2010 Porsche Panamera
It seems like the rumors of a four-door Porsche car have been dribbling out of Stuttgart for almost as long as MotorWeek‘s been on the air. Certainly, over the last three years, we’ve been fixated on every hint about the first sedan to wear the Porsche name in the firm’s 78-year history. Well, Porsche’s new flagship is no longer a rumor. This is the Panamera fastback sedan. Longer than a Cayenne SUV, it’s also the biggest Porsche ever. So, can any car this large perform like a true Porsche? Well, now’s our time to find out.
The 2010 Porsche Panamera takes its name from the legendary Carrera Panamericana race of the 1950s. While Porsche calls its first Gran Turismo a 4-door sedan, it actually has a rear hatch that makes five. But that’s only part of why Panamera’s styling is polarizing. While unmistakably Porsche, it’s on the conservative side, which should fit well-heeled sedan buyers. Frankly it also reminds us of a C6 Corvette-at the headlights, hood bulge, and even the side scoops.
With its long 115-inch wheelbase, and 195.6-inch overall length, the profile does start off coupe-like. But it becomes more tear drop towards the rear to allow for adult-sized backseat leg and headroom, something the rival Mercedes-Benz CLS lacks. The back view is wide, as if through a fish-eye lens. The hatch is well concealed, as is the retractable spoiler, with uniquely styled quad exhausts. Wheels are 18-inch standard, with optional 19’s.
The Panamera is also the first front-engine Porsche car since the 928, driven by a pair of direct-injected V8s from the Cayenne. Panamera S and 4S use the normally-aspirated 4.8-liter with 400 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. The Panamera Turbo adds twin turbochargers for 500 horses and a massive 516 pound-feet of torque.
Gear change is Porsche’s latest 7-speed dual-clutch PDK automatic with manual paddle-shift mode. It feeds either the rear wheels of the Panamera S or all four wheels of the 4S and Turbo models. At our track, our Panamera 4S blazed from 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds, and shot through the quarter mile in 13.5 seconds at 105 miles per hour. With Launch Control on, our car leapt out of the hole with a beastly roar. The PDK gearbox isn’t as quick as in the 911, but it’s smoother.
The Panamera’s chassis is defined by a front double-wishbone and a rear multi-link setup, all governed by Porsche’s Active Suspension Management. The adjustable dampers can be set to Normal, Sport, and suspension-lowering Sport Plus. In Sport Plus, we sliced through the cones in a razor-sharp manner. Steering response is perfect. The Panamera is a big, 4100-pound car. But that size seems to disappear the harder you push it. Our 4S also benefitted from optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control with its two active roll bars. Even at ridiculous speeds, cornering is flat.
Superb stopping power comes from four-wheel vented discs armed with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston in the rear. Stops averaged a very short 116 feet from 60 to zero. The Panamera just squats to a stop.
While the Panamera’s exterior may be controversial, the interior is a feast for the eyes. Beautifully trimmed in wood and even carbon fiber, there’s plenty of space for its four adult-wide seats. Your focus is drawn to two areas: the cascading 5-bezel gauge cluster, and a center console master control panel. There’s a lot of switches here, but they’re logically grouped. Navigation data is viewed on a large center stacked screen, and inside one of the gauges. Optional is a 17-speaker, 1000-watt Burmester stereo.
Rear vision is mostly blind spots, so both the available camera and front-rear parking sensors are recommended. The rear seats require little contortion to get to, and as we mentioned before, adults will find a generous space with headroom boosted further by a scalloped headliner. Amenities include adjustable vents, armrest with cup holders, and an available twin screen DVD system. Impressively practical, drop the 40/20/40 rear seats to expand luggage space from 15.7 cubic feet to a crossover-like 44.6.
Government Fuel Economy ratings for the 4S are 16 City/24 Highway on premium gas. We managed only 16.7 in mixed driving. The Panamera uses a mild hybrid-like start/stop system to shut down the engine at traffic lights.
Panamera pricing starts at $90,750 for the S, $94,750 for the 4S, and $133,550 for the Turbo. There’s no gas guzzler tax. That’s a notch above an S-Class, but comparable to an Audi S8. Naysayers can have a seat, because Porsche has done it. The 2010 Panamera is a primo luxury sedan and sports-car-for-four all rolled into one. Styling aside, this unique saloon delivers everything it promises, plus a lot more.
Specifications
- Engine: 4.8-Liter
- Horsepower: 400
- Torque: 369 Lb Feet
- 0-60 MPH: 4.9 Seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 13.5 Seconds @ 105 MPH
- 60-0 MPH: 116 Feet
- EPA: 16 MPG City/ 24 MPG Highway
- Mixed Loop: 16.7 MPG
2025 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
Baby Rover Continues To Evolve
When most people hear “Range Rover” they tend to think of high class, high performance and high dollars. But, Range Rover does the entry-level thing quite well too with this Evoque. It has plenty of posh attitude, along with some recent updates. So, let’s see how the Evoque continues to evolved.
Our involvement with the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque’s evolution began when this small utility first arrived for 2012. It looked more Spice Girl than Tough Mudder, but it packed a surprising amount of capability into its subcompact dimensions. This second gen arrived for 2020, and has gained recent updates at the most likely midway point in its lifecycle.
Intrigued but not necessarily enthused could probably best describe our history with the Evoque, but Land Rover always has a way of drawing us in with very tasteful designs. They pretty much got this one right back in 2020, so styling revisions are largely limited to new Pixel LED headlights and a reshaped front fascia. There’s also new super-red signature lighting in back, all of it done to bring the Evoque more in line with the rest of the Range Rover family.
And like all of its siblings, all-wheel drive is standard and it does have Terrain Response 2 with specific off-road modes, but no one’s expecting to see a lot of Evoques out on the trail, unless there’s a new Lululemon Outlet at the other end of it having a killer sale.
Land Rover has once again taken the P300 296-horsepower version of the Evoque’s 2.0-liter turbo-four out of the lineup, leaving just the standard 249-horsepower version under the clamshell hood. No complaints from us, its 269 lb-ft of torque is more than adequate to move this 3,900 lb. ute around.
And at Mason Dixon Dragway, it moved us to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds. There was plenty of traction off the line, and while not overwhelming, power feels plentiful, staying very consistent down the track. Gearchanges in the Evoque’s nine-speed automatic transmission were quick and smooth, barely a blip in the process as we finished the quarter-mile in 16 seconds flat at 85 mph. Plenty quick for a compact utility with luxury intentions.
[It maneuvered] with a substantial presence that not too many small utilities have.
It felt quite good through our handling course too, with a substantial presence that not too many small utilities have. The Evoque uses selective braking to torque vector power between all four wheels, and it enabled us to cruise through the cones quickly without any excessive understeer or oversteer. There was some nosedive during our panic braking test, but the brakes were very responsive and strong enough to bring us to a halt in a short 115 feet from 60.
But, it’s the inside experience that really matters with any luxury vehicle, particularly in a Range Rover. And here things look more high-end Swedish than Tudor or Victorian, with a minimalist cabin design that’s way more visually appealing than practical. There’s real leather covering just about everything, and what appears to be just a tablet stuck in front of the dash is a new 11.4-inch touchscreen. Not only are the inner workings much faster than the previous infotainment setup, but the entire interface of this Pivi Pro system is vastly better than the split screen approach of before.
The center console that leads up to it appears much less cluttered and frees up some additional space for storage. The shifter is still here, but it has gotten much smaller. Front seat space and comfort remain high, though rear seat room is still very tight for adults. Cargo space is not bad for a small utility, with room for 21.6 cu-ft. of gear in the hold, which expands with 40/20/40 split-folding seatback flexibility to 50.5 cu-ft.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 20 City, 27 Highway, and 22 Combined. That’s an average Energy Impact Score, using 13.5 barrels of oil annually, with CO2 emissions of 6.6 tons.
Land Rover has been paring things down in the Evoque lineup for years, no longer offering a two-door version or the convertible, and now have simplified things even further to just the P250 available in only two trims: S, which stickers for $51,175, and Dynamic SE, which starts at $56,375; but you can add just about every package available and still come in right around $60,000.
Luxury-minded utility vehicles are coming at us from all angles these days, but the 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is a bit unique in that it remains as sort of a cheat code for sneaking you into the Range Rover VIP experience. You’ll feel like you’re getting away with something every time you drive it.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 2.0-liter turbo-four
- Transmission: 9-speed automatic
- Horsepower: 249
- Torque: 269 lb-ft
- 0-60 mph: 7.7 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 16 seconds at 85 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg): 115 feet
- EPA: 20 City | 27 Highway | 22 Combined