2011 Porsche Panamera Turbo S is world's quickest production sedan

I never quite understood why Top Gera put this car down. The only downside to this car, from the video, is that the engine's sound was underwhelming. Other than that, I think the car is a great looking car and probably one of the better looking ones.

| First Drive | Munich, Germany | First Drive: Porsche Panamera Turbo S |












Thanks to Porsche's hectic launch cycle we've been here a few times recently and each time we're more seduced with the Panamera's looks. That's even truer with this Turbo S, which gains some subtle but effective body alterations to add some visual punch to match the massive grunt on offer from the twin-turbo V8. It's not pretty in a conventional sense, but there's no denying it's got plenty of presence.

Deeper side sills, a body colour painted retractable rear spoiler, 20-inch alloy wheels and Turbo S badging highlight this range topper on the outside. Inside, unique two-tone leather combinations are offered, while it's fully loaded with kit as standard too - as you might expect with the flagship model.

That the Porsche Panamera Turbo S is fast hardly comes as a surprise, as anything packing 542bhp and 590lb.ft of torque is going to be rapid. What's genuinely shocking is just how quick it is. The official 0-62mph time is just 3.8 seconds (faster than the 911 GT3 RS 4.0), but that number only tells a tiny part of the ferocity of the acceleration on offer. It's utterly relentless in its thrust, the 4.8-litre engine with its lighter turbines producing laugh-out-loud performance. The V8's mating with the quick dual-clutch seven-speed auto is a near perfect match; the gears shift almost imperceptibly - though the reluctance to upshift when dawdling does require some intervention via the hopeless wheel-mounted shift buttons - thankfully paddles are available for no additional cost.

Helping keep all that power in check is a chassis containing all of Porsche's dynamic and performance enhancing systems. As a result the Turbo S's specification has more letters attached to it than a Scrabble factory, though they all interact to enable the Turbo S to carry its so easily gained pace with utter impunity. It's ridiculously agile given its size, the only real limiting factor being the width on narrow roads.

The steering is finely weighted too; there's some feel at the wheel's rim and the grip and traction on offer is sensational. Find a series of fast, sweeping bends and there are few cars that'll carry such immense speed with such little fuss. Unrestricted Autobahns are the Turbo S's hunting ground, where it'll sit all day at over 180mph, but it's equally as capable on a challenging B-road. If anything it's the Turbo S's crushing competence in all conditions, on all roads, that robs it of some of its appeal. You won't go as fast in a Panamera S, but you'll have more fun - especially in the manual version.

Aside from getting one of the most accelerative, most capable sports saloons you can buy you get lots of standard equipment. There's obviously the option to add some more, with Porsche's PCCB brakes inexplicably not coming on the standard equipment list. You can add premium stereo equipment and dip into Porsche's 'Exclusive' department, too. All in, it's not cheap, but buyers won't care - nor should they.

Worth Noting

All that additional pace doesn't come at the expense of fuel economy, with the Turbo S's official consumption figure pegged at the same 24.6mpg as its regular Turbo relative. Good luck with that though, as even with stop-start as standard and a light foot you're unlikely to ever see anything approaching such a figure.


Summary

Porsche's Panamera Turbo is crazy fast already and the S turns the loony dial up a notch. It's expensive, but it's packed with kit and if you're going for a Turbo anyway you might as well have the full-on S. Crushingly competent and insanely quick, it's difficult to compare it to anything else. And that's a huge part of its appeal.



Car reviews | Porsche Panamera Turbo S | First Drive: Porsche Panamera Turbo S | by Car Enthusiast


M

The S65 AMG has officially been dethroned. Hail the new four door beast, Porsche Panamera Turbo S.

Car and Driver

2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S First Drive

As much as I love the S65 it is trumped by the new Panamera and the Mercedes own S63 AMG. The S63 AMG with the new motor, transmission and the optional performance pack will outperform the S65 in most areas I would suspect. Lighter, better handling, and less (relative) of a petrol hog. The S65 while on paper still has over 600hp seems like the ruler of the 4-door world, but that old 5-speed tranny (same design as in my CLK430!) and the old turbo, SOHC V12 call it out. This however is a good thing, because if Mercedes is to continue to offer a V12, they now are forced to update it. I suspect we'll see a new V12 based off the new MoVe V6/V8 architecture. The S-Class will answer this question in about 18 months.



M

Well said! Although I completely acknowledge that the Panamera is extremely, extremely quick, I think its emphasis is more on sportiness than luxury. V12 S-Classes are the king of classy, luxurious, performance.
I also believe that the S65 is a bit too much; if I were going for performance I would get the S63 over it. But for me, the S600 is the ultimate S-Class, because it balances the unbelievable V12 power and luxury of the S65 with the "sensible"-ness of the S63.

I would rather get an S550 and a 911 Carrera over the Panamera Turbo S.

Autoblog Review.......

Full Story: 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S [w/VIDEO]; Autoblog


Autoblog Short Cuts: 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S - AOL Video


M

.........and the facelifted Porsche Panamera Turbo will answer the S-Class within 18 months.

You misread the post. The question the S-Class will answer will be whether or not Mercedes will continue with V12s, nothing to do with the Panamera. The S-Class isn't a sports sedan so it will never match the Panamera outside of sheer speed.



M

This is a beast! And myself would just love to be the proud owner of this dethrone'r!:bowdown:

Whoa..this is nutts..i would sell my house to have it

And it (or in other words: the Turbo Powerkit) is the fastest saloon around the Sachsenring: with a time of 1.37,4 min the Panny is faster than an R8 V10, as fast as first gen Nissan GT-R R35 and only 0.1 seconds slower than the Mercedes SLS AMG!

Geez! The overboost function can raise boost pressure from 0.7-0.9 Bar. I just love the new turbo tech, the lighter turbine wheel makes a HUGE difference.

I have to say...the new M5's performance disappoint vs Panamera Turbo S:eusa_doh:

NewM5
560hp @ 6,000rpm
680Nm @ 1500rpm
0-100km in 4.4 seconds
0-200km in 13 seconds
M-Drivers-Package will increase top speed from 250km/h to 305km/h
Active M-differential with torque vectoring

What's the weight of this thing? ... because those output figures are just a tick below the new M5, yet acceleration is mighty impressive!

1995 kgs with full tank of fuel.