A detailed tour of Porsche Panamera 10 Years Edition
Words : Neeraj Padmakumar
Photography: Sarath S
Most people think of Porsche as a two-seater sportscar maker. The first thing you would think of when I say Porsche would most likely be a Carrera or a 911. The Porsche Panamera had broken this stereotype upon its launch in 2010. The Panamera, as you know, is a sportscar for the family. It can seat four people comfortably while still catching up easily with the 911 on track. It is large, it is fast, and it is stylish! In fact, I would have called it the most practical Porsche if it were not for its SUV siblings- the Cayenne and the Macan.
Tracing the History
“Why not build something that is as fast as a 911, but can seat four ?” Porsche had started asking themselves this question back in the late 19080s. After days and months of design studies, Porsche finally developed the 989 concept. The 989 was a 4 door performance sedan concept that had taken shape under Porsche’s engineer Dr. Ulrich Bez. It had a front engine-rear wheel drive layout and a wheelbase of 2826mm. The 989 was designed by the renowned automotive designer of the time, Harm Lagaay. Things were smooth until 1991 when the company slumped into a financial crisis and the project was abandoned. The 989 prototype is still on display at the Porsche museum.
The Panamera
The 989 could be called the predecessor of the Panamera. Porsche restarted working on the idea of a four-door sportscar in the late 2000s. They came up with the Panamera four-door concept at the Shanghai Auto show in 2009. In 2010, this concept was put to life and was given the name Panamera. The name comes from the Carrera used at the Carrera Panamericana race. The Porsche Panamera is a front-engined car with both RWD and AWD on offer.
The Panamera, right from its first generation, has been striking an ingenious balance between driving dynamics and occupant comfort. It has always been a Porsche without compromises. The Panamera nameplate has thus amassed MASSIVE responses from customers all over the world since its debut. Over 2.5 lakh units have so far been sold globally. The second-generation car (971), the one which is on sale today, was launched in 2016.
Panamera 4 10 Years Edition
Porsche had entered the Indian market in 2010 and had brought in the first-gen Panamera soon after. Thus 2020 marks 10 years of both the Panamera and the carmaker in the country! The Panamera 4 10 Years Edition was introduced globally in 2019, to celebrate 10 years of the Panamera line. However, Porsche waited till 2020 to bring it down to the Indian shore so that it celebrates 10 years of the marque here. Like many selected journalists from around the world, I was also invited by Porsche to have a first-hand experience of the 10 Years Edition.
What’s So Special About The 10 Years Edition?
There are quite a number of changes in this special edition car. Porsche has given it as many visual upgrades and insignia as the number of mechanical and equipment beef-ups inside. Being a limited-run model, the 10 Years edition has everything to lure the well-off enthusiast. Let us first talk about the key design highlights:
- The Panamera 4 10 Years Edition runs on massive 21-inch wheels, which come finished in satin-gloss White Gold metallic, something that is exclusive to this edition. These wheels are shod with 315/30 rubber at the rear and 275/35 in the front.
- The car gets a unique ‘Panamera10‘ inscription in a number of places, denoting its special edition genes. These too are finished in White Gold, rendering them a premium appeal. You can see these on both the front doors, the front door entry guards, and the passenger trim panel on the inside.
- The interior gets black partial leather and premium White Gold stitching. The overall layout remains unchanged from the standard Panamera 4.
- The 10 Years Edition also stands unique for the fact that it comes specced by Porsche unlike the regular car where you would have to spec your car yourself. Thus, a lot of equipment, which otherwise, would have to be had as paid extras are standard on this car.
- The car gets LED Matrix headlamps with PDLS Plus (Porsche Dynamic Lighting System) as standard, providing for stronger and sharper throws at night.
- Driver aids like Lane Change Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Park Assist, Reversing Camera, and comforts like a large panoramic sunroof, premium BOSE audio system etc are also standard.
- The Panamera 10 Years Edition also gets a bunch of performance aids as standard offerings, even though the engine and other mechanicals remain unchanged. The car remains to be powered by the same 2.9L Biturbo V6 churning out 330PS, paired to Porsche’s 8 speed automatic transmission. Zero to hundred comes in 5.3 seconds and the top speed is around 262kmph. The standard offerings include Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), adaptive three chanber air suspension, Power Steering Plus, and the like.
The Panamera 10 Years Edition seemed quite appealing to me for what it offers. It is stylish, comfortable for four, epic in performance and decently specced. The car bears an ex-showroom price tag of INR 1.60 crores.
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