The 2023 Porsche Panamera splits the difference between the automaker’s legendary 911 sports car and its popular Cayenne SUV.
Like the 911, the 2023 Panamera sits low to the ground and wears classic Porsche styling cues from its sleek nose to its tidy tail. Like the Cayenne, the Porsche Panamera has four doors, a back seat, and a liftgate that opens to reveal a roomy cargo area. So does this car represent the best of both worlds? Yes, perhaps it does.
Porsche offers the Panamera in Standard, Executive long-wheelbase, and Sport Turismo wagon body styles. In addition, numerous powertrains are available, ranging from a twin-turbocharged V6 and rear-wheel drive to an all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid based on a twin-turbo V8. Prices range from $92,400 to $196,400, not including the destination charge of $1,450. The only change for the 2023 model year is the addition of adaptive cruise control as standard equipment.
To keep things simple, this review applies only to the standard Panamera body style equipped with the base twin-turbo V6.
What Owners Say About the Porsche Panamera
According to J.D. Power, the Porsche Panamera competes in the Large Premium Car market segment. Data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the J.D. Power 2022 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study shows that 84 percent of new Porsche Panamera buyers are male (vs. 82 percent for the segment) and the median age of a new Panamera buyer is 67 years (vs. 65).
As part of the APEAL Study, owners rated the Panamera in 10 primary categories. Listed below in descending order, you’ll find their preferences, from their favorite thing about the vehicle to their least favorite:
- Exterior styling
- Driving feel
- Powertrain
- Feeling of safety
- Driving comfort
- Interior design
- Setting up and starting
- Getting in and out
- Infotainment
- Fuel economy
In the 2022 APEAL Study, the Panamera ranks fourth out of five Large Premium Car models.
What Our Independent Expert Says About the Porsche Panamera
In the sections that follow, our independent expert analyzes a Panamera Platinum Edition equipped with the following options:
- Luxor Beige interior
- Premium Package
- Sport Chrono Package
- Rear-axle steering
The test vehicle’s price came to $110,820, including the $1,450 destination charge.
Getting In and Getting Comfortable
Because the Panamera is low-slung, getting in and out is more challenging than with the company’s Cayenne SUV. However, you will be perfectly comfortable once you’ve parked yourself in any of the Panamera’s four seating locations.
That doesn’t mean you’ll have lots of room to spread out. But it does mean that four adults enjoy outstanding seat comfort, legroom, headroom, and support within the car’s intimate confines. The back seats are particularly satisfying, and if you really need to carry a fifth person in the car, you can opt for a five-passenger layout.
Front seat occupants face a simple, flat dashboard adorned only with partial digital instrumentation, a touchscreen infotainment system, and an electronic ignition switch in its traditional location to the left of the steering column. A large analog tachometer with a digital speed readout dominates the middle of the instrumentation, and on either side of it, Porsche provides configurable digital displays.
Extending from beneath the infotainment screen, a gloss black control panel houses the transmission shifter and a smattering of physical and touch-sensing controls. Some of these are redundant to the infotainment system, while others are not.
Toggles operate the cabin temperature settings and are easy to find and use. Others, like the volume control and hazard flashers, are inconveniently placed behind the shifter. In addition, reflections and the control panel’s angle, aimed more at the ceiling than users, make the touch-sensing buttons hard to see.
On the steering wheel spokes, you get oversimplified controls. You’ll find stereo volume, one-way radio tuning, and a programmable “favorite” button on the left. On the right, phone, digital instrumentation, and a “back” button reside. The steering wheel’s shape is purposeful, especially in the nine-and-three o’clock positions, but the leading edge has a sharp radius that some people may find uncomfortable.
A Drive Mode knob sticks out to the lower right of the steering wheel’s center hub, unmatched by a similar design on the lower left, causing visual asymmetry. Adaptive cruise controls are on a crowded lower left stalk that is hard to see, read, and use.
The control panel with the shifter and secondary controls bleeds into a center console with a densely padded driver armrest. The passenger’s side of the console contains the obligatory cupholders. Unfortunately, storage space under the lid is shallow, leaving you to use a small covered bin just below the shifter, the trays in the lower door panels, or the glove compartment.
Porsche extends the center console to the rear seats, dividing the individual seating positions. The test vehicle had a four-zone climate control system and heated rear seats, and the controls for these reside on the console. A storage armrest folds down, and cupholders live in a covered location between the seats.
Quality oozes from every nook and cranny of the Panamera’s interior. The test vehicle’s materials, fit, and finish were flawless.
Porsche Communication Management Infotainment System Review
Every 2023 Panamera has a Porsche Communication Management infotainment system. It includes the following features:
- 12.3-inch touchscreen display
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Wireless Apple CarPlay
- Wireless Android Auto
- SiriusXM 360L satellite radio
- HD Radio
- Connect Plus service with navigation and Wi-Fi access
- Porsche Car Connect service with remote access, car finder, and vehicle tracking system
- Voice Control voice recognition system
In addition to these features, the Platinum Edition test vehicle had wireless smartphone charging and a 14-speaker Bose premium surround-sound system that did not produce the audio quality you expect in a six-figure automobile.
Panamera owners rank the car’s infotainment system as one of their least favorite things about the model, but I didn’t find it particularly troublesome. Porsche does an excellent job of organizing the on-screen menus and layers, and after you’ve taken the time to set everything up to your personal preferences, interaction with the display is minimal. And while traditional stereo controls would be nice to have, using the ones on the steering wheel is easy enough as long as you don’t mind the irritating one-way tuning function.
Porsche’s Voice Control system also helps with using the infotainment system. During this evaluation, it worked well to find destinations and points of interest while driving in unfamiliar territory.
What It’s Like to Drive the 2023 Porsche Panamera
As you spend more money on a Porsche Panamera, you get more power and performance. However, the car’s base twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 engine provides enough thrills, so you may not need to upgrade.
My Panamera Platinum Edition’s twin-turbo V6 made 325 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 331 pound-feet of torque between 1,800 rpm and 5,000 rpm, which is good for a run to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, according to Porsche. With the optional Sport Chrono Package, that time drops to 5.1 seconds.
The V6 uses an eight-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission (DCT) to power the Panamera’s rear wheels, and all-wheel drive is available. My rear-drive test car averaged 19.3 mpg on the evaluation loop, falling just short of the EPA fuel economy rating of 20 mpg.
In addition, my Panamera Platinum Edition offered Normal, Sport, and Individual driving modes, and the test vehicle’s optional Sport Chrono Package added a Sport Plus mode. These settings adjust powertrain behavior, the adaptive air suspension, and the speed-sensitive steering.
Porsche added an optional four-wheel steering system to the test car, which makes the Panamera more maneuverable at low speeds and more stable at higher speeds. Platinum Editions ride on 21-inch wheels wrapped in 275/35 front and 315/30 rear all-season performance tires.
While the Panamera’s standard engine provides good acceleration, it isn’t the right choice for drivers who can’t resist a challenge or need to dominate others. If you want to flex, get a more powerful Panamera.
Nevertheless, it is too easy to drive too fast in this car. At 75 mph on the highway, it feels like you’re traveling at half that rate of speed, and I used the adaptive cruise control mainly as a tool to prevent losing my driver’s license.
In addition, the Panamera is remarkably quiet on the highway, and if you’re driving in Normal mode, the car can feel soft and sleepy. Frankly, enthusiast drivers will find the highway driving experience boring, but it will prove perfect for anyone seeking a refined, smooth-riding, silent luxury car.
In urban and suburban situations, the Panamera’s DCT regularly reminds the driver that it is something other than a traditional automatic transmission. However, as DCTs go, Porsche’s Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) is among the best. Shift action is crisp and decisive, and the evident mechanical ballet occurring within the car’s drivetrain is a delightful sensation for driving enthusiasts. Other Panamera owners might be less enthusiastic.
Switching into Sport or Sport Plus mode, I headed into the local Santa Monica Mountains to evaluate the Panamera’s performance as a sports car. As expected, the Porsche was great to drive, with one exception. Brake pedal response and modulation dented my confidence in the Panamera Platinum Edition.
Though equipped with 350mm internally ventilated disc brakes at each corner and featuring six-piston front brake calipers, my Panamera test vehicle provided less initial brake response than expected. Then it required more muscle on the pedal to obtain the slowing necessary before the next turn. Even after miles spent threading Mulholland Highway, I didn’t acclimate to this behavior. However, it is easy to bring the Panamera to a smooth, clean stop in the city and in traffic, which frequently isn’t the case with performance-oriented vehicles.
Aside from that, the Panamera turned in a flawless performance on Mulholland. Though the Panamera has proper transmission paddle shifters, after a short trial of them, I let the PDK sort things out. That’s because cabin isolation and the muted engine revs and exhaust note can make it hard to shift by ear, which introduces distraction to the proceedings.
Grip proved extraordinarily good, and while the test vehicle did not have all-wheel drive, the car’s tail remained planted while accelerating out of sharper curves in the road. In addition, the adaptive air suspension also eradicated every unwanted body motion regardless of pavement undulations, and the variable steering was quick, sharp, and precise.
Overall, the 2023 Porsche Panamera Platinum Edition deftly serves two purposes that are typically at odds with one another. In Normal mode, it indulges its driver and occupants in quiet, comfortable luxury. In Sport or Sport Plus mode, it can tackle the twisties more confidently than many sports sedans. And no matter where you’re driving, the experience is largely rewarding.
2023 Porsche Panamera Safety Features Review
If the Panamera’s impressive dynamic traits cannot thwart trouble, the standard list of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) aims to keep the rubber on the road and the bodywork free of damage.
Every 2023 Panamera features:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Forward-collision warning
- Automatic emergency braking
- Lane-departure warning
- Lane-keeping assistance
- Front and rear parking sensors
In addition, the Panamera Platinum Edition has:
- Blind-spot warning
- Lane-change assistance
You can add additional features, including a surround-view camera, a night vision system, and Porsche InnoDrive. The InnoDrive system works with the adaptive cruise control and navigation map data to predictively provide smoother, more efficient highway travel. It also includes a Traffic Jam Assist function that pairs the adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assistance for semi-autonomous driving assist at speeds under 37 mph. However, note that you must still pay attention and keep your hands on the steering wheel.
The test vehicle did not have InnoDrive, night vision, or a surround-view camera, and I only wished for the latter feature. It would have come in handy, though outward visibility is unexpectedly good without it.
As for the ADAS, the newly standard adaptive cruise control worked well during a day trip to the desert to view California’s wildflower bloom. However, I did discover that large pavement seams can confuse the lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assistance systems.
Otherwise, like with most German vehicles, the lane-keeping technology operates transparently unless you genuinely need it to correct an issue. Then, at that point, it acts decisively to prevent an unintended lane departure.
2023 Porsche Panamera FAQ
How much cargo space does the 2023 Porsche Panamera have?
Power open the Panamera’s massive rear hatch, and a trunk providing 17.6 cubic feet of cargo space is ready to accept luggage. You can easily fit a couple of full-size suitcases underneath the cargo cover, but the liftover height is high due to the tall load sill.
If you remove the cargo cover, you can fit more items into the Panamera. And if you’re not planning to bring rear-seat passengers along, you can fold them down and enjoy a commendable 47.3 cubic feet of maximum cargo space.
Does the 2023 Porsche Panamera get good gas mileage/have a good driving range?
The Panamera Platinum Edition’s official EPA fuel economy rating is 20 mpg in combined driving. On the evaluation loop, the test vehicle averaged 19.3 mpg. Based on this result and the car’s 23.7-gallon fuel tank, you can travel 457 miles if you drain the tank dry. Since that’s unwise, you should plan to stop to refuel every 400 miles or so.
Is the 2023 Porsche Panamera safe?
Typically, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) do not perform crash testing on relatively low-sales-volume cars like the Porsche Panamera. In addition, these organizations have limited budgets, so they usually prefer to spend it on lower-priced models that will sell in higher numbers. So, from this perspective, it isn’t possible to definitively state whether a 2023 Panamera is safe.
How much is the 2023 Porsche Panamera?
The most affordable version of the 2023 Panamera will set you back $92,400, while the most expensive model starts at $196,400. Expand to include the Executive and Sport Turismo models, and the top end of the price range is $206,800. Also, don’t forget to add the destination charge of $1,450.
What are the 2023 Porsche Panamera competitors?
In the J.D. Power 2022 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the BMW 7 Series ranks highest in the Large Premium Car segment. No other models ranked higher than the median score.
In the 2022 APEAL Study, the Mercedes-Benz EQS ranks highest in the Large Premium Car segment. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7 Series are the next highest-ranked models.
Other competitors to the Porsche Panamera include the Audi S7 and RS 7, BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe and M8 Gran Coupe, and Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe.
Independent Expert Opinion
The Porsche Panamera is significantly more expensive than other midsize luxury sports sedans. Part of that is because it is a Porsche. The other part is that it is superior to many of its rivals in most respects.
In addition, the Panamera’s available all-wheel drive, four-passenger seating, sportback design, and 911-inspired styling make it a remarkably practical choice, blending elements of a sports car, sports sedan, and sport/utility vehicle in a single model. That jack-of-all-trades capability could make a Panamera an enticing value proposition.
I’ve liked the second-generation Panamera since my first experience driving one (on a closed-course autocross). Living with the car for a week only cemented those favorable impressions. But make no mistake. The Panamera’s excellence has a cost.
