Photo: Porsche / Cadillac / BMW / Mercedes-AMG / Genesis
The German automaker recently debuted the third generation of its first 'sedan.' The Panamera looks mostly the same as its predecessor, and you could almost mistake it for a good facelift. However, it also boasts several tricks and treats up its sleeve.
For starters, the five-door liftback/fastback sedan form factor may be the only one sold with the new underpinnings – it seems the five-door Shooting Brake wasn't' worth the effort of deploying it during the second generation. When it was presented, a lot of people thought it wasn't worth having a 911 with more doors – but a lot of folks also didn't know the Cayenne had any chance of survival, and that one turned out to be the company's best-selling model for years to come.
Sure, the parallels stop there between the Cayenne and Panamera – the latter never reached the same level of hype and deliveries as the crossover SUV. Obviously, many also thought that Porsche would retire the nameplate once the Taycan came out to the EV party, especially since the models seem to rival each other. However, it turned out that they were complementing each other instead.
As such, in 2023, we reached the moment when Porsche presented the all-new third-generation Panamera. Interestingly, no one really talks about the new cockpit that's very close to what the Cayenne facelift offers. Also, no one is too surprised the base Panamera rocks a V6 with 348 hp and Porsche plans to offer four different E-Hybrid options on top of that! The Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid is the first of them to come out, and the reworked 4.0-liter V8 plus electric motor offers a combined output of 670 hp and a potentially great EV range thanks to a large 25.9 kWh battery pack.
Instead, everyone muses about the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur's Panamera Turbo Sonderwunsch version that debuted in Shanghai with real gold embedded in the two-tone paintjob or about the company's latest gimmick – the wild active suspension that's unlike anything rivals have. Just look at the social media post embedded at the end of the article and imagine the galore of ideas that will hit the Internet when the first examples of Panamera reach their intended customers! However, it would be a mistake to think the Porsche Panamera has an open road to success.
Photo: Porsche
If you are in the market for a luxury executive car that's a bit different from the regular sedan, there are a few options already out and about. First things first, the 2024 Porsche Panamera will kick off at an MSRP of $99,900 plus the $1,650 delivery processing and handling fee, and that's with the 2.9-liter V6. The Panamera 4 with AWD already costs $106,900, and the pricing for the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid is not even live yet. For example, the first rival that springs to mind is the Audi A7 series. The Ingolstadt-based model starts from a lot less – a 2024 A7 is $71,200, the S7 kicks off at $84,500, and the RS 7 is $127,800. The understated styling is also present here, and some might argue that the Audi is about the same without the additional MSRP penalty caused by Porsche's finicality.
Next comes the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe, a four-door fastback that's a lot easier on the eye than the all-new 7 Series and caters to the executive class's sporty side. Pricing draws near to the Panamera as BMW wants at least $90,800 for the 840i Gran Coupe with 335 horsepower. xDrive is cheaper, though - $93,800. If you wish for the mighty M8 Competition, the MSRP jumps to $141,680, quite a bit over the asking price of an RS 7. If you want a Mercedes-Benz instead, there are two options to discuss – the CLS Coupe starts at $76,500, but there's only the CLS 450 4Matic to choose from. Alternatively, you could always spend a lot more on the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, which kicks off at $95,900 in GT 43 form and boasts another three versions – GT 53, GT 63, and GT 63 S, topping out at no less than $170,350.
Slowly but steadily, we are going into the stratosphere, as you can see. However, if you don't want that and seek to stand out in a crowd, we have a couple of alternative options for you to consider. If you want to be a little traditional, the Genesis G80 or G90 seem like thoughtful options – the former is just $54,150 for the 2024MY and has the Electrified G80 at almost $80k to consider. The latter kicks off at $89,200, still less than what Porsche wants on a new Panamera. Meanwhile, although it's slightly smaller and maybe a bit too American for European tastes, I would drop any Panamera for a chance to rock the 2024 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing around the track or during some feisty canyon carving! So, what do you think, what's your choice?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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