3rd Generation Porsche Panamera Is A Minor Redesign With Major Upgrades
The Porsche Panamera in its 3rd generation looks like a facelift but is all-new.
The Porsche Panamera has been around since 2009 and is now finally in its 3rd generation. With the 2024 Porsche Panamera, overall silhouette of the 2nd generation has been retained, but the body panels and bumpers have all gone through restyling.
In fact, the proportions have mostly stayed unchanged and you would not be remiss in thinking that it’s a mere facelift. Porsche insists that this is a third generation chassis though with enough mechanical, design and equipment upgrades to be considered “all-new”.
With the latest Porsche Panamera, the key highlights are the new Porsche Active Ride suspension system, a fully-digital Porsche Communication Management system for the cockpit, and more hybrid powertrain options to go along with the new look.
Cutting Edge Suspension
The latest Panamera comes standard with a dual-chamber, two-valve air suspension featuring Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). This advanced system separates the rebound and compression stages of damper control, providing an extensive range between comfort and sportiness. It effectively mitigates impacts from transverse joints and road irregularities while enhancing body stability in dynamic driving scenarios. Optional all-wheel steering further refines the car’s handling.
For E-Hybrid models, an optional Porsche Active Ride active suspension system is available, surpassing other concepts in key parameters. This system incorporates newly developed active shock absorbers with two-valve technology, each linked to an electrically operated hydraulic pump. This setup enables rapid, precise, and targeted adjustments to forces between the body and wheels, effectively counteracting road-induced forces. Complementing this technology is a weight-saving single-chamber air suspension system.
Revised Engines, More Hybrid Options
In response to the growing demand for hybrid powertrains, Porsche offers a range of four efficient E-Hybrid configurations for the new Panamera. All E-Hybrid variants deliver enhanced performance, extended range, and improved efficiency. The Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid is available right from the market launch, featuring a redesigned four-liter V8 turbo engine at its core. The newly developed electric motor contributes 140 kW (190 PS), resulting in a combined system output of 500 kW (680 PS) and an impressive system torque of 930 Nm.
Porsche innovatively integrates the electric motor into the redesigned eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission, eliminating the need for a separate E-motor housing and saving approximately five kilograms. This integration, coupled with incorporating the unit into the transmission’s oil circuit, optimizes the heat balance of the electric drive unit, allowing for higher continuous output from the electric motor.
The Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds, reaching a top speed of 315 km/h. The battery capacity has been increased to 25.9 kWh, providing an electric range of up to 91 kilometers in the combined WLTP cycle or 83-93 km in the city cycle. Thanks to a new 11 kW on-board AC charger, the charging time at compatible charging points is reduced to 2 hours and 39 minutes.
The launch lineup also includes the Panamera and Panamera 4 variants. Upgrades to boost pressure, fuel injection flow rate, and ignition timing enhance the performance of the 2.9-liter V6 turbo engine, resulting in an output of 260 kW (353 PS) and 500 Nm of torque—increases of 17 kW (23 PS) and 50 Nm compared to the previous model. This refinement enables the Panamera to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, with a top speed of 272 km/h, while the all-wheel-drive Panamera 4 achieves the same sprint in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 270 km/h.
A More Digital Cockpit Experience
The new Porsche Panamera features a more digital cockpit which can be personalised with a Porsche ID. Just scan a QR code and log in. Integration of vehicle functions from the MyPorsche app into Apple CarPlay makes the experience quite unique.
A 10.9″ passenger display is also available and this screen can stream movies while the car is in motion, though the driver is unable to view it from his/her position. There are still some analogue control elements such as the gear selector lever on the right side of the steering wheel and the drive mode switch.
The new generation model comes with Matrix LED headlights as standard and a high-res HD Matrix LED headlight system with dedicated lane brightening is optional. There are new driver assistant systems such as traffic sign recognition that works with active speed assistance. The Porsche Panamera can also park itself without the driver having to be in the car over smartphone.
About the Author
Subhash Nair Written work on dsf.my. @subhashtag on instagram. Autophiles Malaysia on Youtube.
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