Panamera Motor Trend - First Drive: 2010 Porsche Panamera

[Merc1]

Don't Count the Doors -- It's a Real Porsche.


Let's cut to the chase: The 2010 Porsche Panamera is big, fast, and comfortable; a genuine four passenger Gran Turismo capable of loafing across continents in giant 130 mph bounds, leaving you relaxed and refreshed at the end of the day at the wheel. Press a few buttons, stiffening the suspension, quickening the seven speed PDK transmission's responses, allowing the deep-throated dual exhaust to breathe easier, and the Panamera is ready to tackle a snaking mountain pass with the panache of...well, a Porsche.

Is it, as some purists grumble, another Porsche too far; another unnecessary detour from the company's core values, like the Cayenne SUV? Well, the front engine, V-8 powered Panamera is certainly not a four door 911. The Panamera has a personality all its own. Yet Porsche DNA seeps from every pore.

You see, the Panamera has the same ready-for-anything combination of performance and practicality that made the Porsche 928 S4 one of the world's most underrated GTs. The Panamera Turbo is four second fast to 60 mph and will hit 188 mph. Yet the rear seats fold to boost the luggage capacity from 15.7 cu ft to 44.6 cu ft, just under what you can fit behind the third row of a Chevy Suburban, and Porsche offers a roof rack and a trailer hitch (as it did for the 928) as factory options. For the record, the Panamera is rated to tow a 4850 lb braked trailer or a 1654 lb unbraked trailer. Try that with your Ferrari...This car is designed to be a daily driver, not a valet parking showpony.


Full Story: Motor Trend - First Drive: 2010 Porsche Panamera


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[klier]

They should stop making pics of this car from the height of my knee. It's one of the only angles where the car looks bad in (from the side, rear 3/4 only).
For the rest, this car surely would be a great hit if it wasn't so expensive.