The Porsche Panamera has always lived a difficult life. It’s neither the car that saved Porsche: the Cayenne, or a car that has mass-market appear, like the Macan. It’s also a decidedly old-school product, by being a big saloon in the age of the SUV and crossover. It’s only been rendered ‘old-school’ in the last four years or so, but the effect is profound. It feels way behind the curve.
In retrospect, it feels like the Panamera was the ‘other’ option that Porsche considered when its financial future looked particularly murky. Porsche needed a mass-market car and they chose the Cayenne, and time shows this was the right decision. The Panamera then showed up seven years later, and almost felt as if Porsche had thought, “hey, the Cayenne did well… why don’t we just send out the other one, too?”
From that point in 2009, the Panamera struggled. It was ugly, and in a confused, stretched, squashed two-box hatchback kind of way. The Panamera’s rude appearance was rather strange, especially as Porsche had pulled off the ‘four-door 911’ look with the 989 concept 18 years earlier. The 989 was by no means a good looking car, and perhaps it was too rigid and almost ritualistically dogmatic when it came being a ‘four-door 911’, but it did look like a Porsche.
The Panamera looked neither like a Porsche, save for the obligations to design language, or a four-door 911.
Then the Panamera went and became the first Porsche with a diesel engine, and the Panamera’s reputation was now at its absolute lowest.
In 2017, the second-generation Panamera was released, and hope was rekindled. Some of the awkward edges were ironed-out and all was apparently forgiven. It wasn’t beautiful, but it was reserved and mature and looked as if it’s gestation had been uninterrupted. It also had a wicked folding rear spoiler, too. It was also offered with a forward-looking hybrid option, and the most powerful Panamera was in fact a hybrid with a combined 670bhp.
Next came the Panamera Sport Turismo, which did look good and was more practical, and all seemed complete in the life of the Panamera.
However, under the surface, old wounds remained open.
For all of Porsche’s pedigree as sportscar maker, the Panamera, even in its sportiest trim, could never comprehensively outdo its more established rivals; the BMW M5, Mercedes E63 AMG, and Audi RS6. The Panamera would feel the nicest to drive in terms of steering or control positioning and weight, but its pureblooded heritage meant it never could match the hotrod spirit of its competitors.
Then came the usurper, the threat from within: the Taycan.
Et tu, Brute?
Time will show the Taycan needed to happen. Porsche needed to embrace Electric Vehicledom like it had the upmarket SUV boon. It needed to get in early, and to dig in.
So the Taycan has gone for the Panamera’s jugular.
It doesn’t take long to realise the Taycan is a much better judged car than the Panamera, and succeeds at everything that the Panamera doesn’t.
You could argue the Taycan looks similar to the Panamera, but in truth the former is far more charismatic and distinctive in its appearance. The Taycan is a leader in its class and gives off a positive and contemporary image, and is faster too.
None of these things could be said about the Panamera. And even worse for the Panamera, there’s even a Taycan Cross-Turismo, which makes the eclipse of the Panamera’s bloodline complete.
Even range anxiety does not appear and give hope to the Panamera’s bad hand of cards, as anyone that does drive mega miles sure as heck doesn’t do them in a diesel Panamera.
The Taycan, with its 200-ish mile range, is more than capable of doing a normal car’s work, and anyone wealthy enough to afford a Taycan will probably have another conventionally-powered car for extremely long journeys.
With approximately 22,000 Taycans already sold, and more being sold every day, where does this leave the Panamera?
The Panamera now only serves those that want a practical Porsche but hate the idea of SUVs or EVs, and the poor souls trying to generate enough, “I’ve got deep pockets”, clout with Porsche to get a new GT3.
Beyond that, there is little hope. The Panamera has been superseded comprehensively, and perhaps the all-electric future is in fact the all-electric present.
Kerbside 