More poke for Porsche Panamera Turbo

Porsche have announced a number of new upgrades available across the Panamera range. Like it or not, the big four door saloon has been selling at a rapid rate of knots with well over 20,000 sales in the last 12 months.

The headline enhancements include a 40bhp “Powerkit” for the Panamera Turbo and a new “Sport Design Package” which you can see on the Panamera 4S above.

The Turbo’s Powerkit brings total power up to a pretty handy 540bhp, while also dragging peak torque to a new high of 750Nm. All that extra power hasn’t done much for the on-paper specs, with a very modest reduction of 0.1 seconds for the 0-100 time (now 3.9 seconds) and a minor increase in top speed, now published as 305km/h, up from the old mark of 303km/h. Oh, UK pricing for this upgrade is a shade over £11K. Best hope there is a marked improvement in the mid-range, then.

Included with the Sport Design Package are a new multispoke 20″ alloy wheel design. The Panamera Sport wheel is a staggered arrangement, 9.5″ at the front and 11.5″ at the rear.

There’s more after the break, including a brief run down of the inner-wheel braking capabilities of the Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus system.

NEW PERFORMANCE AND STYLING OPTIONS RELEASED FOR THE PORSCHE PANAMERA

• Global sales of over 23,000, with V6 model showing early success
• Powerkit now available on Turbo models raising output by 40 hp to 540 hp
• Optional Sport Design Package, 20” Panamera Sport wheels offer exterior styling upgrades
• Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus available as an option on V8 models, further optimising the chassis dynamics

With over 23,000 global sales in 12 months, the Porsche Panamera has established itself firmly as a unique sports car for four people combining characteristic sporting styling cues and dynamic performance with day-to-day versatility. The appeal of the Gran Turismo has widened further with the recently-introduced V6-engined Panamera and Panamera 4 – powered by a new Porsche-designed 300 hp six cylinder engine – which already accounts for over a quarter of UK sales.

From September, customer choice will expand further when drivers seeking greater output from the Panamera Turbo will be able to specify the new Powerkit, which raises engine output by 40 hp to 540 hp.

Key elements of the Panamera Turbo Powerkit are two new turbochargers with titanium-alloy turbine wheels. The engine management computer has been adapted accordingly and the result is an appreciable further improvement in the engine’s responsiveness. Maximum torque rises to 750 Nm from 700 Nm. When the Sport Chrono package is combined with the Powerkit, torque increases in the over-boost mode to 800 Nm.

In Sport Plus mode, the Panamera Turbo with Powerkit accelerates 0.1 sec faster than the standard car, reaching 62mph from rest in 3.9 sec. Top speed is 190mph (305 km/h) compared with 188mph (303 km/h). However, by returning 24.6 mpg (11.5 ltr/100 km) during the NEDC test cycle, fuel consumption of a Panamera Turbo with Powerkit is the same as that of the 500 hp version, a perfect demonstration of Porsche Intelligent Performance.

As a Porsche Exclusive option, the Powerkit will be available from September 2010 at a price of £11,118 including VAT. Porsche Tequipment will launch the Powerkit as a retrofit kit from November.

A Sport Design Package, new 20-inch Panamera Sport alloy wheels and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV) have also been introduced as options for the Panamera.

The Sport Design Package includes a unique, body-coloured nose with wider black air intake grilles, separate side skirts and the standard, body-coloured rear underbody apron with diffuser and fins. Starting from October 2010, the Sport Design Package will be available from Porsche Exclusive for £2,516 including VAT, or for retro-fitting from Porsche Tequipment.

Emphasising the sporting appearance and driving dynamics of the Porsche Gran Turismo, the new 20-inch Panamera Sport wheels bring further choice to the range of alternative alloy wheels available. The light alloy multi-spoke wheel is 9.5″ wide on the front, and 11.5″ wide on the rear. Consequently, it does not only have a larger tyre contact area but is also flush with the wheel arch for a distinctive look. The wheels are available from Porsche Exclusive in GT silver metallic, black, or co-ordinated in body colour from £2,247 including VAT (£1,058 on Turbo models). The wheels are available in GT silver metallic and black for retro-fitting from Porsche Tequipment.

Furthermore, a three-spoke sports steering wheel with gearshift paddles is also available as an option in combination with the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe PDK gearbox, priced at £277.

Customers seeking to further increase the chassis agility of the V8-engined Panamera models can specify Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) as an option together with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) and a fully controlled rear axle differential lock. Costing £3,130, PTV Plus optimises steering behaviour by intervening in the brakes on the inner rear wheel in a bend to generate additional rotational force acting in the same direction as the steering wheel. The result is even more direct and dynamic steering response when cornering – and at the same time PTV Plus, in conjunction with the rear axle differential, improves traction on the rear wheels when accelerating out of a bend.

With its Porsche Exclusive and Porsche Tequipment programmes, Porsche offers the possibility to enhance each Porsche model beyond its standard equipment to fulfill the personal and exclusive wishes of every customer: from the factory through Porsche Exclusive, or in each Porsche Centre via the Tequipment retro-fitting programme.