New Porsche Panamera Coming Soon: Specs, price and release info

It might seem strange Porsche still sells a hybrid four-seater when the Porsche Taycan seems to fill a similar role with pure electric power but the Panamera is still an important model for the brand and sells in similar numbers. Bigger, more luxurious and limo-like it can leave the Taycan to do the sporty EV thing while offering a distinctively Porsche alternative to limos like the Mercedes S-Class and Bentley Flying Spur. Hence confirmation of a new version, with upgraded hybrid power for the top model, sharper styling, more tech and some very innovative engineering geared towards making it ride even more comfortably than ever.
• A luxury limo with Porsche’s sporting DNA at its core the Panamera remains an important part of the brand’s line-up • Innovative new suspension system promises class-leading comfort combined with suitably sporty handling • Uprated Turbo E-Hybrid has a much bigger battery so can go a lot further (and faster) on electric power alone • Turbo E-Hybrid stays at 680 horsepower but with improvements to petrol V8 at its core and a more powerful electric motor; petrol-only V6 engines for Panamera and Panamera 4 get more power and improved performance • The new Panamera is ready to order right now! • Bottom line price starts at just shy of £80,000, with the Turbo E-Hybrid topping £140,000 but clawing back money in running cost terms

Porsche is saying this is a new Panamera but it looks more like an update of the existing one to see it out to the full electric switchover. As such the basic shape is familiar, the front end getting squarer headlights, an additional vent above the numberplate and tweaks to the windowline. The real substance is under the skin, with an incredibly sophisticated sounding air suspension system standard on all models. Short version? It aims to isolate you even more from what’s going under the tyres, with particular focus on sharp transverse ridges like expansion joints on the motorway. A test run along the elevated section of the M6 past Birmingham beckons to test that theory! At launch there’s a big step up in performance and price from the petrol engine Panamera and Panamera 4 and into the Turbo E-Hybrid, the latter getting the option of an even fancier Active Ride suspension system that can ‘over compensate’ for the forces on the car during acceleration, braking and cornering. So, when you nail it off the line instead of squatting onto its rear wheels it will actually go nose down, while in corners the suspension can actually lean into the turn like a motorcyclist. Which sounds interesting.

Compare images of the new interior against the old one and the similarities in layout look obvious enough. But the tech powering it all is new, and Porsche promises greater integration between the ‘user’ (not ‘driver’, we note!), their ‘digital ecosystem’ and the car’s connected features that run through the central screen. Which, in plain language, likely means coordination of your various accounts for social media, music, diary and communications across home, computer and phone handset so the car is fully integrated into your digital life as well as a means of transport.

The V6 petrol engines in the Panamera and Panamera 4 get traditional mechanical upgrades to things like turbo boost to the usual ends of improved efficiency and performance. The more significant changes come for the Turbo E-Hybrid, which more than doubles the size of its battery to increase the range on electric power to over 50 miles. Meaning more time cruising with the petrol engine off, but safe in the knowledge when you do need it you still have a sporting limo capable of nearly 200mph where conditions allow.

The new Panamera is already on sale, with prices starting at just under £80,000. Though, knowing Porsche, you’re unlikely to escape the configurator without adding a few thousand more from the many and various options! The Panamera 4 isn’t that much more and gets off the line quicker thanks to its all-wheel drive system, while the Turbo E-Hybrid is much more expensive and starts at over £140,000. For comparison the Taycan range starts at about the same, the flagship Turbo S model costing just shy of £150,000 but offering a mighty 761 horsepower.

While the new Panamera is effectively a wide-ranging update of the current one the real excitement is for the all-new Macan, this next generation of Porsche’s hugely popular mid-size SUV going all-electric with early feedback suggesting it’s an absolute blast to drive.

While the new BMW 7 Series has its electric only i7 there are also combustion engine and hybrid models available, and in markets where these are still popular the updates should keep the Panamera competitive. See also the latest Mercedes S-Class and the plug-in hybrid version of the Bentley Flying Spur.