2013 Porsche Panamera review, test drive

But when you show this big Porsche a winding road, it simply blows your mind. Once the dampers and the engine is set in sport mode, the Panamera demonstrates an eagerness for corners that you would never expect from a car of this size and weight. Body control is exceptional and the adaptive dampers are great at reacting to mid corner bumps. It all but eliminates roll, pitch and dive, and delivers nimble handling. The chassis is remarkably neutral and the steering impresses because it makes it so easy to accurately place this big, wide car on the road.

Despite its handling prowess, the ride is very forgiving. The ride is very supple in Comfort mode and even sharp ridges and most other undulations are dealt with smoothly. But the Comfort setting is a bit too soft for highway driving and it tends to get a bit floaty. You can eliminate that by shifting to the medium-hard damper setting and the ride becomes extremely flat and consistent. The suspension works silently too and the Porsche Panamera is rarely caught off guard. The high profile tyres help the ride too. But what counts against the Panamera is that it doesn’t offer a spare tyre or runflats. And of course, the ground clearance is quite low (there is a raise function for the suspension but even with the car raised, larger speedbreakers catch it out).

There are very minor changes to the new Panamera’s cabin and, apart from the small windows, there’s little to complain about. Its cockpit-like design, truly exceptional quality and supremely comfortable seats make it feel special. The low slung nature of the car means getting in and out is not the easiest. But once inside, the front seats are supremely comfortable and passengers in the back will be very comfortable too. However, the Panamera’s 445-litre boot can’t hold much and you'd be well advised to travel light. The new Panamera comes with a host of features as standard equipment, including an electric sun roof, Porsche Communication Management plus Navigation system, Bose sound system and park assist with reversing camera.

The biggest hurdle then is the price. At Rs 1.23 crores, it simply doesn’t make sense. If you want the Porsche badge, the Cayenne is a cheaper option. You want a low slung stylish four door saloon, the vastly cheaper and more powerful BMW Gran Coupe is easier on the eyes. You want a high performance saloon, the Panamera Turbo with its nearly Rs 2-crore price tag makes a BMW M5 or a Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG look like bargains.

So, while the Panamera is a beautifully engineered, brilliantly resolved car, it just doesn’t make economic sense and that’s a shame. You really need to want one to buy one.