Porsche Panamera 2010

Vehicle Summary
While the launch of Porsche's Panamera four-door performance hatchback isn't quite as significant as when the German automaker entered the SUV segment, it's a milestone nonetheless. Available with a choice of high-power V-8 engines, the Panamera has the potential to broaden Porsche's appeal, much like the Cayenne SUV did when it debuted for the 2003 model year. The Panamera hits dealerships in fall 2009. Competitors include the Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class and Audi S8.

Vehicle Overview
While the launch of Porsche's Panamera four-door performance hatchback isn't quite as significant as when the German automaker entered the SUV segment, it's a milestone nonetheless. Available with a choice of high-power V-8 engines, the Panamera has the potential to broaden Porsche's appeal, much like the Cayenne SUV did when it debuted for the 2003 model year. The Panamera hits dealerships in fall 2009. Competitors include the Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class and Audi S8.

Exterior
The Panamera is an unusually styled four-door, to say the least. While it features a traditional hood with Porsche-style headlamps, when you move around to the side of the car its appearance changes significantly due to its hatchback rear styling.

Even though the Panamera is a front-engine car, it definitely takes cues from the automaker's 911 in its back end. It's the kind of design that some people will love and others will loathe.

The Panamera comes to market with three trim levels: S, 4S and Turbo. S and 4S trims have 18-inch wheels, while Turbos have 19-inch rims.

Interior
In the 911 you wonder why Porsche even bothered equipping it with its tiny rear seats, but the Panamera's backseat accommodations are much more inviting. There are two rear bucket seats just like in the first row, for a total of four seats, and a flow-through center console runs from the dashboard all the way back to the rear seats. A dual-screen entertainment system is available for backseat-passenger enjoyment.

The Panamera's instrument cluster is reminiscent of other Porsche cars, but the center console is fitted with numerous buttons around the gear selector. A dash-top stopwatch is available.

The Panamera's cargo area measures 15.7 cubic feet, but when you fold the backseat there's 44.6 cubic feet.

Under the Hood
The rear-wheel-drive Panamera S is powered by a 4.8-liter V-8 that makes 400 horsepower and 369 pounds-feet of torque. The engine teams with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and Porsche says S models can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds on the way to a top speed of 175 mph. All-wheel-drive 4S models feature the same engine and transmission, but are quicker to 60 mph (4.8 seconds, according to Porsche).

The all-wheel-drive Turbo model features a twin-turbo 4.8-liter V-8 that pumps out 500 hp and 516 pounds-feet of torque. It also uses Porsche's seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and cuts the zero-to-60-mph time to 4 seconds. Its top speed increases to 188 mph.

Safety
Standard safety features include antilock brakes, side-impact airbags for the front seats, front knee airbags, side curtain airbags, rear-seat side-impact airbags and an electronic stability system.