Porsche Panamera (2016-2023) review

Porsche has so far 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. You’ll find your way round. And make several technological discoveries every time you let a teenager take control.

The steering wheel is new, more like the 911's in design, but crucially it feels small in your hands. That alone makes the Panamera more wieldy. The driving position is low slung, visibility mostly fine, material quality and workmanship exemplary. It seems a more upmarket and special driving environment than that offered by other super-execs.

Although there’s not so much space for the family. The Panamera isn’t really that sort of car of course, even in Sport Turismo guise. The sensation is more business express – although any colleagues shoved in the back are, out of politeness, less likely to complain than your own offspring, even while they’re wincing. Sporty seats, really only shaped for two.

The boot, at 467 litres, is decent, but the real advantage is the hatchback tailgate. Makes loading so much easier. Not hounds, though – very high rear load sill, shallow floor once they’re in. Sport Turismo obviously does that better.