2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S First Test: Hide Your Corvettes

porsche panamera Full Overview

Pros

• So fast
• Fantastic handling
• Quite comfortable

 

Cons

• Can feel wide
• Expensive

There was a time when buyers looking for a fast, spacious, and luxurious car would need three separate vehicles: a fast one, a luxurious one, and a spacious one. Like, say, a Porsche 911, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and a Subaru Outback. Somewhere along the way, automakers figured out how to combine all the above in one mindbendingly capable package, and the latest Porsche Panamera Turbo S is one of the best such vehicles.

Meet the New Panamera Turbo S

Our Porsche Panamera Turbo S test car sports a familiar face but is part of the updated-for-2021 Panamera lineup (and it’s worth pointing out, is functionally identical to the 2022 Panamera Turbo S). You can get a full rundown of the changes Porsche made to the 2021 Panamera in our in our First Drive, but here’s the CliffsNotes version: Panamera customers wanted a car that slotted between the 550-hp Panamera Turbo and the (now) 690-hp Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid plug-in. So Porsche dropped the Panamera Turbo and brought back the Panamera Turbo S. It sports a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 churning out 620 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque. All that power is routed through Porsche’s quick-shifting PDK eight-speed dual-clutch automatic and to a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system. Other standard features include mildly revised styling, four-wheel steering, an electronic adaptive air suspension, a 48-volt active anti-roll bar, and massive carbon-ceramic brakes.

How Fast Is It?

The end result is that the Porsche Panamera Turbo S is one of the fastest four-doors we’ve ever tested, and among the quicker new gasoline-powered vehicles on the road. Aided by launch control, it ripped from 0-60 mph in just 2.6 seconds and pounded through the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds at 126.0 mph. That’s significantly quicker than its direct gas-powered competitors; the Mercedes-AMG GT63 4-Door, for instance, hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and ran through the quarter in 11.6 seconds at 118.3 mph. We haven’t tested the four-door BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe yet, but we have tested the lighter, leaner two-door coupe. It’s still slower than the Porsche, needing 3.3 seconds to hit 60 mph and 11.4 seconds to get through the quarter mile at 124.6 mph.

The 2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S can dance, too. It zipped around our figure-eight course in just 22.9 seconds at a 0.90-g average, and it stopped from 60 mph in just 100 feet. That’s not only better than its AMG or BMW rivals, but as a point of comparison, it bests or matches even dedicated performance two-doors like the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (24.1 seconds at 0.85 g around the figure eight, and 60-0 mph in 100 feet) or our long-term Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 (23.4 seconds at 0.86 g on the figure eight, and a 99-foot 60-0 mph stop).

Real World, Real Roads

The 2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S is just as good in the real world as it is at the test track. Big executive sedans aren’t the first thing to come to mind when we think “driver’s car,” but there’s something special about this Panamera Turbo S. Sure, it looks large and stately curbside—sort of like a four-door 911—but the second you hop into its roomy, well-appointed cabin and start driving, it shrinks around you. It drives so impressively small, pivoting right around your hips like a good sports car does, the four-wheel-steering and torque-vectoring systems working hand in hand to get the big 4,694-pound car rotated and around the bend. While the Panamera can feel a bit wide on a narrow road that’s better exploited by a smaller sports car, it still feels light, direct, and quick to change direction. The Panamera’s steering likely has something to do with this, as feel and feedback from the 7/8ths sized helm is light, linear, and perfectly weighted.

The Porsche’s powertrain is also stellar. Though perhaps not as full of character as a Hellcat or Voodoo V-8 (or even Porsche’s GT-spec naturally-aspirated flat-six), it’s a great high-performance engine. Its broad torque curve is particularly impressive; it delivers tons of linear low-end grunt, and you’re rewarded for staying in the throttle by a warp-speed like surge once the twin turbos spool up north of 1,500 rpm. At this point we’re tired of coming up with new ways to say nice things about Porsche’s PDK transmission, but credit where credit is due as it continues to be among the best (if not the best) dual-clutch transmissions in the biz. Shifts are effortlessly quick, it’s always in the right gear before you think you need it, and it doesn’t stutter at low city speeds like lesser systems.

I’m Sold. How Much Does It Cost?

Even being charitable and assuming the 2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S is going to take the place of three cars, there’s no denying it’s an expensive proposition. Our test car started at $179,050, and was further well-equipped, stickering for $201,200. Prices have increased somewhat for the 2022 Panamera Turbo S; the base price is now $181,150, and an equivalently equipped car would cost $201,200.

It’s a big-ticket item, but the new Porsche Panamera Turbo S is a singular experience among big four-door luxury cars—and even among smaller cars. Simply put, only the latest and greatest super sports cars have any hopes of besting this big, comfy, luxurious four-door at the track or on a good back road. If you look at it in that context, you might even call it a bargain.

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