2024 Porsche Panamera launched with new tech and up to 680PS

At launch, and available to order now, the new Panamera range is split into three. You have the standard two-wheel-drive Panamera, the four-wheel-drive Panamera 4 and the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid.

As is to be expected, the new Panamera uses all the latest chassis and suspension developments coming out of the Porsche design lab. Porsche’s Active Suspension Management (PASM) is a standard feature, but it’s supplemented by two-valve air suspension said to ensure a sweet spot between comfort and dynamism, ironing out the road but also maintaining stability.

E-Hybrid models benefit further from Porsche Active Ride suspension which incorporates active shock absorbers to offer greater accuracy and precision to the damping. The system can also work to reduce the forces put onto the driver during heavy acceleration or braking by reducing body roll forwards and backwards and even leaning the car into corners.

The powertrains have all seen work, too. The Turbo E-Hybrid houses a 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 engine combined with a 190PS (140kW) electric motor to produce a total output of 680PS (500kW), torque peaks at 930Nm (686lb ft). The motor has been integrated into the casing of the eight-speed PDK transmission, which makes for a weight saving of around 5kg but also helps to improve performance.

Lower down the pecking order, the non-hybrid models are propelled by a revised 2.9-litre turbocharged V6 producing 353PS (260kW) and 500Nm (369lb ft) of torque for modest improvements of 23PS and 50Nm compared to the previous-gen. In Turbo E-Hybrid form, the new Panamera sprints from 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds on the way to a 196mph top speed. The Panamera 4 makes it in 4.8 seconds with a top speed of 168mph, the standard two-wheel-drive model hits 62mpg in 5.1 seconds, maxing out at 169mph.

In terms of styling, this is a little more difficult to explain. It’s the same, but different, a philosophy that has done Porsche so well for the past 75 years. There have been tweaks, there’s a new air-intake above the number plate for improved cooling, an updated LED signature and the side windows have been reprofiled. It’s also 3mm longer, can’t you tell? Turbo models get a few extra frills, with chrome-tipped exhausts and a body-coloured diffuser.

Updates on the inside are more obvious. Porsche reckons it’s struck the “ideal balance between digital and analogue” controls. Much of the control functionality has been moved to the steering wheel, which will be familiar to anyone who’s driven the latest 911s, a Taycan, or the new Cayenne. Drive modes are changeable via a switch on the wheel, the gear selector has also been moved to a wheel-mounted stalk.

There are now three screens on the dashboard. One curved 12.6-inch instrument panel, a 12.9-inch central infotainment touchscreen, and an additional (optional) 10.9-inch screen on the passenger that uses a special covering to make it invisible from the driver’s seat. That third screen can be used to view vehicle information, or stream video. Again, Turbo models are finished with a smattering of carbon fibre and several details finished in Porsche’s exclusive ‘Turbonite’ colour.

As it stands, there’s no mention of the third-generation Panamera arriving in Sport Turismo form, but fingers crossed it won’t be long before we see the better-looking version of Porsche’s four-door luxury tourer. The new Porsche Panamera is on sale and available to order now. Prices begin at £79,500 for the Panamera and £82,500 for the Panamera 4. Quite alarmingly, the Turbo E-Hybrid goes from a whopping £141,400. Deliveries are expected to begin in March 2024.