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2017 Panamera Executive Nurburgring Spyshots: How Porsche Plans to Reinvent the Panamera

So far, if you wanted to buy a Panamera, an important part of your decision was influenced by your more-or-less conscious Porsche fetish. The second generation will bet more on its own appeal and we're here to see why.
2017 Panamera Executive Spied on the Nurburgring 23 photos
Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
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The irony with any supercar or sportscar is that, by the time you're old enough to afford one, you'll have at least one child and so you'll need more than one pair of seats. The 911 has always tried to compensate for this through its 2+2 layout, but anybody who's actually tried to accommodate a child back there knows "compromise" is an understatement when describing the comfort of the experience.

Sure, Porsche offers the mature man's 911, the Panamera, but the current generation, even after the revamp, can't really get over the drawbacks brought by the project's initial experimental status. Porsche has even done the unthinkable, admitting mistakes have been made, especially in terms of cabin accommodation.

Well, the second-generation Panamera is set to become the ultimate "four-door 911" and, judging by the spy photos we've seen in the past, you should already start a dedicated savings account if you haven't already done so.

The new set of spyshots we are bringing you today brings as a Panamera Executive (long wheelbase) test vehicle lapping the Nurburgring. Actually, our photogs have also snapped a standard Panamera prototype - the car being driven on public roads, but we've talked about that on multiple occasions before, so we'll focus on the Executive.

The packaging

First of all, we have to explain the elongated version was sort of an afterthought introduced by the Panamera's mid-cycle revamp following customer feedback indicating the need for greater leg room in the rear.

With rumors of Porsche considering a four-door model slotted below the Panamera (something like the Macan is to the Cayenne), we may not get an Executive with the second-generation Panamera, as the standard car might grow in size.

Fret not, performance fans, Zuffenhausen will still be Zuffenhausen, so the Panamera won't go soft. If you want proof, just take a look at that superhero cape-like rear spoiler (the current generation already has a generous one, but this apparently wasn't enough).

Despite the increase in size, the 2017 Panamera is rumored to shed some 200 lbs (90 kg), which means that while we'll get more room, the overall weight won't go past two tons anymore.

The cabin

The past series of spyshots has brought us a glimpse of the dash - As you know, Porsche follows the "one-button-one-function" philosophy and while we personally fancy the design, many people don't like the fact that this can make a Panamera's center console look like a keyboard.

Well, it seems that Porsche is preparing to give us a cleaner design. Who knows, perhaps they'll even borrow Audi's Head-Up Display technology they refuse to install on current models.

The motivation

Porsche has already launched a twin-turbo V6 offensive, but the new Panamera will travel much further than that, both up and down the performance ladder. On one hand, the German automaker should replace its aging V8. On the other hand, the company might go further down the hybrid road than it has with the current model, which features an Audi-supplied supercharged V6 and a 70 kW (95 hp) electric motor.

Will we received four-cylinder hybrid powertrains under the Chinese market pressure? Or will Porsche prove the now-old 700 HP hybrid rumors were correct? With their obsession for engineering, one can never be sure. We might even get both.

As for the all-electric rumors, these are reserved for the sub-Panamera model, which Porsche is said to be developing in order to show Tesla what a performance electric sedan actually means.

As for the aforementioned financial advice, we're just going to mention one thing. When Porsche introduced the EUR250,000 ($310,000) Panamera Exclusivenews/porsche-panamera-exclusive-is-insanely-lavish-costs-eur-250000-88317.html last fall, things seemed to be getting out of hand. Want to try and guess what happened to it? The 100 units were sold out in 48 hours.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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