Four doors don't diminish Panamera's prowess

This review first appeared in the October 2019 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg

   

Sacramento, California – I recently jumped at a chance to take a 2019 Porsche Panamera GTS for a spin, having not been in a Panamera in three years.

I just wanted to once again experience the thrill of those four doors on a Porsche high-performance car.

Right ... I actually wanted the thrill of feeling 453 horsepower unfold from a finely tuned machine at my command.  It was totally worth it.

Of course, the Panamera is shunned by some ultra-Porsche purists because it does have four doors.  They cry: "How can a Porsche luxury sports car with all that horsepower really call itself a Porsche with four doors built into it?"

I won't even go there, because my all-too-brief ride in this Panamera was a heart-pumping blast.

Accelerations off the line were exceptional, and even with the twin-turbo, 4-liter V-8 humming along easily at 70 miles per hour, reaching for more produced a satisfying press of my body deep into the driver's seat.  A deep, angry-sounding note from the engine was a bonus to my ears.

The zero-to-60 mph run is advertised at 3.9 seconds with the sport-tuned package, and I completely believe that number.  This was fast company, so fast that I had to be careful not to overdo it. You can hit 90 mph in this ride in the blink of an eye.

Some of my auto-reviewing colleagues don't like the wide stance of the Panamera GTS, but I had no problem with that.  I thought the nearly 77-inch width contributed to its stability.  Top-tier performance brakes added to the feeling of security.

My tester tore into an admittedly modest slalom course with monorail-like stability.  Nary a wiggle even at high speeds.

  

I watched another auto reviewer put the same GTS through its paces, and I was impressed with the vehicle's classic aerodynamic lines as it cut through the air.  I was an adoring audience of one.

This being a Porsche, there was no shortage of luxury and comfort in the interior cabin.  Everything was within easy reach, although I did have to do some squirming around in the driver's seat to get a good all-around view of my surroundings.

Black leather throughout was comfortable, although hot at first on a sultry California day.

Fuel mileage came in at a fair 19 miles per gallon in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

Alas, this was a short Fantasy Island trip as the starting fare for this beauty was in the $130,000 ballpark.  Understandably, Porsche wanted its machine back and out of the hands of a lowly car tester.  Can't say that I blame them for that.

All in all, the Panamera impresses on nearly every level.  If you have a problem about its four doors, well ... I feel sorry for you.