What's all this about?

We'd had hints that it was coming but Porsche has revealed full details on the updated range of its '971 Chassis G2' Panamera and, boy, are there some big changes. Like, big power changes.

Oh yes? How so?

Well, having tantalised you with these details, now we're going to make you wait a bit while we talk about the looks. Which haven't changed much at all, if we're honest. Both the four-door Saloon and the five-door Sport Turismo estate body styles continue, while an 'Executive' long-wheelbase model is a special-order affair. At the front, what was previously an option called the Sport Design styling is now the accepted 'face' of all 'G2 II' (we'd have called it 971.2 ourselves, Porsche, but we digress) Panameras, so look for distinctive air intake grilles, large side cooling openings and a single-bar front LED light detail (the four-point DRL LEDs in the headlights remain). There is one model which gains dual-bar lights in its bumpers but we'll come onto that in a moment. In general terms, the light strip across the tail of the Panamera has been redesigned to 'run seamlessly' over the bootlid, while the LED rear clusters are also a fresh shape and look. Throw in three additional designs of 20- and 21-inch alloys, bringing the total choices of wheel to ten, and that's the updated Panamera on the outside.

Inside, nothing has changed visually, save for the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) now boasting additional digital functions and services, including Voice Pilot online voice control, Risk Radar (up-to-date road sign and hazard information), wireless Apple CarPlay and other Connect services. Elsewhere, Lane Keeping Assist with Road Sign Recognition is now standard across the board, while there are options such as Porsche InnoDrive including Adaptive Cruise Control (a feature seen on the closely related Taycan first), Night Vision Assist, Lane Change Assist, LED Matrix headlights with Porsche Dynamic Lighting System Plus, Park Assist including Surround View, and a Head-Up Display.

All very nice. Now, enough stalling - talk to me about the power.

Right-o. Let's start with the mighty Turbo. Pre-facelift, this thing had 550hp and 770Nm from its 4.0-litre biturbo V8, enough to shunt it from rest to 62mph in a mere 3.6 seconds (with Sport Chrono) and on to 190mph. Punchy, eh? But clearly not enough for Stuttgart, because now the Panamera Turbo has become the Panamera Turbo S.

You what? You mean this is the Turbo S E-Hybrid, then?

No, it isn't. Indeed, that 680hp petrol-electric loon is conspicuously absent from Porsche's announcement of the revised Panamera range, although we'd reckon a 700hp-plus model cannot be far off. The reason we think this, by the way, is because the Turbo's transition to a Turbo S has seen its outputs leap up by 80hp and 50Nm respectively. And while we know you can do the maths on that, allow us to save you the legwork: that means the Panamera Turbo S, without recourse to electric assistance, now delivers thumping great figures of 630hp and 820Nm. This means the Porsche will scorch from 0-62mph in 3.1 seconds (half-a-second quicker) and will also run on to 196mph (+6mph outright), all while returning up to 22.1mpg WLTP and emitting as little as 289g/km CO₂. It is the Panamera Turbo S which gets the aforementioned twin light bars in its air intakes, which themselves are larger than on other Panameras, while some of the design elements are finished in body colour. Standard chassis spec on this brutal performance saloon includes three-chamber air suspension, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) active anti-roll stabilisation, and also Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), and that is presumably why it has recently set a new lap record at the Nordschleife, thundering round the 12.9-mile track in 7:29.81 - fully 13 seconds quicker than the Pan Turbo G2 went with the same driver (Porsche's test ace Lars Kern) in 2016.

Good grief! So is the Turbo S the only beneficiary in the G2 II power race?

Not at all. Our favourite model, the Panamera GTS, sees its version of the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 enhanced by 20hp, to a new peak of 480hp. Maximum torque remains the same at 620Nm but, interestingly, Porsche says it has focused on the manner of power delivery, claiming that the updated GTS's 'power output rises continuously as you reach the engine rev limiter, hence the power delivery is intended to be like that of a classic sports car with a naturally-aspirated engine'. The German company also claims its V8 soundtrack is 'even more prominent' than before, with a standard-fit Sports exhaust system with asymmetrically positioned rear silencers. GTS Panameras enjoy Exclusive Design darkened taillight clusters with a dynamic 'Coming/Leaving Home' function but, fancy illumination or not, we like the idea of this one - a lot. Oh, and flitting back to the 630hp beast, the Pan Turbo is not the only model to gain an 'S' in its name, either.

Oh? What's the other one?

The entry-level plug-in hybrid. What was once the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid now becomes the Panamera 4S E-Hybrid, which is a significant step. This means that, while you've still got a 2.9-litre biturbo V6 up front augmented by a 100kW (136hp) electric motor in the eight-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission, that V6 is no longer running at Pan 4 specification (330hp) but is instead boosted to Pan 4S levels, aka 440hp. So instead of peak system numbers of 462hp and 700Nm, themselves none too shabby, the new 4S E-Hybrid churns out 560hp (+98hp) and 750Nm (+50Nm). Not only that, but Porsche has fitted it with a bigger 17.9kWh battery (previously 14.1kWh), meaning 30 per cent more electric range with a quoted EV cruising maximum of 34 miles. That's on top of a car that, with the Sport Chrono Package fitted as standard, will run 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and go on to 185mph where permitted. WTLP figures for this multitalented machine range from 94.2-128.4mpg with 50-67g/km of CO₂, as well as a combined power consumption range of 22.6-24.9kWh/62.5 miles.

Lordy! So the 480hp GTS is only the fourth most-powerful Panamera G2 II of the lot?

If the Turbo S E-Hybrid comes back, then yes.

This is phenomenal. What about the other models?

The Panamera and the Panamera 4 continue unchanged, powered by the 2.9-litre biturbo V6 we mentioned earlier that runs 330hp and 450Nm. These are still hardly what you'd call slow cars and they'll achieve up to 27.2mpg (Panamera 4) or 27.7mpg (Panamera) if you drive them steadily. And, for all models of updated Panamera, there has been a retuning of chassis and control systems to enhance both the Porsche's comfort levels and its handling capabilities. These include revisions to the steering control set-up and also a new generation of tyres to provide increased grip.

I cannot wait to see what these are like on the roads. Do you have prices?

The full rundown, luckily for you. The rear-wheel-drive Panamera is only available as a Saloon and starts from £69,860. All other models feature all-wheel drive and can be specified as either a Saloon or as a Sport Turismo. For the Panamera 4, you're looking at £72,890, the 4S E-Hybrid starts from £101,690, the Panamera GTS kicks off at £107,180 and you'll need at least £135,610 for the Panamera Turbo S. For the equivalent Sport Turismo models of all four of these, add £2,150 to the prices - meaning the Panamera wagon range starts at £75,040 for a 4 and rises to £137,760 for a Turbo S. The updated second-generation Panamera family is available to order from Porsche Centres right now.

Matt Robinson - 26 Aug 2020