2021 Porsche Panamera GTS review

There is a worrying array of forces conspiring against the Porsche Panamera GTS. The time of big, twin-turbocharged V8 limos that are sold sans batteries is coming to an end. Add to that the fact that the Panamera has siblings within the Porsche family hoping to cut its lunch. With the arrival of the Taycan, the Panamera is no longer the only four-door sedan from Porsche. If you have family-hauling duties the Cayenne is supremely capable, and if driving purity is what you demand, then the Cayman, Boxster, and iconic 911 are all there for your go-fast needs.

Finally, there’s a dizzying array of variants within the Panamera family vying for your attention. So why should the GTS be the one you choose?

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All that paints the Panamera GTS as an underdog, but in the real world it is anything but, with the driving experience being endearing, entertaining, and wholly convincing of its sports limo remit.

Part of that is thanks to the badge. The GTS suffix on this Panamera indicates that the focus is on the driver. It sits lower than its more powerful and expensive sibling, the Turbo S, and has a raft of options fitted as standard to best cater to the enthusiast owner.

Despite its luxury limo credentials, the Panamera GTS still must meet Porsche’s high standards of dynamic prowess while being big, long, and comfortable at the same time. No easy task. That doesn’t mean this executive saloon has forgone any pretence of comfort and luxury – quite the opposite.

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Despite its size and length, it’s on a twisting road that you really uncover the depths of the Panamera’s talents

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s cover the basics. The Porsche Panamera is now in its second generation, and this GTS model sits above the entry-level models, but below the bonkers Turbo S flagship. Under the bonnet is a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that produces 353kW and 620Nm. That’s a 15kW increase over the previous model. While no longer a headline-generating level of grunt, it’s more than enough for most tastes.

Power is sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission, helping rocket the Panamera to 100km/h from a standstill in 3.9 seconds. Considering the Panamera weighs two tonnes, a claimed 0-100km/h time of less than 4.0 seconds is pretty darn impressive. Remember, that’s coming from Porsche, which is notorious for understating exactly how quick its cars are.

Oh, and if you were curious, the top speed is a neat 300km/h. We wouldn’t expect anything less from a German autobahn missile. To cap it all off, there’s space inside for four adults, plenty of boot space, a heavy lashing of leather and Alcantara, and a dizzying array of tech goodies.

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But here’s the catch. You will need to pay a steep price of admission. The GTS starts with a price tag of $309,500 before on-roads – and our test car adds more than $30k of optional extras.

Some of those options we could go without ($740 for interior lighting and $1750 for a 4+1 seating layout). However, others are a must-tick – namely the $9870 Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (which includes Porsche’s Torque Vectoring Plus system), and $3750 for four-wheel steering.

On the subject of pricing, it's hard to avoid the consideration that here is a 353kW sports sedan that wears a $309,500 tag. A 467kW BMW M5 CS is $274,900, a 446kW Audi RS7 is $224,000 and a 450kW Mercedes-AMG E63 S lists at $253,900. Couched in those terms, you really have to want the Porsche to stump up that asking price. But then the car has come a long way in a relatively short lifespan.

While unloved when the first generation was revealed, the looks of the Panamera have been subtly matured, with Porsche’s design team introducing the longer wheelbase second generation model in 2017. The exterior styling tweaks also made a world of visual difference. That hard work is slightly undone by the standard 20-inch rims that don’t exactly match the $300K+ price.

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Start the GTS and you are met instantly with a deep, distinct V8 burble. For a period, Porsche actually swapped out the V8 in the GTS, replacing it with a turbocharged V6. While that engine wasn’t bad in its own right, it isn’t quite the same as a healthy bent-eight.

Porsche admits its decision to employ a V8 was an emotional one, and I have to say, it is a damn good choice. It’s not the most characterful engine in the world in terms of rev range or outright power, but the sports exhaust system – which is standard on the GTS – means it’s able to provide plenty of auditory delights.

Power delivery is potent, with peak torque coming on from 1800rpm all the way to four grand. This is actually the same engine as in the flagship Panamera Turbo S, except without the twin-scroll turbochargers, and the boost dropped slightly from nearly 19psi to around 11psi.

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Then there’s the gearbox. Porsche usually nails its transmissions – weird ratios in the Cayman GT4 aside – and this eight-speed PDK dual-clutch is no exception.

Finding a chink in the armour is near impossible. Leave it to its own devices and it seems to have a psychic link, giving you exactly the right gear at the right time.

Switch to manual and the shifts are quick and crisp. Pull the paddle and bang, you get exactly what you asked for. It’s also perfectly calibrated to the driving modes, remaining smooth and subtle in Normal, and progressively ratcheting up the intensity through Sport and Sport Plus.

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But before we assess its dynamic talents, it’s important to pay credence to the Panamera’s luxury credentials. In its normal setting, the Panamera GTS has a silky smooth ride. It wafts along wonderfully, even on typically pockmarked and deteriorating Australian B-Roads. That’s thanks to the air suspension, which has new damper settings and management system for this 2021 update. For long-distance cruising, the Panamera GTS is a brilliant place to be, getting you to your favourite driving road feeling fresh and relaxed. That is until you have to adjust the central air vents, which you can only do via the central touchscreen after navigating a pair of sub-menus. Frustrating to say the least!

On a challenging driving road, this big sedan is almost as composed as its sportscar siblings when you decide to turn up the wick. The GTS rides 10mm lower than the rest of the Panamera range, and that small difference gives it a hunkered down, confident demeanour. The old thinking that air suspension is antithetical to dynamic ability is long gone, with Porsche’s Active Suspension Management and Dynamic Chassis Control giving the Panamera GTS a respectable level of body control.

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Despite its size and length, it’s on a twisting road that you really uncover the depths of the Panamera’s talents. The front end is seriously impressive, which means you can really grab the GTS by the scruff of the neck and chuck it into corners with confidence. The steering is accurate, with a quick, but not too quick ratio. It falls into that Goldilocks window where you don’t need to apply huge armfuls of lock to get the nose pointed into bends, without the twitchiness of super-direct systems. This is aided by the four-wheel steer setup, which gives the Panamera athleticism and stability that belies its size and weight. Oh, and having the rear wheels steer by even the slightest amount is a boon around town given the Panamera’s five-metre length.

The unsung hero of this dynamic prowess is the rubber. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres feature at all four corners, in pretty significant sizes. The GTS has a sizeable footprint, which it deploys to devastating effect. Want to terrify three of your mates on the way to the ski field? This is the car for you.

Standard steel brakes save you when it comes to the final price tag compared to carbon ceramics, but you don’t lose out in stopping performance. The brake calipers for the GTS are the same as the rest of the Panamera range below it, with six-pot fronts and four-pot rears, though disc sizes are up, with 390mm rotors up front and 365mm at the rear. Despite the two-tonne kerb weight, we didn’t experience any fade during hard driving on a winding road.

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Porsche has done something incredible with the Panamera GTS. The concept and character traits you’d want from a long-distance cruising limo, and those exuded by a sportscar seem mutually exclusive. And yet Porsche has distilled a brilliant version of both into one body. This is one of the best executive limos you can buy today, while also possessing some of the finest driving dynamics you can experience with four doors and a boot.

It can be driven calmly every day and it’s an absolute delight, yet when you want to relish in the joys of driving, it also delivers.

There may be purer sportscars in the Porsche family, or more practical SUVs, or quicker four-doors. However, the do-everything ability the Panamera exudes is entirely infectious. This is a car that makes it about the joy of driving, no matter the flavour. A 7 Series could only dream of being as capable in the bends as the GTS, while AMG’s GT63 4-Door is outclassed by the Panamera’s refinement.

The forces conspiring against the Panamera GTS may be strong, but they can’t tarnish the refinement and capability of Porsche’s genre-blending limo. Appreciate cars like this while you can.

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2021 Porsche Panamera GTS specification

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