We don’t purport to know what’s going on behind Weissach’s closed doors, but the logical conclusion is that they took the criticism thrown at the first-gen Panamera to heart and vowed to rectify things with the new car.
That they did – and then some. Based on an all-new platform, the 2017 Panamera is certainly much more attractive, its predecessor’s hunchback, which was the main sticking point, giving way to a much more resolved rear end.
It’s all change inside, too, as the huge count of buttons have been replaced by touchscreens that are both easier to use and provide haptic feedback, for the best of both worlds.
In range-topping Turbo guise, it comes a new twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 churning out 550 PS (542 HP) and an incredible 770 Nm (568 lb/ft) of torque. Naturally, all that oomph is directed to all four wheels, but the best part is that Porsche’s engineers have managed to make what is essentially a large and heavy car feel extremely agile and nimble from the driver’s seat.
A drive in Tuscany’s twisties confirmed that, in its second iteration, the Panamera is probably the best sports saloon out there and, even though when fully loaded it nudges €200k, which is supercar money, it justifies that price by offering supercar-like performance in a much more practical, and easy to live with day in, day out, package.