The whole car is coming at the end of November – here's the view from the hot seat
By Matt Bird / Tuesday, 7 November 2023 / Loading comments
Porsche is making a huge deal of the upcoming Panamera, suggesting back in September (when the first details were released) that it would set new standards. You wouldn’t bet against it – the current generation has always mixed it with the best supersaloons since 2016, and the Cayenne has demonstrated just how comprehensive a Porsche update can be. No surprise, then, to find that the new Panam follows the SUV when it comes to the interior refresh. There’s a tangible Taycan influence, with the gear selector up by the wheel, a display for the passenger and a similar layout for the vents and their controls.
Encouragingly given the touchscreen bin fire has been reignited by the Volvo EX30, Porsche says that a ‘key feature’ of the design was to get all the important stuff for driving ‘in the immediate vicinity of the steering wheel’. Good to hear. That means the toggle for adjusting the 12.6-inch instrument cluster info and the drive mode switch are actually on the steering wheel. What ever will they think of next?
As for the centre console (now boasting more real estate with those functions on the wheel) Porsche states that the new Panamera – and this is a big claim given the current climate – ‘combines touch surfaces and physical switches into a solution that is as intuitive as it is elegant.’ Naturally, we’ll believe it when we use it. The storage bin is now larger (hurrah!) and it’s nice to see red leather remains a Panamera option to add some further pizzazz to the environment. Black leather with this many screens might be pretty sombre.
For the first time, moreover, the Panamera is being offered with leather-free upholstery, and it’s more interesting than usual; Porsche suggests that materials like Race-Tex and Pepita (it houndstooth-style check) might be combined ‘with each other’. Instagram isn’t ready for that spec to drop, surely.
Also set to carry over from the previous version is the Executive model, now with newly contoured rear seats to ensure that passengers back there ‘arrive even more relaxed after long drives.’ All revised Panameras, Exec-spec or otherwise, will get ambient lighting across the entire width of the dash, plus better seat foam for improved comfort.
All the signs are good, basically, Porsche seemingly taking what it knows works from other models and using those features to refresh another model. It worked for the Cayenne, so there’s little reason to doubt its effectiveness for the upcoming Panamera. We’ll see the outside on November 24th, where the full car reveal will celebrate 15 years of the Panamera, with a first drive likely early in the anniversary year.
- Porsche confirms Panamera unveil for November
- 2024 Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid | PH Review
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