The Road Trip Experience: A Love Affair with Luxury and Performance

As I sat behind the wheel of the Porsche Panamera 4S Hybrid Sport Turismo, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. The Volvo, packed to the brim with 300 pounds of gear, had provided a memorable driving experience on winding mountain roads. But now, in this luxurious executive class machine, I was ready for something entirely different. This car was not about brute force or raw performance; it was about refinement, luxury, and precision engineering.

As we hit the straight road, the Panamera's suspension proved to be nothing short of remarkable. It was like driving a pure luxury car, with a softness that belied its incredible capabilities. I could feel the weight distribution and balance shifting effortlessly, allowing me to carve through corners with ease. And yet, even loaded with gear, the Panamera felt remarkably light and agile, making it possible to drive at speeds that would put most cars to shame.

But what really set my heart racing was the feeling of speed – not just raw acceleration, but the exhilaration of unleashing the car's full potential on a twisty mountain road. I felt like I was in a Porsche 911, with all its legendary handling and dynamics, but somehow more refined and subtle. The engine growled and snarled as I pushed it harder, the exhaust note growing louder and more urgent. It was intoxicating, and yet, somehow still refined enough to be usable for daily driving.

Now, as a Porsche company executive, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and ownership in this car. This wasn't just any vehicle; it was a statement piece, a symbol of success and status. And when I got behind the wheel, I felt like I was part of an elite club, one that understood the nuances of performance and luxury that only a handful of people could appreciate.

Of course, not everyone would be comfortable with this level of performance and exclusivity. The Panamera's price tag is staggering, and it's hardly a car for everyday driving. But if you're someone who values engineering mastery, precision handling, and the ability to go flat out on a twisty road whenever you want, then this is the car for you.

One thing that struck me about the Panamera was its all-wheel drive system, which seemed almost like an afterthought at first. It's clear that Porsche wanted to create a car that could handle anything, but in doing so, they may have sacrificed a little bit of purity and finesse in the process. Still, I found it strangely intuitive, like the system was somehow working behind the scenes to optimize performance and handling.

As I continued driving, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment when the Panamera eventually gave up its secrets and showed me its true capabilities. But that's because this car is not a product for everyone; it's a hyper-niche luxury vehicle, designed specifically for those who value engineering mastery and precision performance above all else.

And so, as I brought the Panamera to a stop, I couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration and respect for what Porsche had accomplished. This was a true masterpiece of engineering, one that would be the envy of any other car manufacturer. Whether you're a seasoned driving enthusiast or just someone who appreciates luxury and performance, the Panamera 4S Hybrid Sport Turismo is an experience not to be missed.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the Porsche Panamera 4S Hybrid Sport Turismo is a remarkable vehicle that embodies the very best of what Porsche has to offer. With its incredible engineering, precision handling, and luxurious refinement, it's clear why this car is a favorite among driving enthusiasts and luxury car aficionados alike. Whether you're looking for a car that serves as both a daily driver and a weekend warrior, or simply want to experience the thrill of performance and luxury, the Panamera 4S Hybrid Sport Turismo is an absolute must-see.

And yet, despite its many virtues, there's no denying that this car has its drawbacks. It may not be the most beautiful vehicle on the road, and it's certainly not the most affordable option available. But for those who value engineering mastery, precision handling, and the ability to go flat out whenever they want, then these are small price to pay.

Ultimately, the Panamera 4S Hybrid Sport Turismo is a hyper-niche luxury car designed specifically for those who understand what it takes to truly drive a great machine. If you're one of them, then this is the car for you. And if not, well, that's okay too – because even just driving this car gives you an unparalleled insight into what makes a great driving experience.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe Porsche Panamera 4S hybrid sport Turismo this is Porsche's 552 horsepower plug-in hybrid variant of their Panamera In The Wagon body style so in this video we're going to walk you through the immense amount of engineering that went into the Panamera as a whole give you an overview of the cabin walk you through the mentality behind this product and take it for a drive so enjoy oh before we talk about the interior I wanted to walk you through Porsche's product philosophy behind the Panamera when most people think about this car they think of it as a M5 E63 or RS7 RS6 competitor when in reality Porsche designed this as a niche S-Class competitor or a a full-fledged luxury limousine competitor in fact that's what most of their Conquest purchases come from are things like an S-Class or a 7 Series this car was also designed for the gold bullion crowd and what I mean by that is this car was for the Hyper Elite or very wealthy people who do not prioritize value or they weren't cost conscious at all the average buyer of a pentamera made $550,000 a year which means they're rich when you get into Panamera for the very first time you are struck by something that is actually very difficult to demonstrate on camera or really talk about on film and that is this General perception of quality everything in this car that you touch with a few exceptions feels hyper expensive the noise floor in this cabin is very low the way the doors feel when they close feels like a bank vault I know that's the biggest cliche but there's this great heft behind everything most of the switch gear you interact with feels machined it feels very very expensive the design philosophy about this car at least when you look at the way the dash is laid out and all of that feels very German which means it's not particularly showy doesn't have a lot of interest interesting geometry it's just more of a uh simplistic approach to luxury the design philosophy of the dash is something you've seen in other Porsche products but the paname was actually the car that first introduced it it was the car that featured Porsche's new control structure they've gone away from an all physical control structure and they move to this mix of haptic and physical controls at least for the center stack where all of your drive modes and a lot of your HVAC controls are located it's not my favorite thing in the world but it's something you're seeing in more and more luxury cars you have the traditional five pod gauge layout which is reserved for the more expensive Porsche products this car like in the 911 and cayenne you have a center analog tack with four digital displays flanking the center analog tack and you have a version of PCM which is something you've seen in other Porsche products PCM in this car has Wireless Apple carplay and a hybrid screen but most of the Interior technology is stuff you've seen in other Porsche products the Bose system in this car the one we have that we have functionally tested is not particularly remarkable but far from Bad the really quiet cabin does a good job in demonstrating the acoustic qualities of the Bose audio system now talking about the ergonomics in this car like I mentioned in the beginning of this video it is built primarily around the front two occupants rear seat space is highly compromised if you were a 6-t driver you will not particularly fit behind yourself that comfortably though it is perfect for smaller children or someone say below 6 tall and this being the sport Turismo version or the wagon you have a fairly enormous trunk for a car like this it has essentially the same cargo capacity of something like a Maan the front seats though are a different story altogether you have a wonderful seating position to me this is perfect in a car like this you sit nice and low but it's still easy to get in and out of the glass in this car there's a ton of it you have great visibility being a wagon of course you have a huge front windshield good windows out of the side of this car it is a very easy car to seat see out of and the driving position is typical Porsche which means excellent everything falls a hand great and this was really designed with a wide variety of body types in mind as well you can be taller or shorter and you can fit in this car very comfortable when it comes to the seats in this car much like everything else in this vehicle it's all a cart we have one of the more base seats they are heated and cooled and have pretty good functionality as far as adjustments go but as you go up the options list you can get a heated and cooled and massaging seat which is what I would probably opt for in a car like this but before we head into the shop I want to talk about three quick negatives the first is if you are coming from like an sass or a S series or a full-fledged A8 this car does not have most of the crazy interior technology that you're probably used to I'm not talking about the gimmicks like the experience modes and all the weird mood lighting that changes to music I'm talking about some of the really Advanced safety features like the crazy adaptive cruise control that allows you to change lanes all that other fun stuff that is not available in this car Porsche doesn't really prioritize it but that is something worth bringing up the other two things are the seat design while they are very very comfortable this is something Mark does harpon Porsche about and I'm starting to agree with them the seats visually particular if you compare it to something like an lc500 or a Mercedes seat visually they don't look that impressive but they are still very comfortable and the last thing is this Center as I mentioned before it is haptic and digital but it does not particularly seem to hold up that well uh the the piano black is already scratched in this car only has 3,000 mil on it and the center digital vent that they have so all the HVAC vents in this car are traditional except for the center vent which is digitally controlled it feels hyper cheap to touch which again you're not supposed to touch it but naturally I do and it is controlled digitally through the PCM or the infotainment screen I don't know why it makes no sense to me so with that I think it's time for us to head into the shop and put this thing up on the lift we're under the Porsche Panamera what trim is this this is the excuse me this is the Panamera 4 SE hybrid sport Turismo oh okay okay all right I wouldn't remember that even if you told me that a 100 times you know if Porsche is going for an award for longest name this is this is pretty impressive but what we have here is Porsche's executive sedan it comes in three separate body styles you get the standard sedan the long wheel base and this sport Turismo which is wagon and the thing to know about all this is Porsche used a crazy amount of engineering to get one of these cars the turbo trium level to go around the ring faster than an LFA which does not mean it's the best car in the world but just think of that from a technical achievement perspective they got an over 4,000 sedan wagon thing to go around a ring the same speed as a superar and we're going to start to explain to you how that is possible and what goes into a car like this in the future of cars well if you remove the internal combustion engine but a lot of these same systems are going to be carried over and by Design they were designed to be carried over into alternative fuel vehicles PL hybrids EVS whatever so let's start with the chassis or the body and white after you mark oh oh after you you're John Porsche so this is MSB which is their well VW groups modular architecture for Ultra Premium sedans so this is not MLB Evo this is MSB what is it shared with this is shared with Bentley's the Bentley Continental and the Flying Spur okay which means you are getting a Bentley underneath essentially it is double Wishbone front multi-link rear aluminum front and rear subframes and the body structure itself they break it up into three parts you have the top the the center frame of this car you have the front and the rear and it is a mix of aluminum and steel construction I think it's like 31% aluminum we'll show a chart here with the body structure they prioritized body rigidity reducing nvh basically making this car feel like one solid piece of granite going down the highway and on top of that their crash structure they get went in great lengths in improving the front crash structure and the side of this vehicle as well and they built it to be modular so again we have the three different body styles for this car and it has the option or the ability to go plugin hybrid like this variant the thing is is to make this module like that there's three sections of this car you have the front middle and rear and the middle part is what allows them to extend the wheelbase for different variants for the new Panamera or this new generation architecture all of these different setups for body and white can go down the same assembly line all they have to do is change parts of the middle the front C the front end of this car is all aluminum so to improve crashworthiness the firewall and the firewall crash beam or the beam that runs alongside it and they show how they manufactured this is all high strength steel and ultra high strength steel so the crashworthiness is partly here the lightweight is in the front and I mean it's just incredible all the technology that they had to bake in here to make this work again you're getting sports car like Supercar levels of performance out of a car that rides like a pure luxury car so the other thing that they've done here like you mentioned front front and rear aluminum subframes but they also have all the suspension links are forged aluminum and when we get to the front suspension you'll notice this is incredible looking and not only that the suspension K kinematics were designed so they could use a three chamber air bladder or air spring and a monotube damper on the inside of it and the three-chamber air spring gives them the ability the full flexibility to have this enormous range of adjustability that can change its spring rate from soft to extremely firm and what that does is it gives the car multiple personalities based on your drive modes so you can go to a full boat mode to a full sports car setup that can run the ring I mean and when you look at the shock I've never seen a shock absorber or airspring design like this and we're going to I'm going to say this when you look at the back as well you better be on a firstname basis with your Porsche dealership because I don't know who the hell else is going to work on this car the way that it's packaged the way that it is put together this is not something have a warranty a very long warranty or at lease this thing because this car we and we just touched on its complexity so when Porsche introduced the paname this generation in 2017 they introduced their 4D body control system it's basically something like we've seen in Audi but Porsche is one of the first companies that the Audi group had that did this they have made it the pasm which is their adaptive dampers with their air ride with pdcc which is something we've talked about in other Porsche products which is a 48volt sway bar system front and rear rear steer which is in the back of this car with Porsche torque vectoring in the back so you have a electromechanical rear diff and an all-wheel drive system and on top of that it's paired to their EPS unit their uh electric power steering module through an 8-speed dual clutch so you have all of these systems in this car that are trying to fight the mass of this vehicle give it a dual personality and give it the superar esque performance someone who is quite AFF fluent is looking for in a car like this and it is mindboggling well and this is how I think you just explained how they were able to get this thing to do what it does tying all these systems together all these mechanical systems are all connected to that ECP and that ECP was tuned and designed in-house at Porsche now I don't know in terms of Audi their ECP how much it's related to this and the programming is different but the concept is the same tying each one of these together and having the processing power to make sure when you do this instantaneously all these systems are talking together so there's no delay in the rear steer compared to the air ride suspension and you mentioned something earlier about even the read Ahad ability of this car so this car has the eight-speed dual clut they went away from the seven speeed and the pro generation vehicle it's faster more efficient yada y but what they basically introduced with this car if you're on a highway or a Mountain Road it's looking at GPS it is reading ahead of the car to figure out oh there's a sharp turn happening or there's a big step in elevation it'll downshift ahead of time preemptively to get the car to perform better on a twisty road which is again extremely complicated but all of this is going into a car that's supposed to feel somewhat natural it is a very isolated car as I talked about in the beginning it's an executive sedan but they are trying to make it still feel like a Porsche product which means somewhat engaging to drive and we'll talk about that in the drive itself but is there anything else you want to talk about yeah absolutely oh there there's way more don't worry so braking system oh yes there are multiple breake options and this was one of the first times they introduced a 10 piston carbon ceramic or uh their Porsche pccb and you have two other break options with multip piston applications but because of the regulations or at least the European regulations they eliminated uh their ability to use copper in the brake linings or brake pads which means from talking to the other Engineers we just recently talked to so you get rid of those pads that means you reduce braking performance so what do they do to offset that they make everything bigger so now the brake systems are as big as they've ever been which is going to require the use of 19 plus wheels so of 19s 20s and 21s and I'm sure when the brakes get even bigger in 5 years you're going to have 27in wheels but these are the things they're they're really don't make a lot of sense but this is all of the manufacturers have to fight and change and evolve with ever evolving regulations not just in Europe the United States all along the world China customer expectations correct the customers still want all they want more they want more and in the case of least with Porsche they don't have to make it more for Less really um yeah this is as I talked about Mark this is not a value proposition car this is the gold bullion crowd who can afford this thing uh the product price range is in the high 80s to really over $200,000 which is an astronomical sum of money I mean I know you talked about the interior but when you have that kind of money you want the best and I think what you're getting here is some of the best it's just you know a normal person like us we're like there's no way that I could ever keep something like this I just look at every single part of this I see dollars sign shoing I'm like holy uh Mark let's talk about drivve trins quickly before we get get this thing out on the road so you have a bunch of different variants but the one we have is the 4S hybrid so you have the twin turbo 2.9 L that you've seen in other other vehicles in the past and they add a mild hybrid system a motor generator in this thing which I believe is paired between the gearbox and the the engine itself and it adds about another 100 or so horsepower to this thing this is a plug and hybrid but Porsche does not want you to use this for fuel efficiency their philosophy between their plug and hybrids is really just to make these things even faster you see it in the Cayenne you see it in this it is a very very powerful drivetrain and the electric motor is filling in for the Twin Turbo System yes you can drive this in full EV if you're like in London or a city C Center in Europe that requires you to have an EV powertrain but really this is meant to make this thing go faster so it produces 550 horsepower okay now I'm really curious to see how this thing drives Jack anything else to talk about we will be doing a future uh Panamera Turbo S video which will be coming soon and we'll talk about more more the drivetrain and the engines all right let's get it on the road Mark I beat you to death with Porsche information engineering technology why they make a superior automobile but on honestly I'm going to show you Sport Plus turn off traction and stability control do I need to get out a man user manual for all the steps you have to do you just need an electrical engineering degree okay feel that PTV wow oh man this thing hauls ass this is a straight up autobond machine oh yeah I mean no one who's buying one of these cars is going to take it to a Midwestern Farm Road and tear it up or take it to a track but what I'm trying to demonstrate is all of this work they've done with the electromechanical systems much like VW group has done in the RS6 and some of their other products are basically fighting physics the weight all basically all of the mass in this car is being hidden by all of the suspension based systems and it does a remarkable job and I always say this to you Porsche and you admit it as well Porsche is basically the master at suspension tuning and engine tuning the thing they are not so great at is value but no no you're kidding yeah I know you I think you know after doing all these Porsche products and I've said it to you and I think now you have a better appre not that you didn't have an appreciation to begin with but would you not agree that this is aside from maybe like an S-Class this has to be one of the best riding or the Porsche like luxury products are some of the best riding products on the planet yeah they are they are the best riding cars probably in my opinion and they're some of the best handling the fact that this can do that and then sit at 150 mph on the highway be in Total Comfort being an Autobon missile is an engineer I think that's what's really weird to me about this and I think about the road trips we've taken when we go down south we'll pack up the Volvo full of like 300 lb worth of gear then you're like this drive is great on a straight road and then we get into some back Mountain Road where you're like oh my God this would be amazing to drive with a good car and then you're like feel like you're going to die every turn where this is that car at least in America that when you're on your road trip the suspension is amazing it's so soft it's like pure luxury car and then when you get in the mountains or you get in a country road or wherever and you're loaded full of gear you can still drive this like a sports car and have the the Dual Purpose fun and I know that's never happens in real life but I like that part about it and that's about all I'm going to say because I'm going to let you tell me what the hell was going on in terms of mentality with this CU I just don't see this a German business executive I am late for my meeting I have to get from here to the other side of the country in about 10 minutes that's this is what I'm going to do in this car you're a Porsche company executive yes okay I'm only for work oh my God this thing it's ridiculous how fast you can be doing go to jail speeds in America in no time but at the same time I can be taking a business call I can be yelling at my accountant mph and we were having a conversation like it didn't even it was like a non-issue that's how comfortable and how ridiculous I'm not just yes this Porche is ridiculous but I think we're seeing this trend with so many cars now they're so ridiculously unusably fast they're so un ridiculously an5 or an E63 or even the RS6 which are basically in my mind in the kind of ridiculous Sport Luxury stand segment that this is really cross shopped against this feels probably the most natural no it's it's extraordinarily natural the all-wheel drive system is a little weird I will be honest when we're driving and you have some of these Porsche stability systems on there's a weird you know you feel the weirdness of like where is it putting power it's moving power around you feel all Electronics working around you and I get this is not a pure sports car but these system are there to make you be able to do superar speeds superar like handling and everything's just figuring it out for you and you just can go flat out it's it's so weird I to be fair though the thing that kills me about a lot of these cars and a midal as I talked about in the beginning of this video this is not a product for you or I right we do not make the money that yeah I mean even even that I mean I think for me looking at this I understand this is a pure luxury product that has some sport car abilities first this is not trying to hide the fact that this is a pure executive class machine I am good with that I'm good with the fact it has an amazing ride I'm good with the fact that it may not be M5 fast but it's pretty fraking close and has the the smoothness the better ride refinement the quietness and you can go in full Eevee and drive around a city center like London that requires you to yeah have an EV and then not have the penalty when you leave the city center you can go full gas power it's just it's a really Niche product it's not even a really it's a hyper Niche product for a very very wealthy person yes so with that Mark I think it's time for us to head into the final thoughts sounds good final thoughts on the Panamera 4se hybrid sport Turismo as I mentioned in the beginning of this video this is a hyper Niche luxury product you have to be incredibly affluent and looking for a car that serves the purpose of like an S-class competitor with the Dynamics of a true or close to a true sports car you have to be that Target buyer but if you are this is really an engineering Masterpiece it is incredibly impressive from a technical feat and when you drive it you'll be blown away by its capability it rides like few cars do it's incredibly quiet it is ludicrously fast and very very capable its cons are well it's not the best looking vehicle if I'm going to be entirely honest it kind of looks like a 911 crashed into a hearse and it is not a value in the least bit but again if this is what you want you are a buyer who wants a PanAm marrow wants all the prestige luxury and engineering and capability I'm sure you'll be absolutely floored by this thing so thanks for watching and I hope to see you soon\n"