All set for the launch, Porsche Panamera is expected to become an instant hit among the car enthusiasts worldwide. The four-door and the four-seated luxury sedan will be a front engined rear wheel drive car. Expectations are rife that the Panamera will offer three engine choices – a 3.6 L V6 which is found in the 2008 Cayenne with a 300 hp in the base Panamera, a turbocharged 4.8 L V8 with 500 hp in the Panamera Turbo, and a 4.8 L V8 with 405 hp in the Panamera S. Experts also anticipate the V-10 and the V-12 engine in the near future.
Scheduled to be pitched against the likes of Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and Maserati Quattroporte, the Panamera is planning to enter the market as a less expensive alternative. Panamera is going to be the first V8 engine sports car by Porsche ever since 1995. However, it’s interesting to know that the earlier prototypes of four-door sedans such as the 4 door 911 based prototype or the 1991 Porsche 989 prototype never went into production.
Panamera incorporates some of the best styling features and this coupled with state-of-the-art technological specifications would make this car a real bonanza for the potential customers. At 76 inches it is indeed a wide sedan even wider than Mercedes-Benz S-class. The height measures 55.8 inches and the length is 195.7 inches. The power plant is the Volkswagen’s 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine with 300 horsepower. The Porsche’s new PDK dual-clutch gearbox is expected to appear in all the proposed models.
The rear wheel drive will be the standard though the turbocharged version will be coming with an all-wheel-drive. The interior is cozy and seems to be more driver-friendly. The driver-oriented dashboard and the folding rear seat for increased cargo space are some of the other attractions in this model. The 911-style window arc is much more evident and the elongated headlight seems to be an import from those of the earlier generations of 911s. The front design suggests a very similar front to that of 911 and Boxster. Though the design elements are taken from the 911 range yet there are significant differences. The taillights are comparatively larger and they move into the car’s rear flanks. The four door coupe keeps pace with the design offered by most of its competitors in this segment.
2009 Porsche Panamera Spy Footage
httpv://in.youtube.com/watch?v=vQHCSk4TZQI
Porsche is launching the model with a two-fold objective – marketing it both as a true sports car and also as a family car with the four full seats and increased cargo space with sliding rear seat. The initial reports suggest that the base car will come with a sticker price of $127,000. Leipzig is all geared to do the final assembly. Though the price tag seems to be quite on the higher side yet Porsche is hopeful of selling 20,000 Leipzig, Germany-built Panameras annually. As per the current reports the production will start in April 2009 and at least during the start, Porsche will keep the production rate at around 20,000 cars per year.
Great front, but the back is an uneasy mix of a wagon and sedan. It should be unapolageticly one or the other.
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