2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S Flexes All Its 620 Horsepower

Adding horsepower from the upgraded 4.0-liter dual-voltage V-8 engine is a great thing, but Porsche’s updated luxury sedan can still use a little more personality.

Porsche is happy to continue making thousands of minute changes to Panamera 2021. The front is different, the taillights now have a full-width LED strip, a revised crankshaft, a new pressure unit, a re-calibrated positioning system — you can understand. But what else do you really need to know other than the fact that its dual-voltage 4.0-liter V-8 engine now produces a whopping 620 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque?

This more powerful Turbo S model is a new addition to the range for 2021, topped by nonhybrid. It has 70 horsepower and is 37 pounds-feet higher than the previous Panamera Turbo, although it is pulled over by the even more powerful Turbo S E-Hybrid, which is expected to be released soon with more than 700 horsepower. But if you don’t want your high-performance luxury sedan to bear the extra weight of your battery and other hybrid hardware, then the Turbo S is your ticket to a quick luxury sedan.

We didn’t test the bright orange European Turbo S you see here, but Porsche claims the time from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds — and that might be a cautious estimate when we tested a significantly less powerful 550 -hp 2018 Panamera Turbo at 2.9 seconds. Porsche claims a top speed of 196 miles per hour, though Dodge said a Hellcat Redeye Charger SRT is expected to reach speeds of 203 miles per hour, so you have the right to brag.

Panamera Turbo S hardly feels like a machine that produces such compact, bad numbers on the road. It was almost too easy in the way it operates its business, with the V-8 whispering instead of yelling about its rough force and the steering wheel communicating very little on the road. It is the first luxury sedan and the second-highest performance machine, with extremely isolated luxury car and cabin quality. The Sport Plus mode quickly responds and adds vitality to the exhaust, but Panamera lacks the drama and excitement of the Mercedes-AMG E63 and the fun handling capabilities of the BMW M5, two high-performance sedans that beat the Panamera Turbo in a comparable 2018 test.

The extremely high-performance Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 summer tires are a new option if you’re the one who likes to prepare for the track after quarterly board meetings. The car we drive is not equipped as such, although all Turbo S models are standard with other performance-enhancing extras, including a 48-volt active flip strut, rear-wheel-drive system, and carbon-ceramic brake rotor. The Panamera Turbo S is also available in the attractive Sport Turismo wagon body style, which is Porsche’s entry in the surprisingly crowded hot-wagon segment that includes the AMG E63 S, Audi RS6 Avant, and Volvo V60 Polestar Engineered.

Porsche has not yet announced the price for the Panamera Turbo S 2021, but it is certain that it will not be cheap. It will undoubtedly be tens of thousands of dollars higher than the previous Panamera Turbo, which has a starting price of $154,350, which means it will easily reach the $200,000 mark once you start considering Porsche’s list of I can’t change options. But if there is a box, we are sure that no Turbo S buyer will check and that it is “Delete model designing” $0, because the flexible part of the badge is what this variant means.

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