430 hp, all-wheel drive and sports chassis for a Panamera sounds like an interesting proposition
Photos: Low Fai Ming
Stuttgart Auto Pte Ltd has launched the new Panamera GTS, the sportiest member of Porsche’s Gran Turismo family, at the Porsche City Centre last week.
At Porsche, GTS stands for Gran Turismo Sport, promising extraordinary Porsche performance ever since the legendary 904 Carrera GTS back in 1963. Together with the Panamera GTS, two other members of the Panamera model range - Panamera Turbo S and Panamera S Hybrid - were also displayed.
The Gran Turismo Sport - or GTS for short - model name says it all: the new Panamera GTS is the purist member of Porsche’s Gran Turismo family. A chassis designed to be particularly dynamic and agile, a more powerful engine with even more intense feedback and an interior and exterior that send a clear sporty statement make the Panamera GTS the four-door sports car for fast roads of every description.
The power unit in the new Panamera GTS is a modified 4.8-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine, delivering 430 hp at 6,700 rpm, trumping the engine in its Panamera S/4S sister models by 30 hp. The maximum torque also increased by comparison, from 500 Nm to 520 Nm. The way in which at the push of a button the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) transmits the engine output to the all-wheel drive (PTM) — thanks to the Sport Chrono package featured as standard without interruption to the power flow — is especially dynamic.
This collaboration enables the Panamera GTS to sprint to 100 km/h in under 4.5 seconds, accelerating on to its top speed of 288 km/h. With NEDC fuel consumption of 10.9 l/100 km — only 10.7 l/100 km with low-friction tyres — the Panamera GTS remains as much of an efficiency role model in its milieu as all Porsche models.
The standard values for sprint and top speed don’t do full justice to the new Panamera GTS’s sporty characteristics. Its chassis in particular makes it fit for the racing circuit: The adaptive air suspension and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) featured as standard connect the chassis and body, constantly adapting to the driving challenges by regulating levelling settings, adjusting height, adjusting the spring rate and electrically adjusting the damping system. The damping is designed to be tauter, which helps agility and further reinforces the new Gran Turismo’s sporty personality. Five millimetre thick wheel spacers between the wheel and the wheel carriers increase the rear axle track width, giving the Panamera an even more stable ride.
The required grip is provided by 255/45 size 19-inch tyres on the front axle and 285/40 on the rear axle. Deceleration on the sporty Panamera is provided by the superlative braking system of the Panamera Turbo.
“The Panamera GTS is delighting car fans worldwide and we are excited that Singapore car enthusiasts will finally have the chance to come up close with the sportiest Panamera produced thus far. Along with the historic GTS badge comes a promise that you are driving an extra special Porsche and we are certain the Panamera GTS will not disappoint both in terms of performance and practicality,” said Mr Karsono Kwee, Executive Chairman of Eurokars Group of Companies.
The Panamera GTS is thus a perfect combination of supreme performance and superior sportiness in a single car that is suitable for everyday use. Basic car price of the Panamera GTS starts from SGD 473,888. Prices include a 5-year free maintenance and warranty program, market-specific equipment, GST but exclude COE.
