Porsche Panamera GTS review: the driver’s long-legged executive express

Ooo! That’s a Porsche, right? An electric one? Everything seems to be going that way.

You’re half right. Yes, it is a Porsche. But it’s not electric. See, if you’re an electro evangelist, this is something called a Panamera. It’s like a Taycan… but thirstier, noisier and easier to cover lots of miles in. Mainly because it runs on this readily available liquid called ‘petrol’. This magical fuel is burnt in a very theatrical way that creates, noise, excitement and energy and eventually lots and lots of speed.

Interesting. Do these Panameras come in different flavours?

Many. Available in both normal saloon or more booty ‘Sport Turismo’ spec, there are now 15 variants of these two-tonne, tech-laden executive shuttles, starting from £70k but going all the way up to £145k for the wordy-but-awesome Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo. That’s before options. Which is knocking on the door of 911 levels of choice. But if there’s another way to skin a cat, Porsche will sure as hell do it. Because profit margins.

So what’s this one?

A GTS. Which sits handily in the upper mid-range of the portfolio. Designed to fill the gap between 4S and Turbo, it’s the sporty but not insanely powerful one that collects all the best bits from the Panamera options list and blends with some visual tweakery to increase the desirability. Being a sporty, luxury, GT/Autobahn animal with a penchant for tracks, like many things in 2021, it struggles to define itself.

Ah GTS. That’s the ‘enthusiasts’ choice, right? So I’m guessing naturally aspirated engine, manual gearbox, RWD and infinitely clickable damper rebound settings?

Well, back when the Panamera GTS was first introduced 10 years ago it did in fact come with a naturally aspirated 4.8-litre V8. And you could get manuals and rear-wheel-drive Panameras back then too. Sadly, this isn’t the case now as this new GTS is part of the hefty mid-life facelift all Panameras have recently gone through – so think of it as GTS generation 2.5. The styling has been tweaked (most successfully at the neater, tidier rear end), the engine upgraded with more power while coughing out less bad stuff, while the chassis and cabin have been given a little more love.

So what does it have?

Like the second generation, this new GTS is fitted with a detuned 4.0-litre turbocharged engine from the Turbo. Power is up 20bhp though, stomping in at 473bhp and 458lb ft of torque delivered low down (thank the turbos for that) from 1,800-4,000rpm. It’s hooked up to Porsche’s effortless 8-speed PDK cog-swapper feeding all four wheels. As for those dampers, this puppy rides on air, not springs. But a GTS rides 10mm lower to the ground on its air springs than a Turbo S in standard trim.

What’s it like to drive?

Different to other GTS models Porsche makes. We bang on about 911, Boxster and Cayman GTSs being real sugar-coated sweet spots in the range. But the Panamera has to do things they don’t; it needs to be more commodious, useful, long-legged and luxurious. So adding alcantara steering wheels, lots of red stitching and stiffening things up to keep people who like driving happy isn’t quite the same sell.

However, it is remarkable what this 2,040kg luxo lump can do. First off, it’s fast: 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed the far side of 185mph fast. That’s adequate for bombing between German cities in the outside lane. But there’s also now been an improvement in fuel economy when you’re not smashing around, nudging 23.3mpg on a mixed cycle. It’s the agility and sporting nature the GTS can adopt when you wind up the rotary dial on the steering wheel that really impresses.

This GTS now involves the driver more regularly than the more well-rounded and incredibly potent Turbo S, so you could say Porsche nailed the brief. Everything is a bit firmer, noisier (the Sports Exhaust is standard and really doesn’t mind making itself heard) and more engaging than the more passive Panameras in the range and what’s come previously. You can tell they’ve thought about it, too. As the GTS's tyres have a slightly narrower section on the rear axle than those of the Turbo S, making it slightly more playful. But if you want to make things really serious and have track driving in mind (which will be extremely few if not none) there’s now Michelin Cup 2 rubber on the Panamera’s options list for the first time.

Isn’t it a bit of a big lump to drive quickly?

There are a couple of party tricks that make this easier than you’d think. First off, the revised air suspension really changes how the car feels and offers a load of bandwidth. It really firms up and hunkers down in Sport and Sport+, loosens off in normal to give cruisable, mile-munching suppleness but also has the possibility of jacking up if you need to navigate a grassy verge in the farm shop’s car park.

But the way the suspension cradles and manages the mass is incredibly consistent; absorbing lumps and inconsistencies but also keeping the car lashed down laterally in a corner. The steering is also weightier than before but equally consistent and natural – even being an electric rack. It’s 911-like. Which is a very good thing.

However the agility belies what you think is possible when speccing the rear-wheel-steering (£1,563) as something that’s the size of a small narrow boat suddenly shrinks to sportscar size. Just remember that the Panamera doesn’t actually physically shrink. As it is a wide, long thing filling up car park spaces and British B-roads with ease.

Looks good too…

It does, doesn’t it? Not overly executive and staid like a Mercedes S-Class, but not obnoxious like an SUV. For the facelift everything has been made slightly tauter: less flabby in the flanks, more chiselled front and rear. The Sport Turismo shape (which only adds another 25-litres on top of the 467-litre boot space with the rear seats up) still looks better and would be our choice. There’s also plenty of accoutrements to make you know you’ve got a sportier one, thanks to bigger wheels as standard, a liberal application of GTS logos and that Go Go Gadget rear wing.

What’s it like on the inside?

Extremely comfortable and the right side of techy. Thankfully, Porsche has resisted the move towards removing every button in favour of touchscreens for everything. Although many of the buttons on the console are actually haptic-feedback touchscreens. Anyway, the Panamera looks complicated initially, with a screen each side of the central rev counter and a widescreen display in the dash, but actually it’s all reasonably logical and there are helpful shortcut buttons in front of the gearlever. There’s also plenty of room in the back and the option to have dedicated rear seats with GTS embroidery thanks to the £626 4+1 seating option so everyone gets thrones. It makes the rear look and feel very grown up and is very cool.

Should I get one?

Given there are so many different Panameras available, it’s really down to how you’re going to use it. Starting at £107k, the GTS seems expensive. Especially as the one we drove was actually £120k. But then you have to weigh up whether you want to tick the boxes and go under the Turbo S, as then you can save some money.

For sure it's the most driver-focused in the range, but not as effortless and refined as a Turbo S. But that’s exactly what the GTS is for. So we can only say that Porsche has nailed the brief. And if you want a bit of that, go for it. You won't regret it. Especially as V8s won't be around for much longer, and this one sounds great. Plus you don’t need to hang around at charging stations, as it’ll do nearly 400-miles on a tank.