Porsche sends new Panamera into space

This is Porsche’s new Panamera Space Concept and it gives us a good look inside the once unthinkable four-door saloon from Stuttgart. The Panamera will go on European sale from mid September and pricing starts at €94,575 (AU$186,000) for the Panamera S and tops out at €135,154 (AU$267,000) for the Panamera Turbo. Expect Australian pricing to be quite a bit more than a simple €-AUD conversion, however.

Engine choices are limited to 4.8-litre V8s to begin with. There’s a 294kW (400hp) normally aspirated version for the Panamera S and 4S models, while the addition of twin-turbos boosts power to 368kW (500hp) for the top spec Turbo model. That brings 100km/h sprint times of 5.4 seconds for a manual equipped S, 5.0 seconds with PDK and all-wheel drive in the 4S and just 4.2 seconds for the Turbo, also with PDK and AWD.

The four-seater is luxuriously decked in full leather and is fitted with all the usual mod-cons including four zone climate control, Comfort Memory Package (for eight-way adjustable seat, lumbar and steering wheel) and enough airbags to pass off the car as an airship.

Porsche are also waxing lyrical about their partnership with Burmester who have supplied the audio equipment for the Panamera. I’m no high-end audiophile by any means, but I’m guessing I’d be impressed by the sound quality. I suppose those 2,400 sqaure centimetres of sound membranes must be good for something.

The lower spec models have a top speed of 282km/h, while the Turbo can nudge past the triple ton to 303km/h. While the fuel economy of the range is not headline grabbing, the figures are helped by an Auto Start Stop system on PDK equipped models.

More detail and wallpaper sized images can be accessed after the jump.

Porsche Presents Space Concept of the New Panamera

Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is for the first time presenting the innovative interior concept of the company’s fourth model series.

Right from the start upon the introduction of the Panamera beginning in Germany on 12 September 2009, the Panamera will be available in its top versions with a V8 power unit and luxurious features.

Boasting a centre console leading back all the way from the dashboard to the rear seats, Porsche’s four-door Gran Turismo offers a new feeling of space and driving quality on all four seats. The interior provides optimum ergonomic conditions for the driver and, in addition, accentuates the personal privacy of each passenger on four single seats tailored to each occupant. The low seating position and the sporting, low-slung steering wheel ensure that direct feeling for the road so typical of Porsche.

Apart from these classic values, the Panamera offers the customer numerous options and possibilities to customise the interior individually to his or her personal choice, smooth and natural leather available in a total of 13 colour and material combinations including four bi-colour options teaming up wherever required with seven optional interior trim finish styles including exclusive materials such as Carbon and Olive Nature open-pore wood.

Four-zone automatic air conditioning is available as an option, providing individual adjustment of temperature, blower intensity and air distribution on each seat.

The driver and passengers in the new Panamera are protected by driver and front passenger airbags, curtain airbags as well as – on the front seats – side and knee airbags all ensuring maximum safety as standard features in the event of an accident. Side airbags are furthermore available at the rear as an optional feature.

The comfort seats featured as standard at the front of the Panamera S and 4S are extra-sporting in style and adjust electrically in eight different directions for excellent travel comfort at all times. At the rear two single seats with a folding centre armrest ensure generous legroom and headroom also for tall passengers.

The Panamera Turbo combines electrical seat adjustment with a Comfort Memory Package offering not only extension of the seat bottom, but also lumbar supports and electrical steering column adjustment. Further alternatives such as adaptive sports seats or comfort seats at the rear electrically adjustable to a wide range of different positions are likewise available as an option.

The new Panamera is the first Porsche to offer the most supreme standard of high-end audio quality, the High-End Surround Sound System from the Berlin audio specialist Burmester, one of the most renowned high-end audio companies in the world. Never before has such a large, acoustically effective surface of membranes been included in the concept from the start and subsequently implemented in the actual production vehicle. More than 2,400 square centimetres of sound membranes offer an experience in sound very similar to that of a live concert. In all, 16 loudspeakers masterminded by 16 amplifier channels with more than 1,000 W overall output provide a unique sound rounded off by an active subwoofer together with a 300 W Class D amplifier.

The superior everyday driving qualities of the Panamera are borne out clearly also by the luggage compartment and loading concept: After opening the rear lid, the driver and passengers are able to conveniently stow four suitcases behind the rear seats – putting them into the luggage compartment in an upright position for easy access thanks to the height available.

Luggage compartment capacity in the Panamera S and 4S is 445 litres or 15.6 cu ft, luggage compartment capacity in the Panamera Turbo is 432 litres or 15.1 cu ft – and with the rear seat backrests tilted down, luggage capacity increases to an ample 1,250 litres or 43.8 cu ft.

The Panamera is initially entering the market with V8 power units only, featuring either rear or all-wheel drive. Right from the start, the entry-level Panamera S is powered by a 4.8-litre V8 developing maximum output of 400 bhp (294 kW). Power is transmitted to the rear wheels as an option by Porsche’s seven-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) or double-clutch gearbox.

Acceleration to 100 km/h comes in 5.4 seconds, top speed is 283 km/h or 176 mph. Combined fuel consumption to the EU5 standard, in turn, is 10.8 ltr/100 km, equal to 26.2 mpg imp, and the CO2 emission rating is 253 g/km.

In conjunction with PDK transmission and including both 19 per cent VAT and specific national equipment, the Panamera S retails in Germany at a price of Euro 98,085.50.

Fitted with its six-speed manual gearbox as standard, the Panamera S retails at a price of Euro 94,575, again including 19 per cent VAT and all national homologation features.

The dynamic Panamera 4S features a 4.8-litre V8 developing 400 bhp (294 kW) maximum output, with engine power conveyed to all four wheels via Porsche’s seven-speed PDK Doppelkupplungsgetriebe. In this case acceleration to 100 km/h comes in 5.0 seconds, top speed is 282 km/h or 175 mph. Fuel consumption to the EU5 standard is 11.1 ltr/100 km, equal to 25.4 mpg imp, CO2 emissions are 260 g/km. The retail price including 19 per cent VAT and national specifications is Euro 102,251.

Ranking right at the top, the Panamera Turbo features a 4.8-litre V8 biturbo developing maximum output of 500 bhp (368 kW), with power transmitted again by Porsche’s seven-gear Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK). In this case this all-wheel-drive model accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of 303 km/h or 188 mph. Fuel consumption in the EU combined cycle is 12.2 ltr/100 km, equal to 23.2 mpg imp, CO2 emissions are 286 g/km. The retail price of the Panamera Turbo, finally, including 19 per cent VAT and national specifications, is Euro 135,154.

All models come with Direct Fuel Injection, low-friction drive systems and lightweight bodyshells. And at the same time all models in the range fitted with Porsche PDK Doppelkupplungsgetriebe feature Porsche’s new Auto Start Stop function automatically switching off the engine when coming to a standstill and with the driver pressing down the brake pedal – for example at the traffic lights or in traffic congestion.