The Panamera GTS doesn’t just play sports car, it excels at it.
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The Panamera GTS doesn’t just play sports car, it excels at it.
In Porsche’s sales charts, the Panamera lurks near the bottom in the overall Porsche line-up, only just above the Taycan EV, which, frankly, baffles me. In my world, this car is Porsche at its peak, a sports car that just happens to wear a saloon business suit. It’s fast, beautiful, quite exclusive, and crucially, not another Cayenne cluttering every gym parking lot in northern Joburg. To me, that’s the win – but the world doesn’t agree. The hard numbers say otherwise. The SUV revolution has steamrolled the once-glorious saloon into near extinction, which makes the Panamera less a volume player and more an endangered species. It’s one worth saving and savouring while we still can.
In GTS guise, the Panamera is the smart business executive that enters the boardroom in a black, tailored suit. There’s a real sense of style here. The cut is right, the materials are superior, and there’s a subtle balance of confidence and real power. In GTS speak, the black detail is important because it’s a signature feature of all GTS models, from the grille to the rear splitter, the use of contrasting black trim pieces is present. Here on this third-generation Panamera, there’s a more upright front stance with a larger, wider grille and new headlight clusters which incorporate Porsche’s signature four-point daytime running lights, paired with high-tech standard LED or optional HD matrix LED headlights. If the svelte design doesn’t quite convince you, then the GTS’ athletic purpose is further shown with its 21-inch Panamera Turbo S wheels and a rear splitter with four protruding exhaust tips finished in silver.
At a glance, there are some very clear conclusions to be drawn with the GTS. This is a clear case of middle management that belongs at the executive table. There’s no messing about here. It has a peak power output of 368kW from its well-endowed 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, which is part of its sway. Torque figures peak at 660Nm fed to an all-wheel-drive system fitted with a plethora of the performance-enhancing supplements found on much larger athletes within the range. The GTS is lowered by 10mm; a two-chamber, two-valve adaptive suspension system is also employed and managed by Porsche’s Active Suspension Management (PASM) system that commands the dampers to perform in a variety of work environments. Add rear-axle steering and torque vectoring to the mix, and you start to get a sense of just how large this car’s skillset is.
On the highway, it’s a grand tourer of rare civility. But flick the drive dial to Sport Plus, and suddenly the GTS forgets its manners. The exhaust valves yawn open, the V8 clears its throat, and this sharp-suited exec rips open its shirt to reveal a fighter’s chest. Crackles on downshifts, burps on upshifts, and steering sharper than our gossip column, the GTS doesn’t just play sportscar, it excels at it. Despite weighing two tonnes, it rotates with the agility of something half the size. It’s not a 911, no, but it doesn’t need to be. Our VBox testing showed 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds here in Johannesburg. The launch control hits like a heavyweight too. Repeatable. Brutal. And so addictive.
When the brawl is done, the Panamera slips straight back into luxury mode. The cabin is Porsche’s latest digitalised architecture which is impeccably built and nearly faultless. That fault? The phone storage cover feels a bit flimsy in context. That aside, a 12.3 inch infotainment system is centralised and it contrasts well with a mix of other touch controls, switches and wheels for an excellent overall operating experience. The systems are fast, well-integrated and configurable to your liking and preferences. The Panamera also features a passenger display embedded into the dashboard directly in front of the passenger. It’s an option of course but heightens that layer of exclusive tech.
From the helm, the sports seats are sublime: plush enough for a long cruise, bolstered enough for mountain pass shenanigans. Adaptive sports seats with 18-way adjustment come standard. Add massaging, ventilation, fancy seat belts or contrasting leathers, and the bill climbs swiftly past the R3.6 million mark. Eek.
Beyond that, practicality is quietly impressive too: 478 litres of boot space, a usable rear bench with an optional 4+1 seating arrangement, and decent headroom, if not quite in BMW 7 Series territory.
So yes, that price places the Panamera GTS firmly on the higher end of its absolute competitors. It’s the same price as many other choice sports cars, not only considering a four-door coupe-esque version. In the Panamera range itself, the GTS is quite possibly the sweet spot. It’s faster and more exciting than anything below it, yet not in the big leagues…and price…and weight of the hybrid versions above it. I.e. the R4.9 million Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.
The ownership experience for all its performance and comfort and luxury, will also leave you in a car that is exceedingly rare. Less and less of them are being bought, instead ignored for the higher-riding Cayenne. And this is a good thing in my book.
To add to that exclusivity, the Porsche personalisation options remain another rabbit-hole down which you can get really cheesy or sentimental about your GTS. That’s an added layer of individualisation that isn’t necessarily found in such depth elsewhere but if done well, it adds a texture to the cabin that can make it that much more special.
9 / 10. That’s a high score for Porsche’s four-seater sports car. It’s that good. The Panamera GTS is not weighed down by batteries or hybrid cleverness and because of that. it’s lighter, rawer, and more visceral. It evokes more emotion. The hybrid cars may be quicker and occasionally silent or thriftier, but nothing quite thrills like a twin-turbo V8 on song. And whilst it’s not cheaper, it is cheaper than said hybrids too.
So here’s my verdict. Forget hybrids, forget batteries. They’re clever, yes, but they don’t stir the blood like this. The Panamera GTS is proof that the best kind of driving nirvana still comes from a big, unashamedly boisterous V8. And if that makes me old-fashioned, whatever. At least I’m smiling… and my kids in the backseat are smiling too.
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