Twisting the left-mounted key provokes a startling response from the twin pipes of the Panamera GTS. Its 4.8L V8 fires up with such a sharp, immediate staccato before quickly dropping to a rumbling idle that gangsters dive for cover.
I've always thought that
Ford's Mustang GT owned the “Best Auditory” title for a V8 powerplant, but I'm compelled to rescind the bestowment in favour of this week's tester: the 2013 Porsche Panamera GTS.
The meaning of GTS
The Panamera GTS is Porsche's naturally aspirated, high-performance version of their four-door four-seat touring car. It sits between the 4S and the Turbo variants. Through retooling and retuning, Porsche has pulled an extra 30 hp out of the Panamera 4S engine for a total of 430 horsepower @ 6,700 rpm leveraged with 384 lb-ft of torque @ 3,500 rpm.
The only transmission available is Porsche's sophisticated 7-speed dual-clutch PDK which delivers nanosecond swaps that are made even more instantaneous by momentarily deactivating pertinent cylinders to aid in the rapidity. The function also contributes to a wonderful auditory commotion described by Porsche as more “motorsport” sounding -- and I have to agree.
The power that accompanies the magnificent exhaust opus is delivered to all four corners to ensure the immensity breathing beneath the hood is converted to relentless forward motion without a loss of traction.
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| The only transmission available is Porsche's sophisticated 7-speed dual-clutch PDK. (Photo: Rob Rothwell) |
Launch Control - shock and awe
Have you ever read an owner's manual that instructs the driver to place his/her left foot on the brake and quickly depress the throttle to the floor? Unless it's a Porsche publication, probably not; yet that's what the Panamera GTS manual references under the Launch Control heading.
With the vehicle's Sport Plus mode activated, the car can be launched from a dead stop like a surface-to-air missile. Porsche literature assigns a 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds to the GTS, but after experiencing a Launch Control departure, that number seems a little high to me.
This car is brutally fast out of the hole in a space-and-time-warping way. The ferocity holds firm while the PDK hammers one gear after the next with no loss of gravity-defying thrust. In Sport Plus mode, there's no deactivation of cylinders during upshifts, adding to the pile-driving effect of gear changes.
There are few production cars that can match the exhilaration the GTS provokes when shot from the Launch Control barrel, but the car's hostile side can be easily suppressed in favour of comfort and luxury.
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| Porsche literature assigns a 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds to the GTS, but after experiencing a Launch Control departure, that number seems a little high to me. (Photo: Porsche) |
The mannered GTS
For all its punctuated rebellious bravado, the GTS has a genteel side that will please those occupants alienated by stark aggression. Opt for its normal driving mode and deselect its performance exhaust, and the big Panamera will exercise its confidence demurely while delivering a highly controlled yet notably comfortable ride, though this process is akin to defusing an atom bomb. Still, for those occasions when restraint trumps arousal, the GTS adapts.
Manners belie athleticism
Regardless of settings, the Panamera GTS can be relied upon to provide the road worthiness and handling capabilities that Porsche is renowned for. I've experienced other Panamera variants on the track and could spend chapter and verse detailing the dynamics that make these large performance machines so capable and rewarding in the hands of novice and pro alike.
They are exceptionally tenacious sleds while being as forgiving as Mother Theresa when apexes are misjudged or speed outstrips ability. The provision of Sport and Sport Plus modes allow drivers to unleash the GTS congruent with their ability to exploit its potential.
For the preponderance of GTS owners, the Sport mode will fulfill expectations -- and then some -- without subjecting them to a world beyond their proficiency.
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| The provision of Sport and Sport Plus modes allow drivers to unleash the GTS congruent with their ability to exploit its potential. (Photo: Rob Rothwell) |
Wrapping the GTS
In many ways, the GTS is the value leader among the extensive Panamera lineup. It delivers outstanding V8-derived performance accompanied by the most intoxicating auditory track money can buy. Its entry price of $126,700 places it well below the $158,500 tag of the Panamera Turbo and even further below the
Turbo S entry point of $200,300.
Whether doused in GTS assertiveness or not, the Panamera truly is a four-person touring car. The two rear seating positions are surprisingly spacious, spoiling occupants with uncompromised comfort. Thanks to its four doors, rear seat ingress/egress is no more difficult than in any typical sedan.
The real beauty in the Panamera GTS, next to its aircraft-like cabin architecture, is its ability to holster its weapon and exercise restraint when discretion is the better part of valour. Beware though, when diplomacy is dispensed with, the GTS is one rebellious powerhouse.
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