Porsche Panamera: First ride report

We found a nice first ride report with the new Porsche Panamera.

And moreover, while producing utterly improbable, face-twisting lateral g loads for a car that weighs 4344 pound and stretches 195.7 inches. This is a big, big car, and it's snaking around the track's narrow ribbon of asphalt fast enough to give Captain Bligh motion-sickness. Maybe a trio of g-hardened test pilots could stand this for awhile, but otherwise it's essentially a car that's faster than mortal passengers can endure.

The Panamera's weight (4101 lb for the 400-horsepower all-wheel-drive non-turbo Panamera 4S, and 3903 lb for the rear-drive S) is deceptive. Porsche has been fanatical in trimming unnecessary pounds and has extensively employed lightweight materials up front to offset the engine's mass. Much of the car's nose structure is composed of aluminum (including the hood, front fenders, doors, rear hatch, and an almost Brancusi-like cast engine cradle), with even magnesium making an unusual appearance near the nose. Moreover, there are occasionally even bits of nothing.

Related news: GermanCarBlog, P4MR, Porsche Panamera

Source: Motor Trend

Porsche Panamera: First ride report

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