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The Panamera Sport Turismo combines the practicality of the estate and the performance of a supercar
Now it was time for the Porsche Panamera and I jumped into the 4S model first. This being powered by a 3.0-litre engine that produces 440 HP, felt quick right off the line. As I exited the pit lane and whacked open the throttle, I was greeted by an immediate response and a throaty exhaust note to match. As I came to a corner, I was puzzled. Was this actually a 4-door, 1900 kgs car? It didn’t feel that way. With a top speed of 286 km/hr, the Panamera is an apt car for crunching miles. But could it get any better on the track?
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The Panamera Turbo was nothing but a 911 with two extra doors
Yes, it could because the next drive was in the Panamera Turbo which benefits from a bigger 4.0-litre V8 engine that pumps out 550 HP, cracking 300 km/hr as the top whack while being quick to reach there, thanks to the stupendous acceleration and excellent cornering control offered by the communicative chassis. If I hadn’t driven the sports cars earlier in the day, I would simply not been able to believe that the Panamera Turbo is a 4-door car weighing more than TWO TONNES!
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The hybrid Porsches assured us that we needn’t compromise a lot for a greener future
The Porsche Panamera is one of the best GTs around that offers a fantastic blend of comfort, style and performance
And talking about weight, the heaviest car was saved for the last or that was how it ended the day for me with the Cayenne PHEV or the E-Hybrid. The 3.0-litre gasoline mill makes 340 HP while the electric motors add up to a combined output of 460 horses and 700 Nm! Top speed is 253 km/hr, you won’t reach there as the heavy Cayenne felt a bit of a handful around the fast sweeping corners of the circuit. Taking it easy is the best on this car whose weight has soared due to the battery and its tech. But the hybrid system is seamless and this is the future as Porsche has said goodbye to diesels!
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It was an adrenaline rush driving the 911 sideways on the track!
Driving done and it was about time to leave but Porsche likes to bid its guests in style (read sideways). We got a hot lap with the instructor belting the car with traction control turned off, driving around the corners, it was both hilarious and fast, the former because I was on a taxi ride in the 911 Carrera 4S and even with the front axle being supplied power, the Porsche instructor made mincemeat out of drifting.
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Driving a host of different Porsches on and off track was a memorable experience to say the least
The Porsche World Roadshow concluded with happy faces all around, the instructors were happy as we all did a great job while we were happy as we got to experience the best of the Porsche world in under 6 hours. With 26 cars brought in, we drove 13 of them (others were backups or multiple units of the same car while the instructors drove a faster car, the GT3). In all, a great effort by Porsche to make people drive and feel their staggeringly fun and well-engineered cars. Danke, Porsche, Danke!
Further Reading –
2019 Porsche 911 Review2019 Porsche 911 Video Review
