Here's What The Entry-Level Porsche Panamera Gets You In 2024

More than enough performance for everyday shenanigans

The entry-level Panamera, like the base Cayenne, is powered by a V6. It’s a similar engine, but the Panamera packs a 2.9-liter unit with twin turbos instead of the 3.0-liter unit and a single turbocharger under the Cayenne’s hood. The engine sends identical 348 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque through the rear wheels as standard. There’s an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic taking care of those lightning-fast gearshifts. Surprisingly, Porsche opted for its revered PDK gearbox over the widely used torque converter automatic for the Panamera.

The new Panamera produces 23 horsepower and 37 pound-feet more than the previous generation, which is impressive. To be honest, 348 horsepower is still pretty potent, and the V6 sounds pretty fruity when you ring it. If you want extra grip and better acceleration, the Panamera 4 is for you. It’s the same car with an all-wheel drive system. Well, I don’t think you need to explain the benefits of an all-wheel drive system, but with the added grip, the Panamera should clock 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and 5.0 seconds without it. Top speed is 169 mph, which is something you can’t test on public roads, but you have to trust Porsche. But it is well beyond the 155 mph number, a.k.a. the Gentlemen’s agreement, that most German performance sedans often adhere to.

Surely, at $104,795 with the destination charges, even the base Panamera is not a cheap car, but thankfully you get some proper hardware for your money. There’s an engine strut bar under the hood for added stiffness, six-piston 14.1-inch front disc brakes, and four-piston 13.0-inch rear disc brakes. By default, all Panamera models also get the adaptive air suspension. So, with just a few touches, you can jack up the ride for maximum comfort or lower it close to the ground for added cornering confidence.

Another major reason to stick to the base rear-drive Panamera with the V6 is for how frugal it can be. Sure, it’s no Prius, or one of the more efficient E-Hybrid models, but the EPA’s combined 21 MPG rating isn’t disastrous, and with a full tank of gas, you’re looking at around 500 miles of range. Are you still sure you want to choose an EV now? Overall, you shouldn’t miss out on driving dynamics either, since this is a Porsche after all and the experience behind the wheel takes precedence.

The cheapest Panamera Doesn’t look like a base model car

The Panamera is a luxury sedan, and it certainly looks the business from every angle except for those standard 19-inch wheels. You can opt for the larger 20 inches for about $2,500, but for added comfort and less road noise, I’d stick with the standard wheels. Apart from that, the new generation Panamera brings a sharper headlight design with Porsche’s signature Four-point lights. It is worth noting that, these aren’t the HD Matrix LED units; those will cost you up to $2,390 should you choose the black, tinted ones.

At the rear, the base Panamera, like the higher-end trim levels, gets a full-length LED lightbar and an electronically adjustable spoiler. Additionally, there are twin tailpipes, one on each end. If you want a fruiter exhaust note from that V6, you can opt for the optional $3,500 sport exhaust system with quad tips.

Packs all the luxury you need

So, what does the interior look like inside a $100,000+ luxury sedan? If you ask this question pointing to a base Panamera, you’d be surprised. Let’s start with the seats.14-way power-adjustable comfort seats with heating functions come as standard. These are leather-wrapped seats, by the way; no fake leather upholstery. One point to note: the interior of the base Panamera features a 2+2 layout. This means there are bucket seats for two passengers at the rear. Pay $1,000 and get a middle seat, i.e. a full bench with separate headrests. The steering wheel is heated as standard and leather-wrapped—thanks, Porsche! It also features a rotary dial to control the driving modes; you don’t need to opt for the Sport Chrono package for this feature.

On the tech front, you now get an all-digital 12.6-inch curved driver information panel, which replaces the older digital analog instrumentation. Am I a fan? Well, I loved the center-mounted analog tachometer from the outgoing generation Panamera. However, if you don’t care and want to customize the driver’s display with maps and other necessary information, this new digital display should be great. A 10.9-inch infotainment display sits in the middle of the dashboard and is no different from what you get with the Macan EV. It supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, like most modern cars. First seen on the Taycan, you can opt for the 10.9-inch secondary passenger display for $1,630. As for the sound system, there’s a 10-speaker unit offered as standard.

Features like adaptive cruise control are available as an option, while lane-change assist, lane-keeping assist, emergency braking, and parking assist do come as standard. While you do get a lot of luxury and an extensive list of standard features with the base Panamera, you’d have to pay extra for some of the essential ADAS features that are available on Hyundais for free.

Summing Up The Cheapest New Panamera On Sale Today

So, is the base Panamera up to the task of being a luxurious performance sports sedan? If you ask me, yes. Compared to the outgoing Panamera, this latest model is about 10 grand more expensive, but you do get a lot more equipment as standard, and the Panmera while a steller handler, was not much of a looker, until now. As to why I prefer the base model over the other higher trims in the line up? It’s because I feel that you have better control over how you wish to customize the design and several other attributes about the vehicles and add more features while still saving thousands ’and you’re not really missing out on much as compared to other trims. As for how they stack up against other flagship luxury sedans from the likes of BMW or Mercedes, well, they’re not Porsches and there’s no better way of summing up the latest Panamera.