20 Mar 09
Three final pre-production Panameras lie in wait for us at Porsche's secret test facility. After all the Internet vitriol over its styling, today we will finally be allowed to get up close and personal with the Panamera: to prod it, sit in it, learn its technological secrets and even get a passenger ride.
You won't forget the first time you see a Panamera - it's a beast of a car. It's five metres long and nearly two metres wide, but surprisingly low so that it looks as much a coupe as it does a luxury limo. Understanding why it looks this way is the key to understanding the Panamera.
It's been designed to ferry four adults in complete comfort, yet also to possess the genes and ability of a genuine sports car - not just the flimsy membrane of applied 'sportiness'. There is no fifth seat on the rear pew; every individual seat, front or rear, is like a sports 'bucket' seat. Each has individual climate control, electrical adjustment and even a heating/cooling system. The rear pair (along with the centre armrest) fold flat, raising the luggage capacity from 445 litres to 1,263 litres.
