he AMG GT 4 Door might be aiming at a narrow niche in
the market but this key rival has shown it’s possible to
make a comfortable home there. From frumpy beginnings
the Panamera has matured into a cornerstone of Porsche’s
range, a car that convincingly straddles the divide between
limousine and sports car – just as the AMG aims to.
Like the Merc, the Panamera blends coupe and saloon design with a
hatchback tailgate. It’s grown into its looks since its awkward early days
and wears its 911-esque cues more convincingly, even if it’s still no beauty.
Acid-green calipers show this car’s a hybrid, in this case the flagship
Turbo S E-Hybrid, combining the twin-turbo V8 engine from the Pan-
amera Turbo with the electric drivetrain from the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid.
That equates to 542bhp and 568lb ft from the V8, plus a 134bhp/295lb ft
e-boost for a combined 671bhp and 627lb ft. The hardware makes it a
weighty beast – over 2.3 tonnes – but it goes like a car half the weight.
We’re following a dawdling SUV through a particularly tangled knot of
B-roads in the hills, enjoying the Panamera’s soothingly pliant low-speed
ride and well-insulated refinement, letting the powertrain unobtrusively
switch between electric and bent-eight power. Rounding a bend, the road
opens into a well-sighted straight. Click the Sport Response button in the
middle of the drive-mode selector – that’s the full Al Pacino ‘gimme all ya
got’ function, which musters all of the car’s energy, electric and internalcombustion, for 20 seconds. Dithering traffic might as well not exist.
There’s a swooshing, whooshing rush with undertones of burbling V8
and suddenly you’re a mile up the road.
Rotating the drive-mode wheel to Sport and Sport Plus triggers
extra regenerative-energy capture to help keep the battery topped,
and it remains close to full a long way into this test. Selecting either of
the sportier modes when stationary instantly brings the V8 to life in
readiness, and there’s no doubting its potency. The Porsche’s 4.0-litre
V8 isn’t as charismatic as the rumbling AMG, but has a deep burbly note
nonetheless (albeit one that’s more audible outside the car than in). It’s
hooked up to an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox, which feels the
most responsive of the three cars in manual paddleshift mode.
The Panamera rides on adaptive air suspension, and it feels more
tied-down than the Alpina; there’s less float over crests and it’s keener
to change direction. Small bumps tremor through the car more readily,
and in sudden compressions and over larger bumps the car can be jogged
vertically in a bouncing motion, no doubt partly a result of its weight
and partly its larger wheels (the Porsche is on 21-inch wheels to the other
cars’ 20s). But overall it rides very well, and it’s as relaxing to waft around
unhurriedly as it is composed to drive at pace.
Its interior possesses the biggest wow factor of the trio. Its low-set
dash offers a great view ahead, yet the low hip point means you still feelPORSCHE PANAMERA TURBO S E-HYBRID
Stuttgart’s 192mph miracle hybrid
T
Big and heavy
next to a 911,
pin-sharp next
to other GTsThe Giant TestThe Giant TestGiant test: AMG GT 4 Door
96 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2019