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What is it?

Loads of manufacturers claim they’ve invented market segments. The Panamera is Porsche's attempt at the same.

It's a four-door, four-seat, fastback sports car which it says creates "the Panamera class." I can't see the tag catching on but there's merit to the concept, along which lines Aston Martin has developed the Rapide.

Really the Panamera is a grand tourer and is offered initially with V8 engines derived from the Cayenne SUV, giving fast-sports perfo...Read the full article

Not sure about those looks they're a bit whoa!

Porsche definitely seem to have a two tier range now, and the launch of the Panamera does nothing to change that.  The standard (and GT range) cars, which on the whole are designed to appease the real enthusiast, and the Uber cars such as the turbos which are crushingly effective but leave the real driver some what cold.

I personally will wait with baited breath to see what the steel sprung standard car is like.

Having worked at PCGB they even talk of 'Sports' cars when referring to anything other than a 955 (Cayenne). I would like to see a twin test XFR vs Pan Turbo.

Sorry, but in that front quarter shot, that looks like a very ugly car. It's like the front of a 911 with the back of a Chrysler PT Cruiser welded on.

my Audi RS6 (V10) is the coolest car. fast and gets 3 kids in the back. just done 800 miles thru France with just fuel halts and cannot understand why anyone would consider the Panamera.

I would much rather have an E63 AMG or an M5 and I don't even like BMW's... ;-)

It's a silly car... but there are a lot of silly people around :-)

I saw a fleet of these (about half a dozen) last week in south east France with Cayenne support vehicles loaded up with spare tyres etc. Final testing at this late  stage?

Anyway, I thought the looked better in the metal than the photos I've seen. Even the wife liked it and she normally hates Porsches.

TegTypeR:

Porsche definitely seem to have a two tier range now

 

I agree, although with different cars! You've got the 'proper' Porsches - 911, Cayman and probably Boxster - and then the 'niche' Porsches - Cayenne, Panamera.

I guess if selling a few Cayennes & Panameras means the enthusiasts can enjoy their 911 GT3 RS's for a few more years then it makes sense for Porsche.

Autocar:

You can even have a towbar.

Says it all. Could you see a Porsche towing anything? It would be like having a diesel Porsche...Oh wait they've already done that, what next? A Porsche with a 4-pot engine? The way Porsche are going its not a possiblility but a probability.

We've already seen a Suv from Porsche. A diesel. Now a 4-doors. Pretty soon we will se a 4 pot, thena 4 pot diesel, then a hatchback and a citycar. At that point, the brand will be completely gone. The heritage, most important, will be gone. Could anyone tell germans that we do not need Phaetons and Panameras? Only Ferrari left, nowadays...

 To have an interesting Panamera, it is again necessary to wait for the utilitarian version, the Diesle version.