EVO mag rides in Panamera
03-19-2009, 08:14 AM
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EVO mag rides in Panamera
News: evo News
Porsche Panamera in motion
evo samples the Panamera at Porsche's Weissach R&D test track
By John Simister19th March 2009Maybe it does look like a squashed Cayenne. But even the new Panamera, Porsche's long-promised four-door saloon-that's-actually-a-hatchback, doesn't stretch credibility quite the way the SUV did. Porsche can laugh off the purists' Cayenne aversion anyway, for it has openly admitted the lofty beast is the company's cash cow.
Will the Panamera enjoy similar success? Now is not the financial climate in which to make such judgments, but if what the Panamera does and the way it does it have anything to do with the outcome, then Porsche can be smug once again.
The Panamera is a revelation, nothing less. At least it seems that way from any of the three passenger seats, because we won't be driving it until June. However, several laps of Porsche's very three-dimensional, dipping-and-diving test track at its Weissach R&D centre offered a good opening shot.
evo has sampled two Panamerae, the upper versions of the initially three-model range. All three have 4.8-litre V8 engines derived from those used in the Cayenne but lightened with many magnesium components instead of aluminium ones. Power is 400bhp for the atmospheric version, 500bhp for the Turbo which also has the possibility of overboost for a few seconds, increasing power and torque by around 10 per cent. Peak steady-state torque for the Turbo is 516lb ft.
The entry-level Panamera (
03-19-2009, 08:46 AM
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I don't doubt the Porsche technical execution - and from the front or 1/4 angles it doesn't look bad (and P did a good job incorporating the corporate aesthetic). A straight on profile view? Holy f**king hell, that is brutally ugly.
03-19-2009, 08:56 AM
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Originally Posted by [DT
,Mar 19 2009, 08:46 AM] I don't doubt the Porsche technical execution - and from the front or 1/4 angles it doesn't look bad (and P did a good job incorporating the corporate aesthetic). A straight on profile view? Holy f**king hell, that is brutally ugly.
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03-19-2009, 10:14 AM
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Porsche know exactly what they are doing, so it's hard to fault them. Especially so, since I'm nowhere near their target market.
That said, the Panamera just doesn't "feel" like a Porsche. I had the same issue with the Carrera GT. While an immensely capable vehicle, it just doesn't seem to fit with Porsche's design language.
I realize that there has been more to their history than the Carrera/Boxter/Cayman outline.
That said, the front profile looks like any generic sport-sedan, and from the side the gills remind me more of the Crossfire than a german exotic.
Not that it matters - they'll sell a ton of those things!
That said, the Panamera just doesn't "feel" like a Porsche. I had the same issue with the Carrera GT. While an immensely capable vehicle, it just doesn't seem to fit with Porsche's design language.
I realize that there has been more to their history than the Carrera/Boxter/Cayman outline.
That said, the front profile looks like any generic sport-sedan, and from the side the gills remind me more of the Crossfire than a german exotic.
Not that it matters - they'll sell a ton of those things!
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03-20-2009, 12:39 AM
#9
Originally Posted by BD89,Mar 19 2009, 09:54 AM
I think it will be better looking in person, but one has to hand it to Porsche - they definitely know how to build amazing cars.
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