Test Drive: 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S

Official fuel consumption figures are unchanged from the regular turbo: 14.1 L/100 km city and 8.6 L/100 km highway.

2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S. Click image to enlarge

I am well aware that the Panamera gets routinely criticized for its styling, but I’m in the camp that admires this hatch’s uniqueness and unassailable road presence. There’s not much here to differentiate the S other than side skirts, badging and a wider rear track thanks to offset 20-inch alloys.

I don’t think anyone could have issues with the interior design. All Panamera Turbo S’ sport two-tone leather, and this tester had a stunning $1,730 two-tone Cognac upgrade with natural cedar trim. The broad centre console is flanked with a riot of buttons, yet once familiarized it all makes sense and is easily negotiated.

Despite the $200-grand entrance fee, Porsche is happy to offer numerous options that will further lighten your billfold – some stuff that people living in the real would expect as standard, like park assist with rearview camera ($750). Navigation is included, but other niceties on your shopping list might include front ventilated seats ($920), lane-change assist with blind spot detection ($970) and a 1,000-watt 16-speaker Burmester surround sound for $4,650.

2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S. Click image to enlarge

What you won’t find is the usual barrage of active driver’s aids that are cropping up on most other high end sedans like lane departure assist, blind spot assist, drowsiness alerts and auto-braking collision mitigation.

Another departure from the norm is a steering wheel sans any multi-function controls. A couple of alloy shift paddles and that’s it. Are we getting the message here?

The driving position is unlike any other luxury sedan too. It’s all very familiar to those who have driven Porsche sports cars. You sit low in a cockpit-like environment with all the major controls ideally positioned. You look out over a long hood with prominent fender bulges. Front and centre is the tachometer with a large digital speedometer – you’ll be keeping your eye on that.

2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S. Click image to enlarge

The $1,720 adaptive sport seats are firm, snug and supportive, fitting me to a tee, although those of broader beam may have issues. The twin back seats are similarly contoured, holding riders in a reassuring embrace.

That’s not to say the Turbo S is all about scaring your passengers with excessive linear and lateral g-forces (although real time and maximum accelerative forces are there for the viewing in a new “driving dynamics display”). Dial it all back to normal mode and this bulbous cocoon silently wafts down the road with the best of them. Yes, the pitter-patter over rougher urban surfaces can’t match the smooth indifference of a Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, but that is really a different kind of car.

In fact, this top-dog Panamera Turbo S is such a unique proposition it defies comparison. Brazenly priced, obscenely fast, shockingly agile, exquisitely built and wrapped in a body that will surely inspire heated debate until the heifers come home, this king of the hatchbacks can carry my upright bass, an amplifier, our dog and a weeks worth of groceries; at 306 km/h.