2017 Porsche Panamera unveiled with a bang
Porsche have finally taken the covers off the new Panamera; doing so with a bang — having simultaneously announced that the revitalized Turbo has stolen the crown of 'fastest luxury sedan' at the Nürburgring Nordschleife as confirmed by Porsche's emphatic video above.
Images of the 2017 Panamera were leaked last week, triggering excitement over the proposition of — finally — a car that's looks match its always impressive dynamics.
Porsche New Zealand have confirmed that three versions of the Panamera will be available to Kiwi consumers; the base model (if you can call it that) 4S will start with a recommended retail price of $275,300, with the 4S Diesel will be available for just a dash more at $284,900. The daddy of the range, the Turbo, starts at $346,300 — a whopping $61,400 more than the middling 4S Diesel.
That surplus coin helps buys you a 550hp 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 engine —30hp over the outgoing generation. 0-100kph is struck in 3.8 seconds, and if you keep your foot flat you'll eventually hit a top speed of 306kph. You also, naturally, get to laud to friends at parties about how your car is quicker than theirs around the Nürburgring.
Despite the pricing margin, the 4S is no slouch; capable of going from 0-100kph in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 289kph with its 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6 engine. The all-wheel drive eight-cylinder 4S diesel is similarly destructive, and is currently the 'world's fastest diesel production vehicle' according to Porsche — only a tenth of a second and four kph off the performance stats generated by the 4S.
All three engines boast improved efficiency, with the diesel unsurprisingly scoring the best marks; delivering 176-178 grams per kilometer of CO2 emissions.
What aids just about everything, performance, emissions and aerodynamics, and the Panamera's new and improved looks, is a 20mm slice that Porsche have taken out of the roof line above the rear passenger compartment. The result is a car that cuts a much prettier and smoother shape — though one wonders whether it'll adversely effect headroom for rear passengers.
There are plenty of other revisions to the Panamera in place; swanky new lights including headlights that nod towards those sported by the LMP1 919 Hybrid race car, and standard adaptive air suspension included. The real question now is whether it can trump new entrants to its turf — like Alfa Romeo's former Nürburgring record holding Giulia Quadrifoglio — in the marketplace.
Orders are now being taken for the super saloon, shipments expecting to land in 2017's opening quarter — though the new V8 diesel will take a bit longer to get here.
