Page 22009 Porsche
Panamera
As the layers of camo come off and we get to see more of the car’s actual profile, more styling cues become clear. This is the first time we’ve gotten a good look at the shape of the side glass, which features a 911-inspired profile that looks yards better than the rectangular openings suggested by the camo. In fact, the profile has a lot of 911 in it, which isn’t terribly surprisingly. There’s still some heavy camo on the car, however; note the big notch at the leading edge of the front door. We suspect there is some sculpting on those side panels to give the Panamera more character.
Page 32008 Porsche
Cayenne
As the Panamera emerges from its cocoon, it looks more and more like a chopped and channeled Cayenne. Note the similarities to the Cayenne shown here, with the Panamera’s similar – if shorter – greenhouse, and common rear end styling. This is good for maintaining a design language, but we’d be lying if we said the Cayenne is the most beautiful vehicle on the road. Expect powertrains to mimic the Cayenne as well, with V-6, V-8 and turbocharged V-8 engines under the hood, good for 300 about 560 horsepower. Porsche may also install the 700-hp V-10 from the Carrera GT, just to show the sedan world who’s boss.
Page 42006 Mercedes-Benz
CLS
The Panamera will compete with flagship cars such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS, the Bentley Continental Flying Spur and whatever BMW decides to do with the CS concept it showed at the Shanghai auto show earlier this year. Promising sports-car handling in a roomy sedan body, the Panamera will be all Porsche, at least according to the company. Its strong family resemblance to the rest of the line speaks well, even if the resulting hodgepodge is not exactly beautiful. Still, we admit the Cayenne’s performance floored us, and we have similar hopes for the Panamera.
By: Keith Buglewicz
Photos courtesy of: Brenda Priddy and Co.
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