Just as we've become comfortable with there being Porsche luxury sedans and SUVs, the company has started to throw more curveballs at us. While the 911 and the 718 sports cars still tug at our heartstrings, they've now been joined by an electric Porsche in the form of the Taycan sedan, multiple Cross and Sport Turismo station wagons, and whatever the Cayenne coupe is trying to be. Against this backdrop, the four-door Panamera, even in its most driver-focused GTS configuration, is starting to seem positively conventional—possibly even a bit irrelevant.
Porsche is trying to keep the Panamera in the conversation by updating it for the 2021 model year with a few new configurations and minor styling tweaks. Among those changes, the GTS model tested here now develops 473 horsepower from its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, a gain of 20 ponies over last year. Within the Panamera lineup, which ranges from the 325-hp base V-6 model all the way up to the 690-hp Turbo S E-Hybrid, the GTS remains the cheapest way to get a V-8 in a Panamera, and its finely honed chassis setup lends it the sharpest responses of the bunch. As before, the GTS features all-wheel drive and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Also unchanged for 2021 is the exhaust note of the GTS's mellifluous V-8, which continues to emit a powerboat-like burble at idle that builds to a soulful bellow as the engine spins to its 6800-rpm redline.
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Unfortunately, we didn't see the results of the latest power bump at the test track. Compared with the 2019 Panamera GTS we last tested, the 2021 iteration's launch-control-enabled 3.2-second zero-to-60-mph run was a tenth of a second slower, a difference it maintained over its 11.7-second, 116-mph quarter-mile pass. That's hardly to say the latest GTS feels slow—even without launch control the GTS does the 5-to-60-mph sprint in 4.2 seconds—but we would've expected at least a slight improvement in acceleration considering that the newer, 4714-pound car weighed a scant 35 pounds more than before.
Conversely, the 2021 GTS did beat out its predecessor on the skidpad and under braking. Riding on 20-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires, it outgripped the 2019 model by 0.01 g (1.02 g) and stopped from 70 mph in nine fewer feet (145 feet). Those are sports-car-worthy figures, and they combine with the gutsy V-8, the clairvoyant dual-clutch gearbox, and the GTS's fluid steering action to produce a stirring driving experience on pretty much any road.
Putting our test car's performance numbers into context is complicated by the strength of its competition, though. For example, the electric Taycan 4S, which starts at $105,150 to the Panamera GTS's $130,650, is only 0.2 second slower to 60 mph, and it pulled 1.03 g on the skidpad. What's more, the Taycan packs a greater visual punch for most onlookers. While the second-generation Panamera's proportions are undoubtedly more attractive than the original's hunchback design, we think that the Taycan is a far better-looking interpretation of a four-door Porsche, even if it is considerably smaller inside. But if highway range is what you're after, the Panamera GTS dominates the Taycan 4S's 220 miles between charges. We averaged 30 mpg at 75 mph, which translates to a bladder-busting 710 miles between fueling.
It's also worth noting that the winner of our most recent high-performance-luxury-four-door comparison test, the Audi RS7, will only set you back $115,045 to start. That 591-hp Audi also beats the Panamera GTS in our acceleration tests, as it should, yet maintains an impressive degree of luxury-car comfort.
Porsche's formula for its GTS models generally includes some value packaging compared to similarly equipped lesser versions. That positioning does apply to the Panamera, but it's tough to call the GTS variant a smart buy unless it's in the company of the 620-hp Turbo S model (base price, $179,050) or the 689-hp Turbo S E-Hybrid ($189,050). Even with a relatively light load of options for a Porsche, our test car stickered at $148,800 yet lacked extras such as adaptive cruise control and ventilated seats.
It wasn't long ago that the Panamera was abuzz with attention, both positive and negative, as it brought Porsche into a new, profitable market segment. But as the brand enters a new era, the luster of its once controversial four-door hatchback is beginning to fade as more enticing alternatives crop up both within the Porsche lineup and elsewhere in the high-performance luxury space. Along with the Taycan, we imagine the strength of the Cayenne lineup, including the new-for-2021 GTS model, will continue to hamper Panamera sales, which amounted to a paltry 3870 units last year—less than every other Porsche model except for the 718 sports cars. As engaging as the GTS is to drive for a sports sedan, we won't be shocked if the Panamera doesn't return for a third generation.
Specifications
Specifications
2021 Porsche Panamera GTS
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $130,650/$148,800
Options: Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, $5010; black leather, $3480; Carmine Red paint; $3270; rear¬axle steering, $1650; Bose speakers, $1600; Lane Change Assist; $1060; Surround View camera, $920; Sport Chrono dial in Carmine Red, $420
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 244 in3, 3996 cm3
Power: 473 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 457 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed dual-clutch automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 15.4-in vented, grooved disc/14.4-in vented, grooved disc
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
F: 275/40R-20 (106Y) ND0
R: 315/35R-20 (110Y) ND0
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 116.1 in
Length: 198.9 in
Width: 76.3 in
Height: 55.8 in
Passenger Volume: 96 ft3
Cargo Volume: 18 ft3
Curb Weight: 4714 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.2 sec
100 mph: 8.6 sec
1/4-Mile: 11.7 sec @ 116 mph
130 mph: 15.3 sec
150 mph: 22.4 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.2 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.9 sec
Top Speed (mfr's claim): 186 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 145 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 290 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.02 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 20 mpg
75-mph Highway Driving: 30 mpg
Highway Range: 710 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 17/15/21 mpg
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
