2021 Porsche Panamera - Excellent Sport Sedan!
- 2 years ago
Highs Refined road manners, powerful engines, practical body style.
Lows Typical Porsche price, frustrating touch-sensitive interior controls, hybrid braking system needs polish.
Verdict The luxury four-door for buyers who really want a Porsche 911 but need more practicality from their daily driver.
Overview
It has the look and the performance of a Porsche, but the 2021 Panamera has four doors and a roomy trunk, which help make its case as a daily driver. Its practicality doesn't tarnish its sporting character, though. It's nearly as agile and communicative as the brand's sports cars. Porsche offers the Panamera with a plethora of powertrain options, including a hybrid setup and a twin-turbo V-8. Cargo space is plentiful under the fastback's rear hatch, and the interior will accommodate four adults comfortably, especially the long-wheelbase Executive models. If you're interested in looking at the entire lineup of Panameras, note that we the top-of-the-line models bearing the iconic Turbo badge separately, same with the Sport Turismo station-wagon versions.
What's New for 2021?
Porsche has given the Panamera a light styling refresh for 2021, incorporating the previously optional SportDesign front fascia as standard across the lineup. The rear end gains an LED strip that runs the entire width of the car, and a new diffuser between the car's dual exhaust outlets provides a sportier appearance. Inside, all Panameras receive an updated steering wheel design with integrated shift paddles. Porsche says it tweaked the chassis slightly to improve ride quality and sharpen handling. New wheel designs and colors—Cherry Red Metallic and Truffle Brown Metallic—are also now offered. Also, lane-keeping assist and traffic-sign recognition can now be found on the standard-equipment list.
Porsche offers the 2021 Panamera in such a wide range of models and prices, your budget and needs should dictate which is best for you. There isn't a dud in the pack, including the base model, which churns out 325 horsepower and starts below $100,000. We're also huge fans of the Executive models, which feature a longer wheelbase and offer considerably more rear-seat legroom than the standard body. For our part, we feel the Panamera 4S strikes the best balance between performance and value, with its 440-hp twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6 and standard all-wheel-drive system. Porsche also offers an endless selection of options, but don't skip the adaptive air suspension, which improves the hatchback's ride and handling, or the Sport Chrono package. The latter adds a Sport Plus setting with launch control and dials up the response and performance of the Panamera's engine, transmission, and chassis.
Lows Typical Porsche price, frustrating touch-sensitive interior controls, hybrid braking system needs polish.
Verdict The luxury four-door for buyers who really want a Porsche 911 but need more practicality from their daily driver.
Overview
It has the look and the performance of a Porsche, but the 2021 Panamera has four doors and a roomy trunk, which help make its case as a daily driver. Its practicality doesn't tarnish its sporting character, though. It's nearly as agile and communicative as the brand's sports cars. Porsche offers the Panamera with a plethora of powertrain options, including a hybrid setup and a twin-turbo V-8. Cargo space is plentiful under the fastback's rear hatch, and the interior will accommodate four adults comfortably, especially the long-wheelbase Executive models. If you're interested in looking at the entire lineup of Panameras, note that we the top-of-the-line models bearing the iconic Turbo badge separately, same with the Sport Turismo station-wagon versions.
What's New for 2021?
Porsche has given the Panamera a light styling refresh for 2021, incorporating the previously optional SportDesign front fascia as standard across the lineup. The rear end gains an LED strip that runs the entire width of the car, and a new diffuser between the car's dual exhaust outlets provides a sportier appearance. Inside, all Panameras receive an updated steering wheel design with integrated shift paddles. Porsche says it tweaked the chassis slightly to improve ride quality and sharpen handling. New wheel designs and colors—Cherry Red Metallic and Truffle Brown Metallic—are also now offered. Also, lane-keeping assist and traffic-sign recognition can now be found on the standard-equipment list.
Porsche offers the 2021 Panamera in such a wide range of models and prices, your budget and needs should dictate which is best for you. There isn't a dud in the pack, including the base model, which churns out 325 horsepower and starts below $100,000. We're also huge fans of the Executive models, which feature a longer wheelbase and offer considerably more rear-seat legroom than the standard body. For our part, we feel the Panamera 4S strikes the best balance between performance and value, with its 440-hp twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6 and standard all-wheel-drive system. Porsche also offers an endless selection of options, but don't skip the adaptive air suspension, which improves the hatchback's ride and handling, or the Sport Chrono package. The latter adds a Sport Plus setting with launch control and dials up the response and performance of the Panamera's engine, transmission, and chassis.