When you think of Porsche, chances are an iconic 911 spring to mind. With a stable that includes SUVs, and an electric four-door, there’s more to the brand than ever before. Trent Nikolic saddles up in the 2022 Porsche Panamera Turbo S in an attempt to convince himself that Porsche isn’t just about 911s.
- Power and poise in equal measure
- Ride quality and handling both exceptional
- Feels like a Porsche from behind the wheel
- Options pricing climbs rapidly
- Brakes take a bit of getting used to at low speed
- Gearshift can be a little firm at low speed
Introduction
Forgive me for being conflicted by the 2022 Porsche Panamera Turbo S. On one hand, I have always thought that the idea of a ‘stretched’ 911 with two extra doors and a little bit too much sheetmetal was compromised both stylistically and ideologically.
Conversely, I’m the first person to rail at the idea that everyone just rushes off and buys an SUV without putting much thought into it. There goes my ‘buy a 911 and a Macan, instead of a Panamera theory’, then.
And yet, despite the fact a Panamera is anything but pretty (certainly in classic Porsche terms), and that it remains a styling conundrum despite its much more handsome visage, spend more than about a minute driving one, and everything makes sense. Too much sense for my liking if I’m honest. I hate being converted.
Our stark white test car is the 2022 Porsche Panamera Turbo S, starting from a hefty $415,700 before on-road costs. Add a few choice options and you’re going to sail very quickly past the magical half million dollar mark. Do buyers at this send of the scale care? Probably not, but it’s a chunky amount of money.
Finding the common ground of Panamera competition is hard. Who exactly is buying this car? And what exactly are they cross-shopping it with? The first question is easier to answer, I think. I’d wager 911 owners, who either need more car or need a second family car, are looking at a Panamera. Further, I reckon a Cayenne buyer might take more than a fleeting sideways glance at a Panamera when they head into the dealership. That makes the most sense when you break it down.
As for the cross-shopping, that’s a tough one. Does the Porsche buyer care what else is out there? Certainly not the majority of them. It’s a Porsche or nothing. That’s why Cayenne and then Macan have been so wildly successful. If you’re in the minority though, you might have looked at four-doors with a Maserati, BMW, Mercedes-AMG or Audi badge. And then probably still plumped for the Porsche.
A practical sedan this might be, but in this grade, it is also a very serious driver’s car. Let’s find out how serious.
| Key details | 2022 Porsche Panamera Turbo S |
| Price (MSRP) | $415,700 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Carrara White Metallic |
| Options | Sports exhaust with black tailpipes– $7100 21-inch Jet Black Exclusive Design wheels – $2990 Noise and thermal Insulated glass – $2850 Illuminated carbon sill guards – $2370 Front massage seats with ventilation – $2200 Floor mats with leather edging – $1900 Carbon interior package – $1800 Exclusive Design tail lights – $1750 4+1 seats – $1750 Two-tone leather trim – $1500 Tinted LED matrix headlights w/Dynamic Light System Plus – $1040 Porsche crest on headrests – $950 Ambient interior lighting – $740 Heated GT sports steering wheel – $560 |
| Price as tested | $445,200 plus on-road costs |
| Rivals | BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe | Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door | Bentley Flying Spur |
Inside
Crucially, the cabin is every bit a Porsche. The design, switchgear, control layout, interfaces, and ergonomics are all as expected from the Porsche interior design team. Therefore, it’s comfortable and sporting, but it’s also highly practical.
You’ll be surprised by just how easy it is to get into and out of, despite how undeniably sporty it is in real terms. It’s a comfortable long hauler, too, which is kind of the point after all.
The driver gets to enjoy the way Porsche has used a digital gauge display, yet retains a classical analogue tacho front and centre. It’s a beautiful way to remind Panamera owners of not just where they’ve come from, but where they are going.
The second row is useful so long as you don’t have really tall occupants up front. If you do, that will eat into foot and leg space specifically. Headroom in the second row also offers up a slight compromise, given the raked roofline.
The optional two-tone leather trim – Black and Bordeaux Red – looks stunning on our tester against the Carrara White exterior. At $1500 for two-tone leather, it’s actually an option that I’d be going for, such is how good it looks in the flesh.
The boot offers a very useful 467 litres worth of storage, which is perfect for four adults heading away for a long weekend. Or, for family duties around town for that matter.
| 2022 Porsche Panamera Turbo S | |
| Seats | Four |
| Boot volume | 467L |
| Length | 5049mm |
| Width | 1937mm |
| Height | 1427mm |
| Wheelbase | 2950mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Functionality for the infotainment system has been updated, with improved voice control, and wireless Apple CarPlay. Like the exterior, the main interface points of the infotainment remain familiar to those of you who knew the old model. The force feedback controls are easy to get accustomed with, and they work well.
Porsche does a better job than just about any of mixing old and new. And that is evident in the way new technology has been entwined into the infotainment system.
The Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system is controlled by a 12.3-inch central screen that sits atop the centre stack. There are shortcut buttons for the main control inputs and the climate control buttons remains separate. Good option.
The haptic controls work well, but you will need to get used to them, and overall, Porsche has eschewed the latest and greatest in terms of design appearance for rock solid reliability and ease of use. Our smartphone connection was faultless on test.
Safety & Technology
The Porsche Panamera range is untested by ANCAP but does feature integrated side impact protection, an active bonnet, airbags for driver and front passenger, knee airbags for driver and front passenger, font side airbags integrated into the seat, curtain airbags along the entire roof frame and side windows from A-pillar to C-pillar, side airbags in the rear compartment, and outboard ISOFIX mounts, all standard.
There’s also a 360-degree camera, front and park assist sensors, lane keep assist, lane change assist, adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist and a head-up display.
| 2022 Porsche Panamera Turbo S | |
| ANCAP rating | Not tested |
Value for Money
At this end of the price spectrum, value for money is a tough argument to prosecute.
On one hand, a Corolla Hybrid will do the same job as a Panamera for vastly less money – but if that’s your way of thinking, you’re undoubtedly missing the point. On the other hand, there’s exclusivity and desirability behind the badge of any Porsche, and in that sense, the Panamera delivers in fine style.
| At a glance | 2022 Porsche Panamera Turbo S |
| Warranty | Three years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
Beyond the philosophical argument though, a combined figure of 11.6L/100km is entirely acceptable for this car, which is far from lightweight. Our real-world return of 13.3L/100km, holds up from something so capable of setting a race track on fire.
We’d love Porsche to extend its warranty out to five years though. The current three year term makes Porsche a rare hold out, with an increasing number of prestige brands having joined the five year club.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 11.6L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 13.3L/100km |
| Fuel type | 98 octane premium unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 90L |
Driving
There’s tyre shredding savagery, lurking at the ready beneath the Pamamera’s expansive skin. There is no argument about that.
Able to bolt from 0-100km/h in just 3.1 seconds, for a car that weighs 2080kg is serious mountain moving. The Panamera Turbo S will thunder on to a top speed of 315km/h if you dare. Just the thing for our draconian speed limits, in other words.
The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8’s 463kW is serious power, and 820Nm is serious torque, so you’d expect the Panamera Turbo S to feel fast, and it does. Very fast. If you feel like nailing the throttle, the Turbo S annihilates speed limits with ease. Track days only for that sort of activity.
When you think of the practicality on offer, and then counter that with the outright pace and ballistic power, this is finely honed German engineering at its best. On that subject, the engine sits right back in the bay, optimising weight distribution and balance.
Power and torque increases over the old model are 59kW and 50Nm respectively, and dig into the specs and it’s clear the engine has been largely redesigned. Even the compression ratio has been lowered.
The eight-speed dual-clutch remains from the earlier model, but with some minor software updates. Porsche says it’s to deliver smoother, faster shifts, and it might very well do that at redline, but you won’t notice it around town.
At crawling speed, you’ll get the occasional DCT hesitation, but’s subtle and certainly not something that detracts from the daily drivability of the Panamera. All-wheel drive ensures you can extract the performance potential as safely as possible.
When you’re behind the wheel, it’s the sonorous, mostly well behaved, sometimes savage V8 that dominates the driving experience. It’s an epic engine in every sense of the word, no matter how hard or soft you lean on it.
It musters up so much torque, you feel like it only needs one gear, and requires next to no throttle weight to get up to city speed. You can therefore, cruise around town with ridiculous ease.
Our tester’s optional exhaust system generates the kind of deep bellow only a V8 can sing, and it’s a perfect accompaniment to the mechanical magic going on. Given the 21-inch wheels we’re riding on – a whopping 11.5 inches wide out back – the air suspension delivers a supple, comfortable ride. It’s firm, but even over poor surfaces, it’s never uncomfortable.
Porsche’s steering continues to be a masterstroke, and makes the Panamera Turbo S supremely easy to manoeuvre with precision. It delivers poise and balance you have no right to expect from a car of this heft.
Standard Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control plays its part in this sense of balance, too, minimising body roll and keeping the body flat regardless of your enthusiasm behind the wheel.
When you’re done playing, select Comfort mode and roll back home without a hair out of place. A genuine passenger vehicle has no right to be such a sensational driver’s car. Regardless of your position on where this car sits in the Porsche pantheon, it’s a sensational execution of engineering nous and driver engagement. By the time you’ve spent any time driving one, you’ll be well and truly in love with it.
| Key details | 2022 Porsche Panamera Turbo S |
| Engine | 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol |
| Power | 463kW @ 6000rpm |
| Torque | 820Nm @ 2300-4500rpm |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 222.6kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 2080kg |
| Tow rating | 2200kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.4m |
Conclusion
For mine, a Porsche 911 remains the iconic ‘money and practicality no object’ Stuttgart star. It’s the Porsche I’d always have, and if I couldn’t afford one, I daresay I wouldn’t have a Porsche.
However, the Panamera is carving its own niche, finding favour with those who love practicality and continent-crushing cruising ability. You can picture a rapid blast from Germany into Italy every time you get behind the wheel.
That it’s a formidable performance sedan, with serious power and speed on offer, should come as no surprise. It is, after all, a Porsche. It also looks like a Porsche from every angle. And, that’s the point. Like it or not, as I have had to wrestle with myself, the Panamera is very much a Porsche in every sense.
Every interaction leaves the owner in no doubt what they are parking in their garage every night. And, that’s the point isn’t it? The Panamera is another high-quality, high-performance model from a brand renowned for delivering just that. Mission accomplished.
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