The Porsche 911 is easily one of the best sports cars in history, but like many coupes of its kind, it's not very practical. The cargo compartment is small and the rear seats aren't even suitable for most children. The good news is if you're seeking similar thrills with the convenience of a sedan, you're in luck. The 2021 Porsche Panamera masterfully fills that role.
Like the 911 lineup, the Panamera is offered in a dizzying array of choices. There are three available body styles plus eight trim levels that deliver varying degrees of performance. For 2021, some Panamera models receive power increases, hybrid models gain larger batteries, a new Panamera 4S E-Hybrid debuts, and last year's Panamera Turbo becomes the more powerful Turbo S.
Whichever Panamera you choose, you're guaranteed to get one of the best sport luxury sedans available. Check out our Expert Rating below to get our in-depth analysis of this year's Panamera.
Our verdict | |
The Panamera is one of the most athletic luxury sedans available. It's also fairly practical thanks to its hatchback design. But there are also some downsides, such as a needlessly complicated user interface and high price. | |
How does the Panamera drive? | |
Porsche proves that a large luxury sedan doesn't have to be barge-like or clumsy. The Porsche Panamera offers a masterful blend for those who want to still enjoy the drive as much as they desire comfort. The entry-level Panamera's 2.9-liter V6, which is what we tested, provides enough oomph to get to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds. The brakes are equally powerful and hauled down our Panamera to a dead stop in a ridiculously short 102 feet. We'd be shocked if this were anything else other than a Porsche. And it's not just straight-line performance that the Panamera does well. Steering response and accuracy are among the best in class, as is the way it moves around corners. The Panamera is always composed, sure-footed and nimble. The base model won't bend the laws of physics like the higher-performance spec models do, but there's more than enough athleticism to uphold Porsche's performance reputation. And when you're not out for thrills, the car just works the way you'd expect any luxury sedan to. The only small criticism we'd add is a heavier-than-usual accelerator pedal. It's something you may adjust to over time even if we weren't able to after a week of driving. | |
How comfortable is the Panamera? | |
Some luxury sedans do comfort better than the Panamera, but few can match its performance at the same time. Few concessions have been made in exchange for the impressive dynamic capability. The suspension impressively smooths out bumps in the road. Make sure to get the optional sport seats. The standard seats lack some adjustment and support during hard driving, even though they provide decent baseline comfort. The climate control interface is fussier than it needs to be, with touchscreen-controlled vents that look cool but are less convenient than simple manually pointable vents. The system itself offers ample cooling capacity, and the heated seats and ventilation function effectively. As far as noise goes, there's an ever-present faint hum of road noise. However, wind and ambient noise on the highway is all but absent, and the engine is well muffled when you're just cruising. | |
How’s the interior? | |
This-generation Panamera forgoes the glut of traditional buttons of its predecessor, but the touch-sensitive buttons that have replaced some of them aren't necessarily better. Some buttons take a few presses to work and can require you to take valuable attention away from the road. We like that there's still a touchscreen and appreciate the small dial control that provides some redundancy in how you control things. There's plenty of space in the Panamera up front. There's less in back compared to the rest of the class unless you opt for the long-wheelbase model. The driver's seat and steering column have an excellent range of basic adjustments to accommodate drivers of almost all sizes. The view out of the back window is slightly obscured by the rear headrests, but surround-view camera coverage makes this a non-issue at parking lot speeds. Visibility out of the front is excellent. Getting in and out of the Panamera is easy. The doors don't have traditional detents but will stay open in any position you want. They also close with ease. Our test car had the soft-close door option, which will even finish closing the door for you if it's not shut all the way. | |
How’s the tech? | |
The standard Bose sound system is good enough that you probably can save on the pricey audio upgrade. The sound is rich and clear, and we could crank the volume to our ears' content. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration is standard, and the onboard nav system is one of the better systems if you're not using your phone. The main screen is responsive and easy to control. We love the gauge cluster pod that can cue up a small navigation screen. But we're less impressed with the smartphone accommodations. Bluetooth took a little longer to connect in our testing than in other cars. We also found our test smartphone got hot in the wireless charger, which also failed to provide adequate charging power while our phone was in use. And there aren't many options for charging beyond that. Our test Panamera lacked standard USB ports for rear passengers, which is disappointing for a flagship luxury sedan. Advanced driver aids are almost all optional in the Panamera, which is unusual for a luxury brand. When we've tested Porsche's aids, we found them to be mostly well tuned to avoid false alarms. | |
How’s the storage? | |
The Panamera benefits from a hatchback trunk, but it doesn't reap as much of an advantage as that body style usually imparts. Cargo space is pretty generous on paper, with 17.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. But since the trunk is a bit shallow and has a higher liftover, it's not as convenient as it could be. The seatbacks can split and fold flat to allow for longer items, but since there's also no remote seatback releases to lower the seats from the hatch, you have to do so from the rear doors. The Sport Turismo's cargo space is only marginally bigger, but its lower liftover height and upright hatch allow easier loading of bulky items. The door pockets, bins and glovebox are all on the small side, leaving you limited options for your personal items. Car seat anchors are a little hard to locate — they're very deep within the slits in the seat. The top tethers for front-facing seats are fairly accessible, but the cargo cover in back has to be removed in order to route them through. The limited rear legroom will also limit the size of the seat that this car will accommodate unless you get the Executive long-wheelbase model. | |
How economical is the Panamera? | |
The EPA estimates fuel economy for the rear-wheel-drive Panamera with the V6 at 20 mpg combined. This isn't all that great as the Panamera 4S, which makes much more power and has all-wheel drive, achieves the exact same rating. On our evaluation route, which includes a fair amount of highway roads, we achieved a promising 24.6 mpg. At least this indicates to us that the Panamera should have no issue achieving its EPA estimates. | |
Is the Panamera a good value? | |
Porsche build quality is often top-notch, and the Panamera is fundamentally solid. However, some of the interior materials in our car fell a little short of what we'd expect in a $100,000-plus luxury performance sedan. For example, we thought the door materials and even the drive mode knob on the steering wheel felt a little cheap. You'll also end up paying more than the Panamera's base price since many desirable features are extra. This does not make the Panamera a bad choice, but it's not exactly a great value for the money either. Porsche's warranty coverage is standard for the class with four years/50,000 miles of basic and powertrain coverage. Roadside assistance runs for the same duration. | |
Wildcard | |
The Porsche Panamera is much better than the average luxury sedan in terms of driving fun. Few cars can match the way the Panamera engages its driver. It also does the luxury thing pretty well. And with the latest redesign, the Panamera has more pleasing styling than earlier iterations. Sleek, sporty, modern, refined — the Panamera is a complete package. | |
The 2021 Porsche Panamera comes in three body styles: the regular Panamera sedan, which actually has a hatchback-style trunk; a longer-wheelbase Executive model with additional rear seat legroom; and the Sport Turismo, which has a wagon-like profile and additional cargo space. There are also many trim levels available that are distinguished by different drivetrains and features, but not in every body style. These include the base Panamera, Panamera 4, Panamera 4S, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, Panamera 4S E-Hybrid, Panamera GTS, Panamera Turbo S and Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.
NOTE: This video is about the 2018 Porsche Panamera, but since the 2021 Porsche Panamera is part of the same generation, our earlier analysis still applies.
2021 Porsche Panamera
2021 BMW M5
You get a lot more with a BMW M5 compared to the Panamera. The BMW packs 600 horsepower and more standard features, and with a starting price slightly less than the Panamera 4S, it definitely holds a price advantage. Going with the Porsche, though, gives you greater flexibility with body styles and options.
There are other, more affordable Mercedes-AMG GT sedans in the lineup, but our pick goes to the V8-powered AMG GT 63. It costs more than the Panamera GTS and has more power and traditional Mercedes luxury, but it isn't quite as athletic.
The Audi RS 7 (or the less expensive S7) is a great alternative to the Panamera. For similar money, you'll get more standard features from the RS 7, and the 591-horsepower V8 should get your blood pumping just as hard.
The Porsche Panamera packs Porsche performance into a more usable body than the historic coupes that built the brand's reputation. Available with a V6, V8 or hybrid powertrain, in rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, as a sedan or liftback, and in regular or long-wheelbase versions, the Panamera offers a staggering array of choices. And based on our experience, they're all good to drive.
First, caveat lector: We've only driven the new 4S E-Hybrid so far. And the one we did drive was quite a ... uniquely specced car. It was also a German-market model. That means not only did the navigation not work here in the U.S., but all sorts of bits from the exhaust to the engine tuning are ever so slightly different from the eventual U.S. model.
The new 4S E-Hybrid's acceleration is only a few tenths off the current Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, with a maximum claimed 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds (3.6 seconds for the Executive). That kind of power in a car that's likely to tip the scales over 5,000 pounds made us glad for the carbon ceramics, even if they did make limo stops in the long-wheelbase Executive devilishly hard. (Did we mention nobody would spec a Panamera this way?)
The occasionally grabby low-speed behavior of those massive carbon-ceramic brakes aside, we had very, very few complaints. Porsche's efforts with the car's suspension were designed to create a wider window between comfort and sport settings, and they succeeded. The ride won't be mistaken for an S-Class, but in Normal mode it does an admirable job evening out bumps. The Executive's longer wheelbase certainly helped as well. The trade-off is noticeable body motion if you forget to switch to Sport before tackling a corner. Few cars change personality so completely at the push of a button.
Porsche doesn't have official EPA range numbers yet, but maximum range is sure to increase from the current 14 miles. Even at 75% charge, our car estimated more than 20 miles of available electric range (but remember, German model, not final, YMMV, etc.). It seems likely that if it's left plugged in overnight, you'll be able to handle an average commute without ever firing up the V6. And while the car isn't very electrifying to drive without the gas motor switched on, it's certainly more than passable as a commuter.
Porsche hasn't done much to the interior beyond a new steering wheel and a new clock face (which you'll be able to buy as a matching watch from Porsche Design, of course), so our basic praises and complaints about the interior still stand. Construction and materials are impeccable, and there's a surprising amount of room up front (and a perhaps unsurprising amount of room in the back of the Executive model, which is Legroom City). But visibility runs the gamut from "eh" to "is there a car behind me?" and the low-set windows make the interior feel tighter than it really is. Oh, and the piano black center console creates blinding glare if the sun hits it just right. Invest in some polarized lenses if you're picking up a Panamera in sunny Southern California.
Again, not much has changed. Porsche is pushing improvements to voice commands and has introduced wireless Apple CarPlay, but our German-spec tester and 3-year-old Samsung mobile didn't really allow us to test either. A full verdict will have to wait until we get a U.S. model in for official testing sometime next year.
Edmunds saysThe Porsche Panamera does a better job of being all things to all people than it has any right to. It's a comfortable sedan; it's a sharp, confident sports car; it's a plug-in capable of short stints of all-electric driving (if you spec it that way); and it's very, very good at almost everything it does.
According to Edmunds’ car experts, here’s what’s new for the 2021 Porsche Panamera:
The least-expensive 2021 Porsche Panamera is the 2021 Porsche Panamera 4 Sport Turismo 4dr Wagon AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8AM). Including destination charge, it arrives with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of about $98,000.
Other versions include:
