about us | newsletter | contact | archive | members area
Bogdan Nitulescu, Tremend
Cryptocurrencies volatility is a big problem»
  News:      POLITICS   |   ECONOMICS   |   ENERGY   |   INVESTMENTS   |   APPOINTMENTS   |   INFRASTRUCTURE   |   GREEN   |   REAL ESTATE   |   AGRIBUSINESS   |   DRIVING   |   CITY LIFE   |   EVENTS   |

Handling a sporty limo

As Porsche takes on the limousine market with the Panamera, Adrian Ion discovers whether driving the car through Bucharest can spin heads

February 2011 - From the Print Edition

2 Photos
Porsche has evolved to keep up with the latest trends and market demands in various segments of the auto market over the last ten years.
At first the group took up the challenge of an SUV and the result was the Cayenne – which became a huge success.
Then it risked introducing a diesel engine – a pragmatic choice for the luxury market – and the diesel Cayenne became one of the best selling models.
Meanwhile Porsche has managed to keep developing its original sport versions, so the choice of a genuine Porsche car is there for Porscheophiles.
There is still the iconic 911 turbo and its mean cousins - the GT2 and GT3 - and a turbo choice in the Cayenne family that can develop as much as 550 hp, to keep the fun factor alive and kicking.
So how about the Panamera?
This is a family friendly limousine, with four seats, four doors and a decently large boot. When launched, the car received mixed reviews in terms of design - but everyone praised its handling and drive. Is this enough to convince the Porsche customer to buy the automobile? If he or she wants a family car, there are cheaper Cayennes, which are larger and more versatile. If they want a sports car, there is the Cayman and the 911. So what is the unique selling point?
I took the Panamera 4S for a test drive. This is the 400 hp version, aspirated engine and four wheel drive, in the middle of the range in terms of power, between the Panamera 320 hp and the Panamera Turbo with 500 hp.
The first impression when turning the ignition was that I was in a sports car. There is an impressive roar that will turn on the alarms of nearby parked cars. And there is a button on the central console that inspires the sound of the exhaust to even more drama.
Inside, I counted no fewer than 48 buttons and switches on the central console and radio unit – a multitude by any standards. A driver needs time for adaptation. I had the car for one day and found it difficult to intuitively put my finger on the right button when driving. But this should not be a problem after two or three days with the car. Meanwhile the dashboard and central console are similar to those in the Cayenne.

Fun drive
The drive was more diverting than expected - the first surprise was that, although this is a limousine, it drives like a smaller car and I could not feel its weight. Contributing to this sensation are the lightweight materials, but also the different electronics - such as the adjustable suspension which changes the behavior of the car in an instant, depending on driving conditions.
The V8 engine in the Panamera S and 4S delivers enough power to take a driver as fast as they want to a top speed of over 280 km/h. Being an aspirated engine, it develops the power smoothly and in a linear way, as opposed to the turbo - which may surprise with bursts of power. All engines are fitted as standard with the PDK transmission, which works well and offers the comfortable ride of an automatic, but in the Sport and Sport Plus modes it keeps the engine revving up to deliver the right amount of power for sporty driving.
The competition comes from the Audi A8, the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, as well as the more exotic Maserati Quattroporte and Jaguar XJ. Prices at this level are never low even in the base standard equipment - but it is the optional extras that will hurt the pocket - so a wise and balanced thinking is necessary when ticking those tempting boxes. Prices for the Panamera base model starts at 84,508 Euro plus VAT and for the tested Panamera 4S start at 113,797 Euro including VAT.



COMMENTS
'.$nr_comm.' comment:
'; } else { echo 'There are '.$nr_comm.' comments:
'; } while ($row = mysqli_fetch_array($result, MYSQLI_ASSOC)) { echo '
'.$row['nume'].": on ".$row['data']."
"; //echo str_replace('\n','
',$row['comentariu']); echo nl2br($row['comentariu']); echo '
'; } ?>

0 Comments  |  7028 Views
Daily Info
Smart city is not a fad, it's a necessity

In June 2018, the ranking of the most "smart" cities in the world was published. In other words, the most advanced cities in terms of human capital, social cohesion, the econo...

Ondrej Safar, CEZ Group: "Romania can become a hub for international smart solutions providers"

"We are already in the digital age, so the upward trend of implementing smart solutions is inevitable in all areas," he tells The Diplomat-Bucharest. "Especially in terms of u...

Telekom Romania, a strong supporter of Smart City development in Romania

Just like many other countries in the world Romania is now facing an unprecedented growth of the urban population, which can be both beneficial and detrimental for the society...

In the industrial era, the fight was for finite material resources. Not anymore

Now organizations fight and develop themselves for and around their talent. In a nutshell, getting ahead in today's business world is all about attracting and inspiring an e...

Richard Sareczky, Mol Limo: "We look at expansion locations across CEE including Romania"

Consumer mobility behaviour is changing, leading to up to one out of ten cars sold in 2030 potentially being a shared vehicle and the subsequent rise of a market for fit-for-p...

 
 
   
advertising

advertising

advertising

More on News
President Iohannis urges Romanians to be more united, stay involved in modernizing Romania

Romania's President Klaus Iohannis urged Romanians in France to be more united and stay involved as much as they are now in helping modernise Romania.

2 Comments

ArcelorMittal receives binding offer for European assets from Liberty

British-owned Liberty announced a conditional agreement to buy four European steel plants, employing more than 12,500 people.

3 Comments

The Romanian labour market needs a well-thought approach, says FIC

The Foreign Investors Council (FIC) has signaled in the past 2-3 years that its members are anticipating increasing strains on the Romanian labour market because starting w...

1 Comment

Revolut gets European banking license

Fintech startup Revolut is now officially a bank. While the startup initially expected to get its European banking license during the first half of 2018, the company has fi...

1 Comment

EBRD cuts economic growth forecast for Romania

Romania's economy will grow by 4.2 per cent this year and by 3.6 per cent in 2019, according to the most recent forecast released by the European Bank for Reconstruction an...

1 Comment

Dacia receives 115.8 million RON in state aid from the Finance Ministry

The Romanian Finance Ministry has signed five more grant agreements under the state aid scheme, and among the beneficiaries are Automobile Dacia, with RON 115.8 million.

1 Comment

OTP Bank Romania signs investment funds distribution deal with Eurobank Fund Management Luxembourg

OTP Bank Romania signed a partnership with Eurobank Fund Management Company (Luxembourg) for the distribution of investment funds in Romania. Thus, from December 1st, OTP B...