2013 Porsche Panamera S

The Panamera carries over essentially unchanged for 2013 after adding Turbo S and S Hybrid models for 2012. Porsche did hint at a future variant at the Paris motor show, where it unveiled the Panamera Sport Turismo plug-in hybrid.

A four-door sedan with a hatchback-style trunk, the 2013 Porsche Panamera is a stylish and sporty vehicle on the outside. The Panamera is long and lean, with muscular curves at the rear. A distinctive and aggressive style, its unique design is sure to attract attention wherever it is driven. The larger rear design is actually functional as it allows passengers to climb in and out of the back seats with more ease. Longer than competing midsize sedans, the Panamera comes in just short of a full-size vehicle, and as it is made of lightweight materials it comes in a bit lighter than its midsize rivals. A hidden active rear spoiler sits under a chrome strip and comes up at speed to reduce rear downforce. The sporty Porsche design is inherit in the Panamera, though it can serve well as a practical family sedan. Five spoke, 18-inch wheels comes standard, as well as automatic xenon headlights, rear parking sensors, LED daytime running lights, a power rear hatch, a sunroof, and auto-dimming mirrors. Various trim levels include different standard equipment. The Panamera S adds adaptive headlights, and the GTS and Turbo include 19-inch wheels. The Turbo S comes equipped with 20-inch wheels. A large range of body colors is available for the Porsche Panamera, including such exotic choices as Carmine Red Metallic, Luxor Beige Metallic, and Crystal Green Metallic.

Inside, the cabin of the Panamera is laid out very much like the Porsche 911, with a multitude of controls that are intuitively places throughout. Lacking a simple centralized control system, the functions can seem a bit daunting at first, though their logical layout is actually quite easy to adapt to. The angle of the rear window, as well as the large pillars, makes rearward visibility a bit of a challenge, however. Seating is comfortable everywhere, with plenty of support to accommodate long drives well. Rear seats are easily able to accommodate tall passengers, and plenty of comfort options are available to spruce them up, such as power adjustments and heated seats. The trunk can fit up to 15.7 cubic feet of cargo, and with the rear seats folded down flat cargo space goes up to 44.6 cubic feet. The hybrid version of the Panamera has a little less space, having 11.8 cubic feet in the trunk and 40.7 cubic feet with the seats folded down. The base Panamera gets high quality materials throughout the cabin, with surfaces that are soft to the touch. The V6 and S trims come standard with three partial leather upholstery choices, while the Turbo gets full-leather upholstery in a choice of five colors or four two-tone blends. Trim available for the interior includes carbon, aluminum, or five genuine wood options.

The 2013 Porsche Panamera includes all the basic safety features that would be expected such as four-wheel, anti-lock brakes, stability and traction control, front and rear side airbags, side curtain airbags, and front knee airbags. For an added measure of security, a remote anti-theft alarm system is included standard as well. Optional safety accessories include ceramic brakes, a blind spot warning system, and a rearview camera. The rearview camera is recommended due to the limited view out the rear of the vehicle. In brake testing, the Panamera 4S and Turbo came to a stop from 60 miles per hour in 109 feet and 112 feet, respectively. The hybrid comes to a stop at 112 feet. All these figures are impressive.

A luxurious vehicle, the 2013 Porsche Panamera offers the top performance that would be expected of a car in its class. Several driving modes are featured which acclimate to various driving conditions. The Normal mode is great for leisurely drives, while engaging the Sport mode enhances the driving experience, delivering a better throttle response, a firmer suspension, and more. Steering is accurate and its handling is as good as a smaller sports car. Capable of a sporty, high-end performance with great speeds no matter which engine is equipped, the Panamera is also quite adept at handling city traffic and more modest driving conditions just as well. The base trim and the 4 feature a 3.6-liter, six-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. With this engine, the Panamera can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in a mere 5.8 seconds. The Panamera efficiently cuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop and restarts it automatically when it is time to go. This feature sweetens its fuel economy, getting 18/27 mpg city/highway and 21 mpg combined for the base trim, and 18/26 mpg city/highway and 21 mpg combined for the Panamera 4. The S and 4S get a 4.8-liter, eight-cylinder engine that makes 400 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Zero to 60 miles per hour is accomplished in a cool 4.6 seconds. Estimated fuel economy stands at 16/24 mpg city/highway and 19 mpg combined. The GTS comes equipped with a 4.8-liter, eight-cylinder that makes a whopping 430 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy is roughly the same as the previous engine, and it goes from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 4.1 seconds. At the top of the heap is a 500 horsepower twin-turbocharged version of the eight-cylinder engine that makes 516 lb-ft of torque in the Turbo and the Turbo S manages 550 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Zero to 60 miles per hour comes in at a phenomenal 3.7 seconds, though fuel economy suffers a bit at 15/23 mpg city/highway and 18 mpg combined. Finally, the hybrid version of the vehicle gets 380 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque from its engine combination, and gets to 60 miles per hour in a still good 5.2 seconds. Most favorable is its fuel economy, getting 22/30 mpg city/highway and 25 mpg combined.

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