Sleek and Sexy 2017 Porsche Panamera Breaks Cover

2017 Porsche Panamera (Credit: © Porsche)

The Porsche Panamera has long been the butt of jokes about looking like Quasimodo among all the sexy Porsche sports cars. While some of these criticisms are misplaced—most think the Panamera looks great in person but is just a tad camera shy—there is some validity to these teases. Today, Porsche has unveiled the all-new Panamera, all but washing away any negativity with its sleek, sexy body and new powertrains.

The looks of the new Panamera are nothing short of amazing as this is far and away the best redesign I have seen in years. There is a ton more 911 built into the design, but Porsche pulled this off without making it look funky. It honestly looks more like a sleek sedan with 911 elements than the boil-riddled 911 wannabe that the last-gen model was. A lot of this is thanks to the more traditional C-pillar that rakes right along with the rear glasshouse, eliminating the mass of body that separated the rear-quarter window from the rear glass. Yes, the C-pillar is still the largest of the three, but it looks more traditional than before.

2017 Porsche Panamera (Credit: © Porsche)

Add to all of this the sleek, swept-back headlights, the wide, 911-inspired taillights, the squaring off where the rear liftgate meets the rear fascia and the elongated hood with sharper snout, and the 2017 Panamera finally looks like a sports sedan.

On top of changes to its appearance, Porsche has also changed the size of its resident sedan. It is now 1.3 inches longer, 0.2 inches wider, and 0.2 inches taller. The wheelbase is also 1.2 inches longer than the last generation. With this larger body, the Panamera can swallow even more cargo as it can hold up to 17.4 cubes with the seats up and 46 cubes with the seats folded.

Inside the new Panamera, things are a bit more familiar, though there are significant changes. In here, Porsche added in a new steering wheel, a shorter gear shifter, touch-sensitive controls, and a huge 12.3-inch touchscreen. The driver enjoys two 7-inch screens that act as the gauge cluster and info center, but the tachometer remains an analog unit.

2017 Porsche Panamera (Credit: © Porsche)

Initially, the Panamera will be available in two variants, the 4S and Turbo. The 4S model will use a new 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine that cranks out 440 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque (increases of 20 horsepower and 21 pound-feet). The Turbo model will carry a new twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 with a mighty 550 horsepower and 567 pound-feet of torque at its disposal, which are boosts of 30 horsepower and 51 pound-feet over last year’s Turbo model. These new engines get the 4S and Turbo to 60 mph in as little as four seconds and 3.4 seconds, respectively, with the Sport Chrono Package.

Porsche will have the Panamera in showrooms in January 2017 at a starting price of $99,990 for the 4S and $146,900 for the Turbo.