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2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S: Review notes
Warp speed with warped looks

Roger Hart : December 15, 2011 - 11:46 am ET
The 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S has a base price of $174,175.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: This 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S is an amazing car in many ways. It's blindingly fast. In sport-plus mode, this is a gonzo sports car, even though it weighs two and a half tons. In comfort mode, it's as docile as a 15-year-old cat. When pushed it corners like a speeding train, and it has an elegant interior with the controls laid out like a fighter jet. But still, the exterior design is something that I just can't get past. This car is so much fun to drive, and I guess the good thing is that you don't have to look at it from behind the wheel. The front of car is just fine--looks like a big 911. But the rear looks like it doesn't know what it wants to be, a hatchback or wagon. In fact, I think it might actually look better if designers had extended the rear and made it more of a wagon.

I don't think I've ever driven a car that I enjoyed so much to drive but couldn't really stand the looks.

And here's another thing . . . the price is, well, as amazing as the driving experience. All the while I'm driving this, I'm comparing it with the new BMW M5 I drove recently, with a twin-turbo V8 making 560 hp and 500 lb-ft, mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The M5 goes 0 to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds; the Panamara needs 4.8 seconds. Granted, the BMW is only rear-wheel drive, but it's also about $90,000 less than the Panamera. I love the driving experience of the Porsche, but is it worth more than double the price? The M5 will actually seat five, not just four like the Porsche.

DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: I love a good GT car, and one of the things that struck me first about the Panamera is how usable the interior space is. Rear-seat passengers are actually very comfortable, thanks to ample legroom and a gorgeous interior layout. And there's space for real cargo under the humpback hatch. Yet the driver never feels as though he's in anything less than a Porsche.

And the torque . . . my God, the torque. Sure, from a start, you can put your foot in it and the tach goes crazy and the world becomes a blur. That's fun. But what's truly satisfying to me about the Panamera's driving dynamics--considering its mission as a big GT--is when you're cruising at sane speeds, get a safe, open stretch and give it about three-quarters throttle. That's when the Panamera becomes your own personal jet; the turbos spool up, the trans drops a gear, and you get a sense of nearly limitless, effortless thrust in the small of your back. It's not hairy, nine-tenths track-day play, but it is sublime driving.

I'd complain about the price, but folks shopping this kind of car don't really overthink the concept of dropping, say, four grand on silver paint. Still, the fact that this Panamera Turbo S stickers for $120,000 more than a base Panamera blows my mind.

My other nitpicks include too many nonintuitive buttons on the center stack and console and a steering wheel that doesn't befit a nearly $200,000 car. Then there's the appearance, which to my eyes looks like a stretched-limousine version of a Chrysler Crossfire.

If you can get past that silhouette, though, there's one hell of a car underneath.

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: Let me say right up front: I don't mind the looks of the 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S. The looks really leave me with no impression one way or the other. I guess with a gun to my head, I'd say Porsche did a decent job designing a four-door that is still unmistakably a Porsche.

Still, I have mixed feelings on this Panamera Turbo S. It is faster than fast and can fly around like a small fighter jet or can doddle around town as easy as you please. Jump on the gas mid-corner, and it will just track around as if on rails as fast as you dare. No matter what ham-fistedness one attempts, the car will forgive. It's fun to drive.

Having said that, I didn't find this Porsche particularly comfortable. I had a hard time seeing out of it, and like Andy, found the center stack ridiculously and unnecessarily complicated.

The turbo and I never fell in to a rhythm over the weekend. I tried it around town, and I took it for a 150-mile mix of highway and two-lane roads. I never really felt comfortable in the car--never felt completely in command. This car's awful Porsche paddles didn't help much. The overall experience was, well, awkward I guess is the word.

And then there's the price. I get that's not really a factor in this stratosphere, but if it were my $195,000, I'd get an AMG-tuned Mercedes-Benz S-class over this all day long--or a Mercedes CLS63 AMG. And why is this car significantly more money than a 911 Turbo?

2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S

Base Price: $174,175

As-Tested Price: $194,665

Drivetrain: 4.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8; AWD, seven-speed dual-clutch sequential manual

Output: 550 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 553 lb-ft @ 2,500 rpm

Curb Weight: 4,590 lb

Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 18/15.5 mpg

Options: Porsche ceramic competition brakes ($8,840); SportDesign package including lower rear apron, specially designed front apron, side skirts, diffuser, fins ($4,160); GT Silver metallic paint ($3,140); carbon-fiber illuminating door-sill guards ($1,850); adaptive sport suspension with Comfort Memory package ($1,505); Carbon Interior package ($995)

 

Thanks for posting Kip! A well thought out review from all involved, although it may have been less skewed if the reviewers could afford the car. At times, the cheap shots and comparisons speak more from there wallets than from there brains imho.

 

the reviews always go the same way. The best car I have ever driven. Ohh, its that expensive, Ill take the M5. Funny how no one speaks about the price in a bugatti veyron.

 

So true. There is definitely a pattern there

 

I saw a Panamera 4S in my neighborhood not long ago, and my wife and I both thought it was a beautiful car, really gorgeous. I would love to have one. I think maybe people just haven't gotten used to it's look, which is new and unconventional. ...and since when is Porsche about pretty looks anyway?! It's a German car, which means it's about engineering, and function over form. Style is secondary. Not that Porsches aren't beautiful in their own way, but if beauty and style are the priorities, look somewhere else.

 

Why would anyone pay 200 K for a Porsche? Porsche makes excellent vehicles at the 100 K price point...at 200K you pony up a few more and get a proper Lamborghini or Ferrari.

Eventually when the baby-Panamera comes out, the proper price point for a Porsche will be around 70-80 K. 100 K will be overpriced, Porsche is dropping its base price across the board, its not a 100 K car company anymore when considering value.

I still feel the V6 is the best value out of the Panamera range; its underpriced at around 90-100 K.

Unless you're one of those people that have a Lambo and Ferrari and want a Panamera of course. But those are very few.

 

Yup, though we find our Panamera to be pretty good looking...its kinda cool, its not Italian designed car. The worst (and no one agrees with me) is the 911 -- Love the way it drives...but God is it ever an ugly troll, it looks like a frog on steroids is staring at you. I remember when buying the Panamera, I looked at a 911 in the dealership next to me...up close, and couldn't believe people pay money for this. Then I realised there was no other good sports cars for 100 K -- Ferraris and Lamborghinis cost twice as much. So it started to make sense, and nothing drives like a Porsche.

Not exactly the beauty you except on a 120 K car; plus its tiny, for a car to be good looking it needs width, lots and lots of width. Compare that to the beautiful bull-like looks of Lamborghini or the avant garde design of Ferrari. Sublime!

I wouldn't worry about what other people think.

 

Its less flashy looks is actually what is more appealing to me. I could of got a Ferrari or lambo but went with a 911 instead. I get equal to greater performance without all the unwanted attention. And to me the very wide rear hips look fab!

 

True true, different strokes for different folks.

There is no doubt the 911 is the prob the best value-sports car there is...you get a lot even in a base Carrera, just as you do in a base Panamera. I will likely end up with a Carrera as my daily driver in a few years. Phenomenal car.

Just personally I like elegant form, but thats a personal thing. I know the German approach is function first, which is fair -- without function...there is no point.


The only thing I don't understand about power is where you use it. I understand the thrill of a Turbo motor with a slushbox and all the torque down low (hard to feel lag there as you can with 6MT), but with a 300 HP Panamera I got a ticket for going 15 kmph over the limit...it was too easy. What do you do with 500 HP in North America? Aside from a track.

 

That's funny that two of the reviews found the center stack too complicated! I mean, there are complaints you can make about the car, but that is NOT one of them! If you can't figure those buttons out, good luck with the PCM...

 

I'm not sure I follow this logic. What does Lambo offer that compares to this? If you are shopping a Panamera, you aren't cross shopping a Lambo. If you want to say that $200k is too much for a 911 Turbo S when for a little more you can get a Lambo or Ferrari, that's a fair argument (I disagree, but at least the argument makes sense). There is NO Lambo that seats 4. The only Ferrari that seats 4 (you can't count the California) is the FF, and that is $400k out the door with options. Is the Aston Martin Rapide worth $200k?

If your argument is that $200k is just to much for anything Porsche, I'd disagree. Hell, an Audi R8 V10 fully options is in the $175 to $190 range at this point, and that's an AUDI!

 

I'll never understand this, and you see it in almost every review. "Too many buttons!" Seriously? This center stack is perhaps the best laid-out of any car on the road today at this level. Are they having a hard time understanding what the pictures mean? My kids could sit in this car and figure it all out in five minutes. Every button is clearly labeled and perfectly obvious, with the possible exception of the auto start/stop button. The climate buttons are absolutely the most intuitive I've seen, and even the multitude of buttons on the head unit are clearly labeled.

Just seems like they all read each other's reviews or they simply can't find anything of substance to complain about. So I guess, this is sort of a left-handed compliment ... if this is the only thing they can complain about ...