A recent news story caught my attention. In Hamburg, Germany, a driver was pulled over by police and told his Porsche Panamera was too shiny.
Bling-y and obnoxious, the gold foil-wrapped Panamera had been in trouble before. The first time, the police ordered the 31-year-old driver to remove the foil wrap, as it could blind other drivers and cause an accident. He was also told to re-register the vehicle once the wrap was removed. The driver did neither and was pulled over again.
This time, he was given a hefty fine, his Panamera was impounded and his driving papers and license were confiscated. They would be returned once he complied.
Thank you, Hamburg Police. Wrapping such a lovely vehicular specimen in so atrocious a manner should be fined.
It’s been a decade since the Panamera first appeared on the planet. I still remember the hue and cry when it debuted in 2009. A four-door Porsche? The horror! It looked like a stretched-out 911, not necessarily a bad thing, but most Porsche purists were disgusted.
What a beautiful way to move four people around though ... and fast!
Last week, I test-drove Porsche’s two new sporty versions of their already-more-than-sporty Panamera. GTS and GTS Sport Turismo are the happy middle ground between the Panamera’s S and Turbo models.
The GTS and GTS Sport Turismo are all-wheel drive and powered by a four-litre V8 engine that delivers 453 horsepower, a 123-hp jump over the ‘base’ Panamera and 97 less horsepower than the Panamera Turbo, with maximum torque of 457 lb.-ft.
The throaty eight-cylinder symphony from the engine, especially when sport plus drive mode was selected, certainly made me want to push the throttle. It was deliciously easy to go from zero to 100 km/h in order to fulfill my duty and make sure the stated 4.1 seconds was accurate. It is accurate and I should know — I tested the lightning fast acceleration many times during my research.
The eight-speed PDK dual clutch gear box seamlessly translates power to the Porsche Traction Management all-wheel drive system, firmly planting the Panamera GTS on the road. The chassis in the two GTS models has been lowered by 10 millimetres and Porsche has adapted its active suspension system for sportier calibration making for excellent lateral dynamics. Dynamic Chassis Control keeps the Panamera flat in the corners.
Larger brakes produce outstanding deceleration and, with top speeds of 292 km/h for the GTS and 289 km/h for the GTS ST, they are most welcome.
It’s easy to forget this rocket is a sedan.
Sedans are not exactly selling like hotcakes. The full-size premium segment has been pretty flat for the past 20 years although the Panamera saw record sales in 2017 and increased sales by 40 per cent in 2018.
Inside, I am certain this is a Porsche. Many things about the sumptuous Panamera GTS make you feel like a rich so-and-so, but the Alcantara-wrapped heated steering wheel is one feature that spoke full-on-no-holds-barred luxury to me. How it wears over time is my only question.
In the Carmine Red hotty I drove, the $3,980 GTS interior package meant the black leather seats were accented by red stitching, the seat belts were a deep red (another favourite feature of mine) and the letters GTS were embroidered into the headrest of the über-comfortable, 18-way adaptable, racy front seats.
The Panamera GTS Sport Turismo (don’t call it a wagon) I test-drove was wrapped in lush Carmine Red, a $3,770 option. The flashy Mamba Green, definitely not as eye-stabbing as gold foil wrap and infinitely more refined, comes with a $950 price tag.
The sport design package for the GTS adds a new black front-end, black trim at the bottom of the rear, black window surrounds and black, 20-inch wheels. Even a child’s car seat in the back wouldn’t dampen the spicy look of this sedan. You might not be able to pay for said child’s university but that’s what student loans and part-time jobs are for, right?
Although the German constabulary had a problem with that guy’s abominable gold foil-wrapped Porsche Panamera, on my recent test-drive, I could find no fault with the 2019 Panamera GTS and GTS Sport Turismo.
Well, maybe except for the price.
The GTS starts at $146,200 and speedily jumps to the as-tested price of $181,940. The GTS Sport Turismo can be yours for $153,300 but, like going to a steakhouse and getting the $200 steak, you quickly realize you need to add a side of asparagus, baked potato and, what the heck, throw in those sautéed mushrooms, too.
The added packages on the GTS Sport Turismo I tested, a half-Boxster full of options, brought the price tag up to a whopping $190,200. Gulp.
The test drive featured highway driving with plenty of opportunity to try out Porsche’s InnoDrive, an advanced adaptive cruise control system that lets you drive hands-free for about 45 seconds.
The country roads and sleepy byways on the route offered the chance to push the Panamera GTS ST into and out of corners, again making me forget I was behind the wheel of a so-called family vehicle and making me wish I was on a race track.
I swear I kept my responsible safe driving manners out there on the road and was not pulled over by police. My flashy police-magnet red paint was no match for gold foil.
Despite recent claims in the auto industry that the death of the sedan is imminent, as far as full-size premium vehicles go, I think the practically perfect Panamera GTS and GTS Sport Turismo will be around for a long time.
Follow Lisa on Instagram: @FrontLady
