Got a nice leap day surprise, my 2013 Panamera GTS arrived at the dealer on the last day of Feb. Picked it up this afternoon, iphone pics below - sorry it was overcast...

Overall I am thrilled with the car. Coming from an E60 M5 (which I have kept), it is an entirely different experience but all positive. A few things that stood out for me immediately were the exterior and interior treatment on the GTS. The black exterior trim (including black headlamp washers!) and side skirts provide a great contrast, along with the lower stance and sport design bumper which makes a striking overall package compared to a 4S or even Turbo. On the inside, the standard leather/alcantara combination in black, with piano black trim is really well done. I was a little worried about the alcantara inserts coming across as over the top, but it looks fantastic - much better than pictures.

I did not have too much time to drive today, but the most immediate thing you notice is the exhaust - unbelievable. With PSE active it is just about perfect, especially from the outside. Inside the cabin, I find it actually a little quiet compared to the M5 with stock exhaust. There is no documentation in the GTS manual on the sound symposer, but assuming it is activated when PSE is on, I have to be honest and say it does not make a huge difference inside the cabin. There is a wonderful rumble and grumbling kick-back you hear when letting off the throttle after accelerating with PSE mode on vs off, but to me it appears to be coming from the outside not necessarily in the cabin - but maybe that is exactly how it was designed to work! Again, this is with only 30 miles driving and sensory overload with the new car, will be curious to hear from others as they take delivery.

In any case, very happy with the purchase, looking forward to spending more time behind the wheel.

 

nice!!!

 

Outstanding! That's my car - nice color choice!

 

Congrats, looks really nice!

 

Gorgeous!! Let's hear it!!!

 

Congratulations - are you still smilin'?

 

congrats - I too currently have an E60 M5. I will be interested to hear once you have some time on it how it compares in the 70-90 mph passing and uphill pulling vs the M5. I am afraid of giving up 70 hp in those situations. Both have about the same torque so around town i would guess they would feel similar, except the PDK being a superior transmission.

Enjoy the weekend.

John

 

Definitely around town there is no noticeable difference in power vs the M5, I actually feel more torque at low RPM in the GTS. A very pleasant surprise is the PDK in auto mode in city driving compared to the SMG. For example, I would NEVER drive in auto with SMG but found myself very happy with the automatic shift points in sport mode with the PDK. I got a little highway driving in between 50-80mph, my wife was following me in the M5 and there was no problem pulling

 

 

what color is that?
I'd like to understand why you decided GTS over Turbo? I know Turbo costs $30k more, but 0-60 is just 0.3 seconds faster (not a whole lot)

 

Platinum Silver. Debated between that and Basalt Black, glad I went with a lighter color that highlights the black exterior accents. As for Turbo vs. GTS, I just didn't need the extra hp and actually prefer a NA engine. On top of that, the GTS seemed like a better overall package with the unique sports suspension, exterior treatments etc., over the Turbo. Finally, I am told there will be FAR fewer GTS allocations vs Turbo, so one could argue it will be a more exclusive model in the long run.

 

NA engine?
What is different about the exterior? Looks like the front lip might be slightly different from the Turbo.
I couldn't find the mpg online.

Congrats on the beautiful car.

 

Hot HOt HOT!!!

 

Thx! Sorry, NA = naturally aspirated, no turbo or lag. You could probably replicate the GTS exterior on a Turbo, but would need to add SportDesign package for the spoiler plus black accents to replace all of the exterior chrome. However, not sure if you could get black side skirts as an option on a Turbo - though probably anything is possible with $$$.

 

thanks for the clarifications. Whats the city and freeway mpg?
I can't beleive 0-60 is 4.3 seconds on the GTS. Thats pretty fast. You'd think that for the Turbo, it would be faster than 4.0 seconds (for paying $30k more)