Instrumented Test
Do you experience length envy when driving your Porsche Panamera? Feeling a little shortchanged when a Mercedes-Benz S-class or BMW 7-series pulls up at a light? Porsche has good news for you. You can now order a stretched Panamera from the factory. Opt for the Executive option on a Panamera Turbo—it's available on Turbo and Turbo S models—and Porsche will elongate a Panamera Turbo by nearly six inches for an extra $19,800. Enhancement surgery never comes cheap.
Porsche is stretching Panameras to satisfy markets where having a chauffeur is the norm (hint: China). The stretch brings the Panamera in line with the long-wheelbase versions of the BMW 7-series and Mercedes-Benz S-class, and the price brings the Panamera closer to the cost of a Bentley Flying Spur.
Room for Yao Ming
All the Panamera’s extra inches go to the rear-seat passengers. From the outside, the only telltales are subtly longer rear doors. It’s unlikely you’d notice the extra length unless a normal Panamera were parked nearby. Swinging open those big doors reveals an interior that looks a lot like the standard Panamera’s, too. Like a normal Panamera, there are two seats and a center console covered with buttons. What gives the long wheelbase away is a doorsill that reads, “Executive,” and enough legroom for Yao Ming.
A full leather interior is standard on the Turbo Executive, but Porsche still upcharges for two-tone leather ($530), a leather-covered steering column and instrument surround ($1295), leather dashboard trim ($2505), leather sun visors ($740), a leather rearview mirror ($675), a leather case for the key ($165), and who could live without leather air-vent slats for a mere $1535? You’ll need executive compensation to afford our car’s $59,000 in options, not to mention the Executive Turbo’s $162,075 base price. Should you want to spend even more, Porsche offers the 570-hp Turbo S Executive at a very CEO-like starting price of $201,495. For skinflints, the Executive 4S commands $126,595.
Nap Time Is Now Over
After playing with the eight-way power seats for a few minutes, we realized the Executive’s back seat would be a nice place for a nap. A nap never crossed our minds while we were in the driver’s seat. A twin-turbocharged 4.8-liter V-8 produces 520 horsepower and sends its power through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. From a stop, the 4628-pound Executive Turbo will strike down 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, on its way to a quarter-mile time of 11.8 seconds at 118 mph.
This level of supercar acceleration comes easily, but be sure to check the Sport Chrono option ($2550) that adds launch control and a stopwatch to the instrument panel. Push the Sport Plus button on the center console, hold the brake with your left foot, and stomp the accelerator with your right foot. Engine revs build to 4800 rpm. Release the brake, and the transmission automatically engages the clutch, sending the V-8’s thrust to all four wheels. Do this once, and you’ll probably never want to leave the driver’s seat. Do this to an unsuspecting passenger, and he or she will probably resign from ever riding in your car again.
The Panamera might now have a first-class rear seat, but Porsche’s biggest sedan hasn’t neglected the company’s sports-car ethos. Optional carbon-ceramic brakes ($9210) were fade-free even after stops from 160 mph; stopping from 70 mph took 148 feet, one foot longer than a 911 Carrera S managed. Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires seized the skidpad with 0.96 g of grip. The long car’s numbers are all in line with the last Panamera Turbo we tested. This isn’t a big surprise, considering the added length adds only 107 pounds.
Numbers aside, the Panamera’s responsive steering, firm brake pedal, and taut chassis grace it with the sharpness and clear control feel of a big—better make that a really big—911. To us, the Panamera’s best asset is that it’s a sports car dressed as a big sedan. A spacious back seat will make the riding class happy, but the driver’s seat is where you want to be. Lucky chauffeurs.
