Porsche has recently updated its Panamera with a raft of new engine and a few subtle
design tweaks... in fact they are so subtle you should probably concentrate for this bit.
There are some reshaped headlamps, new LED daytime running light strips and larger front
air intakes.
Round the back the revised taillights and a new bumper are the major changes.
And that's pretty much it.
Oh, almost forgot the fresh alloy wheel designs...
Inside the new Panamera, it's essentially the same as before which means a high quality
cabin that looks and feels gorgeous.
And yes there may be a bewildering array of buttons, but that does means all the car's
functions are easy to access.
It's easy to access the rear of this car too as the back doors open nice and wide, and
once in there is loads of space.
Yeah I know there are only two seats here... but remember this isn't a limousine -- it's
a sports car that can carry four people in and it's blumin good at that...
Really little has changed with the Panamera apart from some new engines in addition to
the V6, V8 and V8 twin-turbo petrol.
Let's start with the new Panamera S E-hybrid which has now plug-in technology that enables
it to do over 90 miles per gallon and emit under 71 g/km of carbon dioxide.
Also there's a new twin-turbo V6 petrol which can do 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds when fitted
with the sport chrono package.
The big news though is the new296bhp 3.0-litre bi turbo diesel in this car which can do 44mpg.
It's just a fantastic engine.
So smooth and quiet and quick that you almost forget it is a diesel -- for instance it can
do 0-60mph in 6.0 seconds.
Porsche.
You really can enjoy that performance too as the panamera has pin sharp handling that
really belies its bulk.
The car now comes with torque vectoring which alters the amount of power sent to each individual
rear wheel for even better grip.
Now the hard core driving enthusiasts may be a little bit disappointed that you can't
get the Panamera with a manual anymore, but that's because no one bought them.
And it doesn't matter as the auto are all brilliant and you can take control of them
with the paddles if you want.
And then when you just want to cruise the smooth gearboxes provide effortless progress.
Speaking of which the Panamera is a very comfy car to travel if you have the adaptive dampers
in comfort -- although on some cars they are an option which will cost you over a grand.
And that's the problem with any Porsche.
They are expensive to start with and adding stuff can send the price rocketing.
Yes sat nav, leather and parking sensors are standard, which is good as you will be needing
them cos this car is so huge - but if
you want...etc etc etc...
Then there's the boot.
It's a good size and you can fold the seats down flat.
Shame the parcel shelf is tricky to remove and that the sloping tailgate means the load
space isn't very deep.
Finally there's the design, to some people this is an ugly car, and the visual changes
don't do enough to address that.
If you are one of those people you may prefer the BMW 6 Series GT which you can see our
review of here, and the Mercedes CLS which you can watch here.
Also click here for our latest review and on our logo to subscribed to our channel.