Porsche launches Panamera Turbo S

The upgraded body kit adds a big improvement in aesthetics

Though it might have taken a bit of flak for the way it looks, no one can deny that Porsche’s four door grand tourer, the Panamera, has been pretty much going great guns every since it was launched back in 2009. Packing the mental performance that the Stuttgart based sports car maker is renowned for with its 911 model into a luxurious four-door four-seater certainly proved to be a winning formula. But now, Porsche has taken the already bountiful performance of the Panamera and added some more for good measure.

Christened the Turbo S, this new model has become top-of-the-line Panamera. The 4.8 litre, V8 biturbo charged engine now delivers 550 hp, about 50 hp more than the standard (if you can call it that) Panamera Turbo. By the same measure, the torque also increases from 700 Nm to 750 Nm. In the Sport and Sport Plus modes of the standard Sport Chrono Package Turbo and during kick-down in normal mode, the eight cylinder engine delivers fully 800 Nm with the using the overboost function. All this extra power is available thanks to improved turbochargers with titanium-aluminium turbine wheels and modified engine control.

Porsche Panamera Turbo S (airplane not included)

And with this increased power output, even the performance figures have suddenly been boosted. Using Launch Control, zero to 100 km/h takes just 3.8 seconds while the top speed has become 306 km/h. Despite the increased performance, fuel consumption remains at the moderate level of the Panamera Turbo. Porsche claims that the Gran Turismo can deliver an overall mileage figure of 8.7kmpl, which is really not bad considering the performance levels it offers.

The Panamera Turbo S also features Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) to control body lean when cornering, Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) for variable torque split to the rear wheels for superior traction and speed-dependent Servotronic steering. As for the exterior treatment, 20-inch Turbo II wheels with an increased rear axle track width, side skirts from the Porsche Exclusive range and the adaptive extending four-way rear spoiler fitted as standard convey the performance prowess of the Turbo S. Pricing for this new variant is set at Rs. 2.65 crore (ex-Showroom Delhi).