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2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S

Voted most likely to succeed.

• June 2012
• BY DAVID GLUCKMAN
• PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC URBANO

Think back to high school and your guidance counselor’s assertion that, given the right amount of stick-to-itiveness, you could accomplish anything you wanted. No one believed that. Except, it seems, the engineers at Porsche.
How else to explain a 4448-pound all-wheel-drive vessel that’s able to carry four tall adults comfortably and also hit 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, complete the quarter-mile in 11.5 at 122 mph, and apply lateral forces of 0.97 g to its passengers?
Perseverance in the face of, well, nothing begot the Turbo S, a higher-output rendition of the Panamera Turbo. Very little changes to provide an extra 50 horsepower and 22 pound-feet of  torque from the 4.8-liter, four-cam twin-turbo V-8—why ruin a good and insanely capable thing? There’s a pair of lower-inertia turbos—the lightweight impellers are made of a titanium-aluminum alloy—and the engine computer has been reprogrammed to match.




That might not sound like much, and it doesn’t even make a difference in the 0-to-60-mph time, which can be seen as both a nod to Porsche’s impressive launch-control system and an acknowledgment of the somewhat strict laws of physics. From 60 up, though, the S has the clear advantage: It beat the standard Turbo to 70 mph by 0.1 second; at 100, it opened up a half-second lead; by 150, there was a 1.6-second advantage; and the S got to 170 mph 2.4 seconds quicker, at which point we ran out of space for straight-line testing. On the oval, we managed a drag-limited 191 mph with the Turbo S. Credit the more-responsive turbos for improvements of a tenth or several when starting from a roll and in our passing tests.
Achieving the best results in a Panamera Turbo requires a few additional pieces of equipment, most of which are made standard on the Turbo S: Porsche’s torque-vectoring system, an adaptive and adjustable air suspension, and the Sport Chrono Plus package with its accompanying launch-control function. Carbon-ceramic brakes, which provide repeatable, drama-free (although not wholly silent) stops, are an option even on the Turbo S.  An $8840 option.
The price premium over an S-less Panamera Turbo is $36,500, about $9K of which accounts for the dynamic upgrades. You could look at the output increase as an expensive option. Do not do this, or else the $20K or so in additional leather, color-matched seatbelts, and various Porsche insignia you’re bound to add might start to look ridiculous.




The remarkable thing about the Turbo S isn’t so much its list of accomplishments but that it can achieve them while maintaining the serenity and usability that mark the best GT cars. This is not an either/or proposition, one where the aggressive settings negate the comfort; in Sport Plus mode, the suspension, steering, and transmission are called to attention but don’t call attention to themselves with flinty, darty, or unsettling behavior. There’s nothing keeping this Porsche from being drivable every day.
While the powertrain tweaks are mostly academic in practice, those responsible can hardly be called underachievers. That said, this car breaks not the slightest of sweats, leading us to wonder what more the overbuilt-feeling chassis could handle.
There’s really only one thing the Panamera can’t do: go unnoticed in traffic. If that problem has an engineering solution, we’re sure the Porsche folk would have found it by now. Never give up on your dreams, kids. View Photo Gallery


Highs and Lows >

Highs:

Comfier, quicker, and stickier than something this shape has any right to be.
Lows:

Absurd speed makes it no prettier; it's tough to improve on outlandish.

Porsche Panamera Research>

• + Overview
• + Price with Options
• + Specifications
• + Photos
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• + View Cars for Sale

News and Reviews>

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• Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 115: 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S - Feature
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• 2011 Porsche Panamera 4S - Short Take Road Test
• 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S - First Drive Review
• 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid - First Drive Review
• Porsche Unveils Diesel-Powered Panamera—for Europe - Car News
• 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S - Auto Shows
• BREAKING: Porsche to Build Panamera Turbo S, Could Be Announced this Week - Car News

Top Competitors>

• Audi S8
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Specifications>

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 5-door hatchback

PRICE AS TESTED: $194,665

BASE PRICE: $174,175

ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 293 cu in, 4806 cc
Power: 550 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 590 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 115.0 in
Length: 195.7 in
Width: 76.0 in Height: 55.7 in
Curb weight: 4448 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 3.3 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 7.7 sec
(Zero to 150 mph: 18.8 sec, calculated, 20.4s-1.6s, see text)
http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...mera-turbo.pdf)
Zero to 170 mph: 28.2 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 3.9 sec
¼-mile: 11.5 sec @ 122 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 191 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 155 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.97 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 15/23 mpg
C/D observed: 17 mpg
TEST NOTES: Phenomenal brakes stop this heavy vehicle without drama or fade. The combination of ample torque multiplication and excellent traction yields a dizzying launch sequence.


Just for comparison:


F10 M5



C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 3.7 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 8.3 sec
Zero to 150 mph: 18.3 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 4.6 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 1.8 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 2.4 sec
¼-mile: 12.0 sec @ 122 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 155–190 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 165 ft

 

Thanks for scans
dede@germancarforums

 

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yeah, but.....the cars are as HUGE as their sales PRICES

 

And your point is? Another useless comment or you really meant something meaningful?

 

I enjoy driving my PTT everyday. Can't believe what an upgrade it is to my E60 M5, which was a great car for me for 6 years! The PTT is an amazing car. The PTTS, well just that little bit extra!

 

I'm passionately in love with my 4S; can't even imagine what the turbo models must be like!

 

(and your post contains something "really meaningful" ?)

what I meant was what I posted - it's a 4450 lb car costing $194.7K - a HUGE car for a HUGE price

 

Weight, yeah it's heavy so what? It kicks HUGE amounts of not so HUGE sports cars' ***, while in utmost comfort. You can bring 3 of your friends and race a HUGE amount of pretty much anything around my back of the woods and win HUGE.

Price, who really cares? When you have that HUGE money to put on this car, then your finances are HUGE and your house is HUGE and your women are HUGE so that money, is a drop in the bucket.

In other words, your enlightenment does not apply here, it's one of those "so?"

 

If you are trying to rationalize price, forget it. Cost has little meaning at these price points. If the point is that it is a HUGE car ... um, isn't it supposed to be? The intent of the Panamera isn't for it to be a sports car. It has FOUR seats, transports FOUR adults (some of whom may be HUGE) in comfort, and is a fully functional daily driver. So, yeah, it costs a lot. And, yeah, it's a BIG car, but it serves its intended purpose very well. Sure, there are smaller cars that can transport four adults, maybe even perform at a similar level, but even those cars (M5, for example) can be considered HUGE when compared to a dedicated sports car. And, frankly, even the M5 isn't all that much smaller, and the interior volume suffers because of it.

 

I'm thinking that if my car is HUGE and my finances are HUGE and my house is HUGE, i'd be able to afford a SMALL woman

 

I remember Jeremy Clarksons comment about the 997tt rear seat having room only for children with thin feet, but then they would be thin as you would have a thin wife, as you are a Porsche turbo owner.

I bought the PTT and powerkitted it, as I wanted a car as fast as the 997tt, but needed the space. Huge is good!

 

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come on fellows - I only said that size and price were huge (same as what was in the article) I didn't say anything about it being not pretty (as was said in the article)

and, you're all agreeing with me (that it's BIG and COST A LOT) - so why all the angst (and heat)(rhetorical)