | INTER-STELLAR (EXEC) MISSILE | First Drive

The facelifted Panamera’s new flagship is the Turbo S with a 621bhp V8 and slightly refreshed styling that makes for a very convincing AMG GT four-door rival.

For

Effortless Speed, Fantastic handling, Comfort

Against

Options quite expensive, Wide in the city

Overview

4 door sports sedans aren’t a whole lot popular in our country given the state of our roads and our growing fondness for super luxury SUV’s. So, the Porsche I am driving today is a rare breed – but is famous enough to be one of the fastest 4 door executive sedans in the world (minus all the new age EV’s). This throaty and staunchly non-hybrid Turbo S badged Panamera is the temple of performance within the range with a claimed 0-100kph in just 3.1 seconds!

The Panamera has also proved since a decade that Porsche can build a front-engine grand tourer with as much skill as its iconic rear engine sports cars. And for 2023 – it’s got a mild styling refresh, standard sports exhausts and an impressive engine range. But will this Panamera Turbo S make you squeal like a 911 would, with enough room for your kids screaming at the back? After spending a day, I am certain, it will!

Verdict

It’s hard to justify this fabulous 4 door super saloon on our roads one that costs north of Rs. 2.3 Crores (Turbo S) despite it being the 911’s practical, larger and sprightly sibling – one that can be luxurious or ferocious in equal measure. This particular Panamera Turbo S example with its acronyms and specked options came in well over Rs. 2.8 Crores.

And this price tag buys you a lot of AMG (hyper 4-door GT 63 S or the conventional AMG E 63 S) or a lot of practical super SUV’s (Cayenne Turbo or an RSQ8). But most of all I’d find it hard to not consider Porsche’s other four-door sports car – the spectacular Taycan, one who’s price tag is similar to the Turbo S but without the painful fuel bills when returning an average of 4 km/l. With just as much space inside and the same solidity and similar dynamic character, the Taycan is definitely is the most serious direct rival.

But as for the last few left standing in the pure petrol-powered era with blissful V8 notes, the new Turbo S is shockingly good. Every interaction will leave in no doubt that you are parking something special in your garage every night. And the Panamera is just that - another high-performance, unflappable driving machine from a brand renowned for delivering just that.



TopGear Magazine February 2024