Micro Road Test: We drive the Porsche Panamera

September 13, 6:41 PMAuto Review ExaminerJohn Matras

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It wasn't for long and the weather wasn't pretty, but we've driven the Porsche Panamera and we're here to report that--no surprise--it's a true four-place automobile, but it's not, as one might expect, the Porsche of sedans.

Our brief stint was at a media event and we had to share the Panamera with a crush of other journalists all wearing rain gear or holding umbrellas horizontally to shield off the pinhead-size wind-driven raindrops, and any dry place would have been a welcome respite. Sliding into the pudding-soft leather of a 2010 Porsche Panamera 4S, however, was being doubly blessed.

We would have only two and a half miles in the Porsche Panamera, however, so we would make the most of it. Selecting Sport Plus mode that visibly lowers the car, sharpens the response and raises the threshold for the Porsche stability control to kick in and probably other things we didn't have the opportunity to thoroughly explore: " Through the Sport Plus button, the optional Sports Chrono Packages enable the driver to choose at the touch of a button the high-performance configurations for the engine, drivetrain and suspension systems, including Porsche Traction Management (PTM ) with its fully-controlled all-wheel drive."

At idle the Porsche Panamera 4S is silent, or at least it seemed as much with the tempest swirling about. Unleashing the 400-hp V-8 under the hood, however, made a tempest of its own, with a vigorous roar and a forward urgency of something with "surface-to-air" in its name.

The all-wheel drive helps, of course. There's not a hint of slip in conditions that had, for example, a Dodge Challenger SRT sliding around like a trombone section playing Flight of the Bumblebee. Whether in a straight line, around curves or digging out of corners on the wet race track, the Panamera 4S sticks like a price label on the bottom of a souvenir beer stein.

Our Porsche Panamera 4S was the midrange of the trim levels Porsche will bring to the U.S. at introduction time. The Panamera S has the 400-hp V-8 but with rear wheel drive only. The Panamera Turbo is powered by a turbocharged 500-hp V-8 and comes with all-wheel drive.

Regardless of configuration, the 2010 Porsche Panamera looks like nothing else on the road, smaller and lower than it looks in photos. Only 55.8 inches high and about four inches taller than the 911 Carrera, it looks lower because of its extra length. From the inside, it doesn't look or feel like a sedan.
And once out on the highway, regardless of the weather, we doubt the Porsche Panamera will feel like anything else on the road.

Illustration: Rear badging of 2010 Porsche Panamera 4S, from Porsche Cars North America photography.

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