The Porsche Panamera competes with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series on size, price, and luxury. However, it takes just one turn of the wheel to learn that it is something very different. No S-Class or even a sportier 7-Series dives into a corner like this. The Panamera may be big, but the Porsche DNA is unmistakable.
The Turbo S represents the zenith of the Panamera range and indeed the top of luxury sedan performance. I spent a week with the 620-hp luxo-cruiser and learned where it hits and where it misses.
2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
Hit: Handling like no other
The Panamera Turbo S comes with the full suite of performance hardware. It features a standard air suspension with adaptive dampers tuned for a wide delta between comfort and sportiness. It also comes standard with rear-axle steering, active anti-roll bars, mechanical torque vectoring on the rear axle, carbon-ceramic brakes, and 21-inch wheels on wide, staggered tires.
That’s some serious performance equipment and it shows. Even in suburban driving, the quickness of the steering and the bite of the front end as it carves corners makes it feel far more like a sports car than a full-size luxury sedan. The springs and active anti-roll bars limit body lean like a smaller sport sedan; the tires provide excellent traction to take turns at speeds no full-size sedan can match; and the rear-axle steering makes this big hatchback feel a size class smaller.
All this performance equipment gives the big Panamera Turbo S real track capability and makes it a rival more for a BMW M5 or Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 4-Door Coupe than a 7-Series or S-Class.
2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
Hit: It’s comfortable, too
Such extreme performance features are usually accompanied by a stiff, punishing ride. That’s not the case here. The softer settings for the adaptive dampers give the Panamera Turbo S a firm but always comfortable ride. The tires don’t pound over even sharper bumps. The road feel it conveys means it will never coddle passengers like the S-Class, but many drivers would rather have that feel than the disconnected cocoon-like isolation of the S-Class.
2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
Miss: Good, not great interior
The Panamera’s cabin combines luxury, tech, and sporty elements quite well. I especially like the sporty elements, which start with the small-diameter steering wheel from the 911 and extend to a prominent dead pedal and sport seats that hug drivers to keep them stable during the hard cornering this big fastback encourages. The steering wheel is new, as are a Porsche Design digital and analog clock with the Sport Chrono package, a volume scroll wheel instead of buttons (thank goodness), and newly available wireless smartphone charging. The infotainment system, which comes with a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen, also gets improved resolution, standard wireless Apple CarPlay, and a more powerful CPU.
Despite all these upgrades, the Panamera’s cabin just can’t match the opulence, design flair, and advanced technology of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The cabin tends toward a monotone look, and while different color leathers are available, the Porsche comes off as more sterile than the warm and inviting S-Class, with its available open-pore wood, diamond-stitched leather, and headrest pillows. The S-Class’s infotainment system also has more functionality and tech tricks, with available augmented reality overlays and a 3D instrument cluster view.
2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
Hit: The power, my god, the power
The Turbo S is a new model for 2021 and at 620 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque, its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 makes 70 more hp and 37 more lb-ft of torque than the previous line topper, the Turbo S E-Hybrid. To squeeze more power from the engine, Porsche engineers used new fuel injectors, and optimized the turbos with a new turbine layout and a larger compressor wheel (61 vs 60 mm) with a modified blade design. They also beefed up the crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, timing chain drive, and torsional vibration dampers. A new front fascia with larger air intakes helps cool it all down.
Those changes cut the 0-60 mph time by 0.3 second to 2.9 seconds and pushed the top speed to 196 mph, according to Porsche. According to my quivering innards, it lays down a warhammer wallop of power when provoked thanks also to standard all-wheel drive and sticky 275/35ZR21 front and 325/30ZR21 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires. Sport+ mode gives the V-8 and its 8-speed dual-clutch transmission an itchy trigger finger, but drive it in Comfort mode and the Panamera Turbo S is happy to cruise at legal speeds among the mere mortal vehicles that surround it.
2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
Miss: The price, my god, the price
The 2021 Panamera Turbo S starts at a lofty $179,050 and my tester clocked in just under $200K at $199,480, which represents a modicum of restraint for a Porsche. Options included the $3,270 Amethyst Metallic paint, the $3,860 sport exhaust system, $1,000 worth of carbon-fiber interior trim, $2,250 for adaptive cruise control (it’s not standard for $$180K?!), $1,550 for 18-way power-adjustable sport seats, and the $4,190 Premium Plus package with four-zone automatic climate control, ambient lighting, soft-close doors, and blind-spot monitors (see adaptive cruise control).
If you want the fastest, best-handling big sedan on the market, you’re going to pay dearly, and the options will only add to the otherworldly price.
The Panamera is a compelling alternative to the full-size luxo-cruiser. In fact, it’s not so much a cruiser as a big GT that encourages driving pleasure just as much or more than passenger comfort. The Turbo S stands as the ultimate expression of that ethos, with supercar acceleration to go with its sport sedan handling. Other than its supercar price, it’s the best of all automotive worlds.
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2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S
Base price: $179,050, including destination
Price as tested: $199,480
Powertrain: 620-hp 6.4-liter V-8, 8-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
EPA fuel economy: 15/21/17 mpg
The hits: The handling, the power, the comfort
The misses: The interior, the price, gas mileage
