All-New Porsche Panamera Unveiled

German carmaker Porsche has unveiled the second generation of its Panamera sedan at an event in Berlin.

The Panamera first burst on to the scene in 2009, and underwent a refresh in 2013.

The new Panamera will be available with three engine options - a brand new turbocharged 2.9-litre petrol V6, a turbocharged 4-litre petrol V8 and a 4-litre V8 diesel that is also helped along by turbos.

The new 2.9-litre V6 turbo petrol is found on the Panamera 4S and produces 434bhp and 550Nm of torque. The Panamera 4S will sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 289km/h. The 4S petrol returns a mileage of 12.34km/l.

The more powerful 4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine produces 542bhp and 770Nm of torque. 0-100km/h takes just 3.6 seconds when the sedan is fitted with the optional Sport Chrono package, which means it beats its predecessor by half a second on the sprint. Top speed is 306km/h. The Panamera Turbo returns a mileage of 10.63km/l.

Porsche claim that the Panamera 4S is the 'World's Fastest Production Vehicle With A Diesel Engine' with a top speed of 285km/h. To achieve this crazy speed, the Panamera 4S diesel uses a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that produces 416bhp and 850Nm of torque.0-100km/h is dismissed in just 4.2 seconds while the mileage figure is 14.9km/l.

All the current variants of the new Panamera use a brand new 8-speed PDK dual clutch gearbox to send their power and torque to all four wheels. Porsche does plan on adding rear wheel drive variants of the Panamera as well.

The new Panamera is 5,049 mm long, 1,937 mm wide and 1,423 mm all which makes it 34 mm longer, 6mmm wider and 5mm taller than the previous model. The new Panamera's wheelbase is also 30mm longer at 2,950mm.

While the lower end models will continue to use a steel sprung suspension, the higher end variants will use an air suspension system with three-stage dampers in combination with electronic damper control and dynamic chassis control that supports torque vectoring and active roll stabilisation.

Design wise the Panamera looks quite sharp and is a welcome change from the dour looks of the previous generation. The front end features new air intakes and a redesigned grille which give the Panamera a more aggressive look. At the rear, the Panamera has borrowed the LED taillamps from the 718 Boxster that stretch across the rear end of the car.

Inside, the tachometer is the only analogue part of the dash and is flanked by two 7-inch display which plays host to the other dials and the other information that the driver needs.

At the centre of the dash is a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display with Apple CarPlay, satnav and voice activated controls. The controls for the climate control system are now touch based as is most of the centre console which looks a lot better than the usual clutter of buttons.

The Panamera 4S is priced at €113,027 (Rs. 84.83 lakh) in Germany.