Review and Pictures of 2014 Porsche Panamera Sedan - Major changes return the Porsche Panamera's means for 2014, because the lineup expands to incorporate a long-wheelbase govt body vogue and a plug-in S E-Hybrid variant. a replacement twin-turbocharged three.0-liter V6 for non-hybrid S trims replaces the previous naturally aspirated four.8-liter V8. There also are some refined styling tweaks, as well as a replacement lid. Finally, the Turbo S model takes the year off, however the bottom, GTS and Turbo models receive slight power bumps.
Introduction
If there has ever been a automotive that did not want associate update, it is the 2014 Porsche Panamera. The four-door wunderkind has wowed America for years with its out of the question mix of top-shelf luxury and sports automotive dynamics, and there is still nothing for the money which will bit it. however Porsche is aware of however German engineers operate: If you do not provide them one thing helpful to try to to, they will find yourself building the world's most Byzantine glovebox hinges or one thing. so that they were tasked with creating the Panamera meaningfully higher for 2014, and early signs recommend that they've done simply that.
Perhaps the foremost important amendment is that the new govt body vogue, a nod to the burgeoning marketplace for long-wheelbase luxury cars, notably in China. With a further five.9 inches between the wheels, the Panamera govt makes Porsche's liner additional competitive against its long-wheelbase German and Japanese peers. conjointly of note is that the new Panamera S E-Hybrid, that will the outgoing S Hybrid one higher by providing plug-in practicality with concerning twenty miles of pure electrical practice range. With sales of the electrical Tesla Model S memorizing steam, the plug-in Porsche's temporal arrangement is impeccable.
We'd prefer to observe a flash of silence, however, for the passing of nobility naturally aspirated V8 that erstwhile high-powered the Panamera S and 4S models. Sure, the replacement twin-turbocharged three.0-liter V6 is each additional powerful and additional economical, however that high-revving V8 helped solidify the link between the Panamera and Porsche's sports automotive heritage. Happily, it lives on within the overstrung GTS model -- that is up ten HP to 440 -- however we'll miss its easy, melodic thrust on the opposite trims.
In any case, the 2014 Porsche Panamera could be a terribly special automotive. Of course, each flagship luxury sedan during this worth vary is pretty special, therefore you'd had best to sample the Audi A8 and S8, BMW seven Series, panther XJ and Mercedes-Benz S-Class moreover. however whether or not or not its updates were strictly necessary, the 2014 Panamera is beyond question another winner for Porsche, creating the company's strongest case nevertheless for executive-class dominance.
Body designs, Trim Levels, and choices
The 2014 Porsche Panamera could be a four-door, four-passenger sedan with a hatchback-style trunk. There are not any fewer than 9 trim levels: base, Panamera 4, S, 4S, S E-Hybrid, GTS, Turbo, and also the extended-wheelbase 4S govt and Turbo govt.
The base rear-wheel-drive Panamera is high-powered by a V6 and includes 18-inch wheels, auto-leveling bi-xenon headlights, crystal rectifier light and rear light accents, front and rear parking sensors, a sunroof, an influence rear liftgate, dual-zone automatic climate management, eight-way power front seats, a relaxing glovebox, partial animal skin upholstery and a 60/40-split rear seatback. conjointly normal area unit a four.8-inch driver data show, a navigation system with a center-mounted 7-inch show, Bluetooth associated an 11-speaker electronic equipment with a USB/iPod interface. The Panamera four differs solely in this it's all-wheel drive.
The Panamera S and all-wheel-drive 4S embrace all of the options found within the non-hybrid base V6 models and add accommodative headlights, a twin-turbocharged V6 and accommodative suspension dampers.
The plug-in Panamera S E-Hybrid adds associate accommodative air suspension (also normal on GTS, Turbo and each govt models), hybrid-specific gauges, the Porsche automotive Connect interface with numerous remote Hybrid functions via smartphone app, and Servotronic or "Power Steering Plus" speed-sensitive steering assist (optional on different Panameras).
The GTS boasts a naturally aspirated V8 together with several things shared with the Turbo, as well as crystal rectifier duct and exterior-mirror lights, 19-inch wheels, an influence tilt-and-telescoping steering column and a simulated suede star. The GTS is additionally the sole Panamera to receive a sport system, a sport wheel with paddle shifters, simulated suede/carbon-fiber cabin accents, and 18-way accommodative sport seats with memory functions as normal.
As its name suggests, the Panamera Turbo adds a turbocharged V8 together with keyless ignition/entry, 14-way power front seats with memory functions, distended driver memory functions, heated front and rear seats, a full animal skin interior, and a 14-speaker nuclear physicist surround-sound sound system with satellite and HD radio.
New for 2014, the 4S govt and Turbo govt provide all of the options of their smaller equivalents and a five.9-inch longer distance, a customary accommodative air suspension (it's nonobligatory on the regular 4S), thermally and noise-insulated glass, soft-close doors, heated and aerated front and rear seats, a rear interior lighting package, eight-way power rear seats, power rear and rear facet sunshades, and four-zone automatic climate management (optional on different Panameras).
In typical Porsche fashion, a prolonged and dear list of choices provides consumers with nearly endless customization choices, as well as accommodative control, lane-change assist, ceramic-composite brakes, Porsche Dynamic Chassis management (adaptive antiroll bars and a limited-slip rear differential), a heated wheel, a rear-seat recreation system, rearview and 360-degree surround-view cameras, voice management, a 16-speaker Burmester surround-sound sound system and a cold rear compartment that has 2 drinking glasses carved with the Porsche crest and brand.
The Sport Chrono package -- normal on GTS, nonobligatory on the remainder -- adds analog and digital stopwatches together with a "Sport Plus" driving mode with launch management. the game style package dresses up the Panamera's exterior with a special front connective tissue with wider intake grilles and facet skirts. you'll conjointly customise much each interior surface with animal skin, wood, metal, carbon fiber or paint.
Powertrains and Performance
The rear-wheel-drive base Porsche Panamera and all-wheel-drive Panamera four area unit high-powered by a three.6-liter V6 that produces 310 HP and 295 pound-feet of torsion. In Edmunds testing, associate earlier Panamera V6 with ten fewer HP accelerated from zero to sixty mph in five.8 seconds.
Like each non-hybrid Panamera, these entry-level V6 models feature a seven-speed dual-clutch machine-driven manual transmission referred to as PDK. Automatic stop-start practicality is normal to assist conserve fuel on all models moreover.
The rear-wheel-drive Porsche Panamera S and all-wheel-drive 4S get a replacement twin-turbocharged three.0-liter V6 for 2014. Rated at 420 HP and 384 lb-ft, this motor ought to be smart for 0-60 sprints within the mid-4-second vary, per Porsche, that is appreciate the outgoing V8-powered 4S.
The rear-wheel-drive GTS retains its four.8-liter V8 and gets a lift to 440 HP this year; the torsion rating of 384 lb-ft is unchanged. we have a tendency to ran the previous four30-hp GTS to sixty mph in mere 4.1 seconds.
The all-wheel-drive Panamera Turbo gets a twin-turbocharged version of constant V8 for a grand total of 520 HP (20 over last year) and 516 lb-ft of torsion. The nonobligatory Sport Chrono package quickly will increase most torsion to 568 lb-ft. Acceleration is supercar-grade, with sixty mph getable in well underneath four seconds. If you are looking for the Turbo S, it's on vacation this year. anticipate a comeback in 2015.
Finally, the rear-wheel-drive plug-in Panamera S E-Hybrid receives associate Audi-sourced supercharged three.0-liter V6 that is paired with a 95-hp motor for a combined most output of 416 HP and 435 lb-ft, up from 380/428 in last year's Hybrid. boast a far larger lithium-ion battery pack this year, the S E-Hybrid will travel associate calculable twenty miles on pure electrical power at hastens to eighty four mph, and a full recharge will be achieved in a pair of.5 hours on 240-volt current. the sole on the market transmission could be a typical eight-speed automatic with manual shift management. Porsche estimates a 0-60 sprint of five.2 seconds, that is roughly a half-second faster than the recent Hybrid.
Safety
Every 2014 Porsche Panamera comes normal with antilock brakes, stability management, front and rear facet airbags, facet curtain airbags and front knee airbags. Ceramic-composite brakes and a rearview camera (with or while not surround-view functionality) area unit on the market.
In Edmunds brake testing, the Panamera 4S and Turbo models with normal brakes stopped from sixty mph in 109 feet and 112 feet, severally. A GTS equipped with carbon-ceramic brakes stopped repeatedly in one hundred ten fade-free feet.
Interior style and Special options
From the driving force seat, there isn't any misunderstanding the Panamera for love or money however a Porsche. The measuring device is focused within the brand's trademark five-ring instrument cluster, flanked by the speed indicator, a multifunction show and supporting gauges. The cosy driver seat and high center console increase the sporting atmosphere. Notably, the most recent 911 and different Porsche merchandise share this console style, however the Panamera came 1st. Fancy that: a 911 taking cues from a four-door hatchback.
All four seats area unit similar in look and luxury, with integrated headrests and glorious support for each aggressive cornering and long-distance moving. the quality Panamera's rear quarters give enough space for tall adults, and also the seats will be fitted with choices to form them power-adjustable, heated and cooled. The stretched-wheelbase govt models, meanwhile, provide rear passengers enough space to cross their legs.
The hatchback-style trunk limits rear visibility, however it will enable normal Panameras to carry up to fifteen.7 three-dimensional feet behind the rear seats and forty four.6 cubes with the rear seatbacks collapsible flat. govt models offers slightly additional total merchandise capability, however the S E-Hybrid drops to eleven.8 and 40.7 cubes, severally. despite the model, the hatch gap could be a bit slim, and also the high merchandise bed isn't receptive to large things.
Driving Impressions
The 2014 Porsche Panamera is one in all the foremost partaking four-door cars we've ever driven, and that is particularly high praise providing the Panamera is as wide as a Mercedes S-Class. such a large amount of cars are aforementioned to "shrink around you at speed" over the years that the phrase has become virtually insignificant, however seriously, the Panamera may well be the definition of that phrase. We've driven a Panamera Turbo through corners at speeds that ought to have frightened America, and instead we have a tendency to felt as secure as we'd have in an exceedingly 911 Turbo.
It's the Panamera's twin temperament, though, that actually sets it apart. This issue is not just one in all the world's most capable performance cars -- it is also one in all the foremost refined and splendid govt sedans on the market. counting on the driving mode you decide on, the Panamera's character ranges from supple road cruiser ("Normal" mode) to track-day wiz ("Sport Plus" in models with the game Chrono package), with various choices in between. Even the S E-Hybrid could be a hero, remaining swish and nearly silent in electric-mode operation however capable of sturdy acceleration whenever the mood strikes.
