The facelifted version of Porsche’s first ever four-door sedan has been unveiled. The 2014 Porsche Panamera will now be showcased at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show on 21st April and after that it will hit the markets in Europe in July this year. Many styling changes can be witnessed in the new Panamera when compared to the old one. The 2014 version has newly designed headlights, tailgate, indicators, bumpers, taillights, etc. LED headlights will be made optional when the car hits the markets around the world.
The car will be made available in three different variants – S, 4S and 4S Executive. A hybrid version called Panamera S E-Hybrid has also been unveiled. The S, 4S and 4S Executive models will be powered by a new 3.0 liter V6 engine churning out maximum power of 410BHP and a peak torque of 520Nm. This engine not just produces higher output and torque compared to the older V8 engine, but also offers better fuel-efficiency.
The Panamera S E-Hybrid has also been updated with a V6 engine which along with a 94 BHP electric motor produces a peak output of 410 BHP. The li-ion battery pack in the S E-Hybrid is also much bigger with an improved capacity of 9.4 kWh. This engine is rated at 30Km/liter and can accelerate the car up to a speed of 270kmph. The battery in S E-Hybrid can be charged via the Porsche Universal Charger in just 2.5 hours. The battery takes 4 hours to completely recharge itself if one is charging it through a household power point. The S E-Hybrid can run for 36kms on its battery alone and can reach speeds of up to 135kmph.
The 4S and the 4S Executive models will come with extended wheelbase (almost 150mm longer) along with many luxury features which improves overall driving experience. Extended wheelbase means that rear passengers will have more legroom and a much comfortable ride quality. In the conventional models the manual transmission has been done away with completely and has been replaced by 7-speed PDK transmission, while the S E-Hybrid model has been given the 8-Speed Tiptronic S gearbox. The 8-speed gearbox will also be seen in the diesel variant which Porsche will introduce soon. The base price of the 2014 Porsche Panamera in Germany is going to be somewhere around Rs.60 lacs.