Over the last several days I was in Deer Valley Utah for the dealer launch of the 2014 Panamera's. Porsche put us up in the Montage Resort in Deer Valley which was nice. They had a total of 87 Porsche's which was a sight in the underground parking. The event was split up between class sessions and driving the cars. Also finally had a chance to drive the Tesla S which was interesting.

Panamera S/4S/Executive and Hybrid have all been restyled and in a good way. The changes are subtle but make the car look so much better in person. Finally the rear looks proper. The all new twin turbo is a departure from the V8 in the current gen. All the cars were German spec but will be pretty close to what we get. The fit and finish is standard Porsche. Carbon Gray with Carrera Red interior was gorgeous. (forgot to take a pic )

The twin turbo is a nice it has more hp/torque and higher speed than the outgoing V8. Its smooth and quiet......too quiet. While in our tech session we were told the Sports exhaust is a "must have" option and sounds amazing. He then went on to tell us neither of the cars would have the option for us to test due to production times. The Executive is also quieter than the standard S/4S. The engine is ALL Porsche with 90% new parts. Riding in the back of the Executive was nice the extra 4.9 inches makes a difference and you would think it would look odd from the outside but they have done a great job. We took the cars in mountains around the resort and you cant feel those extra inches in the corners.

Day two was spent driving the All new plug in hybrid and Tesla S. I have never been a fan of the hybrid. I could never manage to drive the car in full electric without kicking on the engine. The plug in has the same super charged V6 as the previous gen but has a larger 70kW electric motor and 9.4kW-h battery. The battery is about the same size as the old one but is now liquid cooled. The est range is now 22 miles in full electric at speeds up to 84mph. Total combined output is now 416 vs 380 for the old one. Unfortunately being in the second session the batteries were pretty much drained to experience this. I can still say I dont like the supercharged V6 at full throttle with electric boost the engine "buzzes" like its straining. The optimum combo in my opinion would be the new turbo V6 with the electric motor. The "Acid Green" accents on the nomenclature, calipers and interior dials look cool. Acid Green deviated stitching would also add a nice touch.

This is the first time driving the Tesla S considering the factory is 5 min away from the dealership. This thing is FAST instant torque is just addicting. The 3 of us in the car couldnt stop laughing with each jab of the throttle. It just goes! That was the best part of the car. Handling is crap when compared to Porsche. The fit and finish is nothing to brag about. The seats are not supportive the rear bench feels like an actual bench. The quality of materials are not up to Porsche's. Granted this might be a weight savings ploy but regardless they need to up their game. The center touch screen is pretty cool but from certain angles all I could see is hundreds of finger prints. The nav is 3G powered so if you loose 3G you're SOL and on our drives that actually happened. I love the exterior design of the cars sans the cheap plastic trim and fake carbon spoiler. Once again most prob for weight savings. With that said the Tesla S is pretty impressive considering how long the company has been producing the sedans. I would expect second Gen cars to correct a lot of the mentioned items. Considering how much talk their was about Tesla, Porsche is taking them very seriously.

All in all it was a fun several days. And now some pix. The "Orange" Turbo is the new Cognac Metallic.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

When i was in Portugal, while driving down the highway at night ive encoutered packs of 2014 panameras, they were likely dealer cars as they travel in packs and all were 2014's. i couldnt tell which models they were, but what i didnt like were the lit up taillights, while slightly more high tech looking, they looked less agressive and less meaningful. Just my opinion of course.

 

I drove the new 2014 Panamera Turbo yesterday and it was fantastic. I recently sold my 2011 Panamera Turbo and the new options (surround view camera, lane departure warning) were welcome. The transmission mapping seems different (better) and the car feels great. I will either be ordering a Panamera Turbo or GTS...have not decided yet. The Porsche folks told me that with the inclusion of the Sports Exhaust option on the Turbo gets you the sound symposer on the new model, and the transmission mapping on the two models is almost the same...that will also be welcome. Very cool.
The outside of the car also looks more aggressive, and I especially liked the new LED lights. The rear lights also look great in person, as does the back of the car in general. They also told me that the rear window is larger, which will improve visibility. That will make my wife happy (big complaint of hers on the last one).

 

JCBH, did you like the way the new LED headlights illuminate the road or just the way they look when turned off? Thx.

 

I drove it during the day but I just liked the way the car looked - I am sure they will be terrific at night. I also heard that they will soon be offering the painted rear fascia...I don't love it in black on the re-design...note the last photo of the rear, I think it will look much better when painted to match....Here are some photos...

 

I guess I will need to see in person; I just don't see the changes as that big a deal; looks like same car.

 

It is noticeable in person - the transmission also feels updated, more like the 991 - quick shifts, smoother. Apparently lots if internals have been upgraded as well.

 

The crease on the back makes it look better, IMO.

 

lucky guy, good write up

No Cup car rides!!

 

Looks a helluva lot better! I almost bought a Panny S last year and got a 991S instead. I will keep an eye on these Pannys with fondness.

 

JCBH - quick question, do you know if the 14's still have the rear wing button on the right back to manually raise and lower the wing?

Thanks

 

Yeah, buttons are the same - and some additions like the lane departure warning button (on/off)...

 

Was there a noticeable difference in performance between the TTV6 and NAV8 Panny S?

 

Good report. The hybrid model looks great!
my wife is looking at MS60. While looking for some info on the tesla car, i came across this.

http://www.teslamotors.com/forum/for...rsche-panamera

seems the general tesla owner doesn't think much of the panamera (lol)