AutoMadame: Porsche Panamera

So yesterday I had the pleasure of getting a drive through the Sperrin Mountains in the beautiful Porsche Panamera Diesel. A few years ago when I first read of the Panamera, I held reservations about its design. In truth, I held reservations about the entire conception. A 911 with four doors, what? A Cayenne, but lowered? Surely not. Well actually, yes. And it does work.

The Panamera is a unique car in that it doesn't fit easily into a particular car segment. It competes with BMWs, Mercedes, Audis etc but when the Panamera is lined up with the S-Classes, 7 Series and A7 Sportbacks, it is the Panamera that draws the most attention. The Panamera which could easily compete with a 7 Series for comfort or a M5 for speed, stands out because it carries with it Porsche's trademark styling and desirability. Unfortunately for the M5 driver, at the end of the day, his car is just a faster, specced up 5-Series. The Panamera can safely hold its own without looking like every other car on the road.

When I arrived at Oliver Corey Garages https://www.facebook.com/OliverCoreyGarages for the drive, I didn't quite know what to expect. I knew that I would be getting a drive in a Porsche that I wasn't very familiar with, however I did not expect for the Panamera to be love at first sight. First impressions of the car have to be its sheer size. The Panamera is indeed a bigger 911 and a lower Cayenne. It maintains Porsche's classic styling, but with a extended wheel base - making room for those extra two doors and about two foot of leg room in the rear cabin. However bearing this in mind, the car is graceful, but poised - ready to accelerate down a beautiful country road or float about town.

Another interesting feature of the Panamera is the height adjustment, the sport mode and alas, the sport plus mode. All three features adjust the height of the car and the sport and sport plus mode obviously adjust accordingly. As you can see from the photograph above, the car is at its lowest height, with barely any room for movement between the tyre and the wheel arch. At this height, any rolling the car may experience at high speeds is reduced and the bumps becomes more noticeable. However, because the Panemara is a car designed for comfort and speed, when it is raised (by about 2 inches) the drive is smooth and bump free.

What else is different about this car? Did I mention it is a diesel? In case you didn't know, Porsche did not build diesel cars until last year so this is a big thing for the company. Yes, it is actually a 3.0 litre Audi engine that Porsche have borrowed from her sister company, however this is still a big risk. When you think of Porsche, diesel is not the first word that comes to mind. Maybe this will change as the company move towards more environmentally conscious alternatives for their cars, which are performance based at the end of the day. Nevertheless, with an average speed of nearly 46 mph over a 25 mile drive, the car combined 37 mpg, not shabby at all for a 5 meter vehicle complete with every imaginable bell and whistle.

In terms of the interior, the Panamera goes all out - above and beyond what any 911 could hope to look and feel like. Take a look at the interior shots, the front cabin is all about the centre console - control the height of your car, the heat in the seats, your climate control and play with the professional satellite navigation which boasts ordinance survey quality maps and layered images of the hills you drive through.

The rear cabin is nothing short of first class luxury - this is what I imagine first class air travel to be like. Leather bucket style seats that hug you in, a large arm rest with my own cigarette lighter, drinks holder, a compartment to stash all my nic-nacs and enough room for me to stretch out my legs. The stuff of dreams. The attention to detail on this particular model is second to none, which can be seen with the Porsche logo embossed on all the seats complete with matching stitching.

What else? Well for the speed 'conscious' driver, the car is kind enough to warn you when you drive over 35 mph in a 30 mph zone (a benefit of the satellite navigation). Additionally, you can add your own warnings at various speeds, to keep you in check. Also, when you go over 60 mph, the rear spoiler rises to aid aerodynamics at high speeds. While the car will help you keep your penalty points to a minimum with its in-built warnings, it paradoxically helps the car perform better with improved aerodynamics at faster speeds. Well, it wouldn't be a Porsche if it didn't do this, would it?

In short, this is one super comfortable car that will handle high speeds around hair-pins while doing it at about 40 mpg - quite an achievement. Why would anyone want the turbo version, except for the sound of that gurgling engine? The Panamera Diesel does all of the same and then some - it saves you about thirty grand off the initial cost and it will take you from A to B in style and luxury. All in all, a fantastic car and a brilliant drive through the Sperrins.

Thank you so much to Dean Corey, who kindly took me out for a drive in his car. If you like Dean's page on Facebook, you can see more of his photographs (which he generously let me use for this blog as yesterday was too wet for good photographs) and amazing car experiences.
https://www.facebook.com/OliverCoreyGarages

Here are a few more photos to flick through, enjoy!