The luxury sedan with a sports car’s soul, Porsche’s Panamera rolls into 2024 with a bolder look and a host of improvements to its powertrain and suspension, along with enhanced connectivity and driver assist systems.

We experienced the Panamera and all-wheel drive Panamera 4 on a fast cruise through the Andalusian countryside near Seville, Spain…enroute to a speed date with the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid around the Monteblanco Race Circuit.

A newly-developed two-valve air suspension is standard on all models and allows the adaptive dampers to adjust the rebound and compression stages independently, stretching the range of chassis capabilities between comfort and performance, and delivering faster chassis response.

Available only on e-hybrid models, Porsche’s new Active Ride Suspension, with two-valve shocks and single chamber air springs, ups the ante in both handling and comfort with pitch and roll mitigation, Active Cornering Dynamics, and automatic ride height.

DAVE SCRIVENER: “Now we’re checking out Porsche’s Active Ride System, and what this does is it counteracts the car’s natural tendencies, so when you go into a corner, it actually leans in like a motorcycle would. When you accelerate and the car would be squatting, it picks the back up. When you brake and the car would dive in the front, it picks the front up. The objective is to keep the driver’s point of view on an even keel and make the occupants less , um, topsy turvy in curves and things.”

The Irish like to say, “May the road rise up to meet you.” But in a Panamera, the car will rise to meet you with its comfort entry feature, which we gotta admit is pretty cool.

Styling of the 2024 Panamera takes on a sportier persona akin to the 911, with sharply creased lines, more pronounced front fender arches and a more deeply contoured hood. window lines are re=drawn to give a more coupe-like appearance, while lighting is revised both front and rear. Turbo e-hybrid models get distinctive styling cues and accents in the exclusive turbonite color.

Inside, the Porsche Driver Experience Cockpit is more focused on ease of use and ergonomics for the pilot, while the shotgun seat gets an optional 10.9-inch screen only visible to them. It can display performance data and navigation, and allow passenger control of the infotainment system, including video streaming.

Base Panameras get their motivation from a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, now making 348 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. This powertrain is more than adequate in most driving situations.

For blasting those hilly back roads, the Turbo E-Hybrid offers up a tweaked twin-turbo V8 coupled to a newly developed 140-kilowatt electric motor that is integrated into the housing for the new 8-speed PDK automatic. This not only saves 11 pounds of weight but optimizes heat management for the motor. Combined output is 670 horsepower and 685 pound-feet. What that means is a 3-second blast to sixty and a top speed of 195 miles per hour.

With delivery fees included, Panamera base prices will start at $101,550. Panamera 4 bumps up to $108,550, and while Turbo E-Hybrid has yet to be confirmed…it will be positioned decidedly upmarket.

Stay tuned for our full tests of the 2024 Panamera range, and in the meantime, we’ll have more First Drives soon, right here on MotorWeek!