2017 Porsche Panamera 4S UK drive

There they were. All three lined up neatly in the car park and a man from Porsche shouting: "Which one do you want first?" Oh dear. Four decades of trying to purge the gluttonous juvenile within, and still he lives on; without a moment’s hesitation, the reply was: "The red one, please." 

The red one was the mighty Panamera Turbo. In an instant, the eyes had clocked the silver Panamera 4S and blue 4S Diesel sitting next to it and the frontal lobe had dismissed them as underlings. You can read about the Panamera Turbo here, but for now, let’s look at why it was so wrong to poo-poo the petrol 4S. 

Compared with the outgoing 4S, the V6 engine has shrunk to 2.9 litres but has a couple of centrally mounted ‘hot vee’ turbos plumbed in. So not only is the new engine 14kg lighter than the outgoing 3.0-litre unit - not to mention considerably more efficient - but it also produces an extra 20bhp and 22lb ft more torque. Which results in zero to 62mph (with the optional Sports Chrono package) in just 4.2sec. The 0-100mph sprint takes a mere 10 seconds.

It doesn’t feel that fast. Panameras seemingly don’t, even the chest-wig Turbo models, and being a hereditary condition, this afflicts the 4S as well. Yet judging by the rapidity with which those liquid crystal speedo characters click over, be in no doubt: it is rapid. 

The 4S is quite a screamer, too, but as always you need to switch on the optional sports exhaust to exploit the acoustics. Then it barks pleasantly raspy tones, as opposed to the kind of spine-tinglingly fruity ones that would inspire you to poke about in the engine’s upper reaches. 

You still will, though, because of the delicious power delivery. Peak torque may begin at 1750rpm, but it feels at its strongest beyond 3000rpm, then keeps building exponentially until the needle is pointing at the red zone. Add in the keen throttle response and it feels quite un-turbo-like, with a power delivery more akin to a naturally aspirated multi-valve motor.

The PDK dual-clutch automatic gearbox is good in either auto or manual mode, darting swiftly and seamlessly between ratios. Only its software blots the copybook, by blocking manual downchanges until the revs fall inexplicably low. You sense nothing more than a laptop tweak would alleviate this little woe.