 2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive. Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Greg Wilson
Celebrities and diplomats the world over have a sporty new ride: the long wheelbase Porsche Panamera models – the 2014 Porsche Panamera 4S Executive ($143,600), Panamera Turbo Executive ($184,100) and Panamera Turbo S Executive ($229,100) – with extra rear legroom and luxury features designed to appeal to business executives, entrepreneurs, celebrities, diplomats, and politicians who prefer the comfort, prestige and safety of a chauffeur-driven automobile.
Porsche expects most Panamera Executive models to be sold to customers in emerging markets like China, Russia and the Middle East, but about 10 percent of its customers will be in North America. Not necessarily executives perhaps, but owners who just want the biggest friggin’ Porsche there is!
With a wheelbase stretched by 150 mm (5.9 in.) – most of it behind the central B pillar – Panamera Executive models provide an extra 120 mm (4.7 in.) of rear legroom for two rear-seat passengers. Open the long and surprisingly lightweight aluminum rear doors, and you’re greeted by brushed aluminum door sills with the word ‘Executive’ tastefully inscribed. Step over the raised door sills and settle comfortably into one of the two well-bolstered rear bucket seats that offer individual power recline, fore-aft, height and lumbar adjustments, and are heated and cooled for winter and summer comfort.
Should the right rear passenger need even more legroom, there are rear controls for moving the (unoccupied) right front passenger seat all the way forwards.
Dividing the rear seats is a tall centre console with separate controls for automatic climate control and seat heaters, a storage bin with a sliding cover, cupholders and removable ashtray, a lockable centre glove box with a vent for air conditioning, a 120-volt outlet, and rear storage area with a pass-through to the trunk.
    2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive. Click image to enlarge |
Executive models also include two additional reading lights in the rear, illuminated door storage pockets, power sliding sunshades on the side windows and rear window, illuminated fold-down vanity mirrors in the ceiling, and thermally-insulated window glass to reduce outside noises.
Curiously, there are no rear audio controls, video screens or auxiliary/USB jacks for music devices but remember, these rear seats aren’t intended for teenagers: the privileged rear occupants can just ask their chauffeur to turn up the Panamera Turbo’s standard 585-watt 14-speaker Bose audio system; or they can listen to their own personal music streamed wirelessly from their Bluetooth smartphone or tablet.
Things aren’t too shabby in the front seats either. Both driver and front passenger seats have supremely supportive bucket seats with power adjustments for height, recline and lumbar and 3-stage heating and cooling. Behind the beautiful leather-wrapped, electric tilt/telescopic steering wheel is a five-gauge cluster that tells you everything you need to know about the car’s current status: the traditional centre tachometer incorporates a digital speedometer and transmission gear indicator, and is flanked by an analog 350 km/h speedometer, oil pressure and oil temperature gauges, a round colour screen that can be scrolled between different functions such as navigation map, trip computer with average fuel consumption readout, audio, and tire pressure monitoring system. On the far right is a coolant temperature gauge and fuel gauge, the latter a bit small for easy viewing in my opinion.
The Panamera’s tall centre console is busy with buttons mainly because it includes some controls that would normally be found on the instrument panel, such as separate driver and passenger controls for temperature, ventilation and fan speed, and seat heater controls. Further down the centre console are buttons for the Sport and Sport Plus driving modes (more about these later), shock absorber settings, air suspension height, stability control off, auto start/stop off, forward collision warning off, and power rear sunshade.
    2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive. Click image to enlarge |
In the centre of the instrument panel, the Panamera’s colour touchscreen is operated by a combination of large on-screen buttons and traditional buttons just below the screen. Audio, phone, navigation, vehicle information, and sound functions can all be accessed on this touchscreen, which requires a firm push with your finger to activate functions but is generally easy to use. USB, auxiliary, and 12-volt powerpoints for external devices are found under the centre armrest.
Though unusual for an executive limo, the Panamera’s hatchback body style does offer the advantage of a large hatch opening and split, fold-down rear seatbacks in case the owner needs to transport a newly-acquired Louis XVI antique chair across town. The hatch is power operated and the cargo area, though sandwiched between the wheel wells, is nicely finished with two side bins and an aluminum scuff plate.
Cargo capacity is 432 L (15.2 cu. ft.) and 1,248 L (44.1 cu. ft.) with both rear seats folded down. Under the cargo floor is a Bose stereo amplifier and a tire inflator kit – but no spare tire.
 2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive. Click image to enlarge |
With a base price of $184,100, you’d expect the cabin materials in the Panamera Turbo Executive to be first rate, and they are. Our test car featured rich maroon-coloured perforated leather seats and steering wheel with prominent stitching, aluminum door handles and seat controls, aluminum dash, door and console trim, suede roof and pillar liners, and rich carpeting including a carpeted trunk. There’s enough luxury ambience in this cabin to make a millionaire feel like, well, a million bucks.
At the moment, three long wheelbase Executive models are available, the Panamera 4S Executive powered by a new 420-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 (replacing last year’s naturally aspirated V8), the Panamera Turbo Executive with its 520-hp twin-turbocharged 4.8L V8, and the Panamera Turbo S Executive that bumps the twin-turbo V8’s horsepower up to 570.
Making 520 hp at 6,000 rpm and 516 lb-ft between 2250 and 4500 rpm (568 lb-ft between 2500 and 4000 rpm in Sport Plus mode) the Panamera Turbo Executive moves startlingly quickly, sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds (4.0 sec with Sport Plus) compared to the regular Panamera Turbo at 4.1 seconds (3.9 sec with Sport Plus), according to Porsche. You’re not giving up much performance for an extra 120 mm (4.7 in.) of rear legroom in Executive models!
In a quarter-mile sprint, the Panamera Turbo Executive takes just 12.4 seconds, only 0.3 seconds slower than a standard Panamera Turbo despite weighing 100 kg (220 lb) more.
When accelerating briskly, the Panamera’s seven-speed Doppelkupplung (PDK) twin-clutch transmission shifts so smoothly that shifts are barely noticed, however in Normal Drive mode when accelerating slowly from rest, there’s an initial sensation that the clutch is slipping, a common characteristic of dual-clutch transmissions. There’s also a slight shift surge in the first few gears when accelerating uphill at a moderate speed. But put your foot down and the transmission sloughs off its lazy demeanour and changes quickly and smartly.
   2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive. Click image to enlarge |
Operating Porsche’s steering wheel paddles is a bit different than most other performance cars: you pull back on either the left or right paddle to shift down and push forward on either one to shift up. Common paddle etiquette is to pull back on the left paddle to shift down and pull back on the right paddle to shift up. Anyway, once you get used to Porsche’s system, it becomes easy enough; but honestly, the PDK shifts so well itself, that I prefered to just concentrate on the steering and let the PDK do the shifting.
In a kind of Jekyll and Hyde transformation, the Panamera Turbo Executive can transform from a sedate luxury car into an extremely aggressive performance car simply by pressing the Sport or Sport Plus buttons on the centre console. In Sport mode, engine revs rise, the transmission waits longer before shifting, the car’s air suspension lowers and stiffens, and the variable ratio power steering becomes quicker. Suddenly, you (or your chauffeur) will find that the cars in front of you are going very slowly and you’d be making much better time through the twisties if they’d get out of your way.
Then there’s Sport Plus: extra turbo boost increases horsepower by 50 and torque by 52 lb-ft, shift points are later and even faster and you can use the paddles or the gear lever to shift manually (pull back to shift down, push forwards to shift up) and the suspension is even stiffer. The extra performance of Sport Plus might be useful when attempting to escape overzealous fans, angry protesters or menacing kidnappers.
Accelerating quickly, the Panamera Turbo’s quad exhausts let out a menacing bark, particularly in Sport Plus mode, that often surprises onlookers who were lulled into complacency by the Panamera’s large, luxury car appearance.
   2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive. Click image to enlarge |
If you or your driver prefer the more relaxed steering and shifting pattern of the Normal driving mode but want a stiffer suspension, there’s a separate console button to select the shock stiffness of Sport and Sport Plus modes without the sportier steering, transmission and suspension settings.
Even in Normal mode, handling is very controlled and balanced with very little body lean. The Panamera is a very low and wide car with a fully independent aluminum wishbone/multi-link suspension and adaptive air springs. Our test car had the optional Dynamic Chassis Control with active roll stabilization. Standard footwear is 19 inches but our test car had the optional 20-inch wheels. Though it’s a big car, the Panamera Turbo Executive doesn’t feel cumbersome or overweight, but it does feel wide, and on a narrow twisty road, you need to concentrate on staying in your lane.
Should the driver breach the limits of safety, a standard Forward Collision Warning system issues an audible and visual alert when approaching other cars too quickly, a Blind Spot Warning detector flashes a warning light when another car is in the blind spot, and a Lane Departure Warning system emits a low humming sound when lane markers are crossed improperly.
Our car had the optional Sport Chrono Package that consists of a stopwatch and clock mounted on the dashtop and a duplicate electronic stopwatch in the instrument cluster display both operated by buttons on the steering wheel. It also includes the Sport Plus mode for extra horsepower and performance and that’s why this option is worth $2,910.
  2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive. Click image to enlarge |
It’s easy to forget that the Panamera Turbo Executive comes with standard all-wheel drive. You really don’t notice this rear-biased system at work on dry or wet pavement as it automatically compensates for any lack of traction at any wheel in combination with a suite of automatic safety systems including stability and traction control, ABS and brake assist. The car negotiates wet corners without any drama, due in no small part to our test car’s sticky Pirelli Sottozero 20-inch winter tires. They offered excellent grip in the wet, though we didn’t test them in the snow.
Curiously, the Panamera Turbo Executive comes with Trailer Stability Management to automatically compensate for trailer sway, but I can hardly imagine a Panamera owner towing an Airstream trailer!
Did I mention the Panamera’s mammoth brakes? Consumer Reports’ recent braking test of a Panamera S showed a 60 mph to 0 mph (96–0 km/h) braking distance of just 116 feet in the dry. Impressive.
The driver has good visibility out front over the low hood, and to the side thanks to the long side windows. But the rear window seems a bit small and the thick hatch frame creates a blind spot at the right rear corner. Our test car came with the optional rearview camera with Surround View: this provides six different views around the car: forward, rear, left, right and overhead views using small cameras placed around the car. This is very helpful when reversing or guiding the car into a narrow parking space.
In its conservative Dr. Jekyll mode, the Panamera Turbo Executive can be a very comfortable highway cruiser. Its long wheelbase, wide track and PASM active damping suspension provide excellent high-speed stability and a compliant ride. Cruising in top gear (in Normal Driving mode) at 100 km/h, the engine turns over just 1,300 rpm and can barely be heard. If it wasn’t for the considerable tire noise coming from the huge Pirelli Sottozero winter tires on our test car, the freeway ride would have been very quiet.
The Panamera’s standard auto-stop feature automatically turns off the engine while stopped at traffic lights and restarts it when the brake pedal is released. Unlike the 911 Cabriolet I tested earlier this year, the Panamera’s stop-start system is quite smooth in its operation. There’s no jerkiness or excess starter or engine noise, and I felt comfortable leaving it activated, although it can be defeated if desired. The auto-stop function works in Normal Driving mode, but is automatically deactivated in Sport and Sport Plus modes.
The typical owner of a Panamera Turbo Executive may not care too much about fuel economy, but we thought our test car’s average of 12.3 L/100 km was pretty reasonable for a 2,070-kg (4,500-lb) hatchback with a turbocharged 4.8L V8 engine. The official EPA numbers for this model are 15.7 city/9.8 hwy and 13.1 L/100 km combined (in US mpg: 15 city/24 hwy/18 combined). Though it’s heavier than the regular wheelbase Panamera Turbo, Porsche claims the Executive model offers the same fuel consumption.
Now the bad news: our 2014 Panamera Turbo Executive had an as-tested price of $204,965, which included $20,865 in options! While a lot of luxury features are standard: bi-xenon headlights, air suspension, Bose surround sound audio system, navigation with seven-inch touchscreen, trip computer, four-zone climate control, leather, power front and rear seats, and power liftgate – some features you’d expect to be standard are optional: Blind spot detection ($970), lane departure warning ($730), rearview camera with surround view and parking sensors ($1,720), Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control ($5,710), and Power Steering Plus ($310), for example.
Still, the Panamera Turbo Executive’s price-tag may not be a big deal for its well-to-do owners who want a roomy executive sedan with above-average performance capabilities. They might even take it for a spin themselves!
Pricing: 2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive
Base price: $184,100
Options: $19,750 (20-inch 911 Turbo design alloy wheels $1,640; Adaptive Cruise Control $3,070; Lane Change Assist & Blind Spot Detection $970; Lane Departure Warning $730; LED headlights and Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus $2,440; Reversing Camera, ParkAssist, Surround View $1,720; Sport Chrono Package $2,910; Power Steering Plus $310; Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control with PTV+ $5,710; Online Services $250)
Freight charge: $1,115
A/C tax: $100
Price as tested: $205,065
Competitors
Aston Martin Rapide S
Audi S8
BMW M6 Gran Coupe
Jaguar XJR (LWB)
Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG 4Matic
Crash Test Results:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
