The new Porsche Panamera is arriving in South Africa in the first quarter of 2024 with three models available starting at R2,216,000.
Now in its third generation, the luxury performance sedan strikes a sportier appearance than ever before and offers even more powerful drive systems.
At launch, the range will consist of the Panamera, Panamera 4, and Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid. Considering the current generation is available in 12 individual flavours, more variants of the next-gen Porsche are expected to follow in due course.
Everything new
The next-gen Panamera boasts an evolutionary rather than revolutionary appearance, achieved through the addition of new front and rear bumpers, another air intake above the front number plate, and a redesigned window line that sees the outer edges of the rear windows now sitting flush with the contour of the body to create a more harmonious flow of lines from the nose to the hind quarters.
The flagship E-Hybrid specimens have further received a new front apron in body colour and a rear apron with painted diffuser panels, enhanced with chrome-plated tailpipes in dark bronze as well as a model-exclusive “Turbonite” paint that is applied to both the outer shell and the cabin.
The sedan still retains its characteristic lines and proportions, now occupying a footprint of 5,052mm in length, 1,937mm in width, and 1,423mm in height.
Inside the four-door is where the most changes took place, as it receives the new Porsche Driver Experience cockpit that achieves the “ideal balance between digital and analogue control elements” and emphasises driver authority with the placement of important instruments in close proximity of the pilot seat.
The gear lever is directly to the right of the steering wheel, the control stalks for the assistance functions are behind the wheel, and the drive mode switch for Normal, Sport, and Sport Plus driving programmes are on the wheel itself, reducing the need for the driver to take their focus away from the road ahead.
The cockpit is completed with a curved 12.6-inch digital driver’s display alongside a central infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Other standard features include Matrix LED headlights, active speed assistant with traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control with active lane guidance and junction assist, and a swerve assistant.
Thanks to an update to the automatic parking ability, the driver now no longer has to be in the car as the parking process can be monitored from a smartphone with the new Remote ParkAssist function, although they are still responsible for the manoeuvre.
On the options list, customers will find a 10.9-inch front passenger display, leather-free equipment, centre-lock wheels, and high-resolution HD Matrix LED lighting.
For the launch line-up, the powertrains have been reduced to three options in the new Porsche.
The Panamera and Panamera 4 continue to employ a turbocharged 2.9-litre, V6 petrol motor that benefits from modifications to boost pressure, fuel injection flow rate, and ignition timing to bring heightened performance levels when compared to the outgoing sedan.
The base model rotates the rear wheels through a redesigned eight-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission, while the mid-ranger turns both axles.
The Turbo E-Hybrid, meanwhile, utilises a revised 4.0-litre, V8, turbo-petrol plant that is married with a newly-developed 140kW electric motor integrated into the gearbox housing.
This packaging saves around 5kg when compared to building the e-motor into its own casing, and optimises the heat balance of the electric drive unit which in turn allows higher continuous output.
Additionally, the battery in the Turbo E-Hybrid now has a 25.9kWh capacity, allowing an electric driving range of up to 91 kilometres. A new 11kW on-board AC charger also shortens the charging time to two hours and 39 minutes.
The specifications of the Panamera drivelines are as follows:
| Specification | Panamera | Panamera 4 | Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output | 260kW/500Nm | 260kW/500Nm | 500kW/930Nm |
| 0-100km/h | 5.1 seconds | 4.8 seconds | 3.2 seconds |
| Top speed | 272km/h | 270km/h | 315km/h |
| Fuel consumption | 9.6-10.5l/100km | 10.1-11.2l/100km | 1.2-1.7l/100km |
Each new Panamera comes with the dual-chamber, two-valve air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management software as standard, which separates the rebound and compression stages of the damper and therefore achieves a wide range between between comfort and sportiness.
Available as options to further enhance the Porsche’s sporting character are all-wheel steering for all variants, as well as the Active Ride active suspension system which is exclusively reserved for buyers of the range-topping E-Hybrid.
The Active Ride suspension provides several settings, allowing it to change its personality depending on the driving situation.
In the right mode, it can lean the body into corners like a “motorcycle would” and pull the nose down when accelerating and the tail when decelerating. When stationary, the dampers also lift the body to a comfortable entry or exit height.
“This system surpasses other suspension concepts in all relevant parameters and offers an unprecedented range between driving comfort and driving dynamics,” said Porsche.
Price
The South African pricing and model line-up for the new Porsche Panamera are as follows:
- Porsche Panamera – R2,216,000
- Porsche Panamera 4 – R2,292,000
- Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid – R4,127,000
Each purchase includes a 5-year/100,000km Driveplan.
Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid
Porsche Panamera 4
Keyword: New Porsche Panamera revealed – South African pricing and launch date