Porsche Panamera - Reception

Reception

Despite the differences in dimensions and design, a reviewer noted that the Panamera's driving dynamics were close to that of the 911, and it "seems to occupy the no-man's-land between really good sports sedans and proper sports cars", and so far the Panamera has won every comparison test against other four-door performance cars on the market such as the Maserati Quattroporte and Aston Martin Rapide. Function was also praised, with the 15.7 cubic feet (440 L) hatchback trunk, and the four-corner adaptive air suspension that retained superior handling while also providing a comfortable ride for public roads. Edmunds stated that the Panamera was an innovative engineering feat that "makes a unique statement about the way that luxury transportation and serious high-performance potential can be mixed together in one car".

Unlike most of the V8-engined contemporaries, all models of the Panamera avoid the US Gas Guzzler Tax. The V6-powered Panamera was also praised, as its downsized engine still retained respectable acceleration, and as it had even better handling than its V8 siblings, due to the engine being lighter by 100 lb (45 kg) which gave the car better weight distribution.

However, CAR magazine of the U.K. described the S model as lacking sportiness, which they attributed to their test car's being "about as oriented to comfort as it’s possible to get" and called the Turbo model "a missed opportunity on behalf of Porsche" to be "the world’s first lightweight four seater" as the top model weighs as much as an Audi S8.

The 30 November 2008 edition of Top Gear featured a look at the Panamera in its news section, with the three presenters being very critical of the look. On 21 May 2009 Richard Hammond and James May from Top Gear were seen driving the Panamera along the A30 in Devon, Great Britain They were racing against a letter sent via Royal Mail between the Isles of Scilly and the Orkney Islands. This episode was broadcast on the BBC on 12 July 2009. Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the Porsche Panamera for an article with The Times newspaper and was quite critical.