2026 Porsche Panamera

Admittedly, the Panamera starts quite expensive and finishes at a point where some people might be dabbing tears from their eyes. For buyers with more accommodating budgets, however, there’s a two-for-one deal happening here.

From the outside, looking in and looking on, the Panamera is a large luxury car. It’s prestigious, roomy, full of opulent touches, and packed with tech. From the driver’s seat, another car can emerge, one that has a direct line of descent from the awesome 911 sports car, the kind of thing at which Porsche excels.

That’s not to say the Panamera has a firm and sporty ride — it can be as smooth as the driver and occupants want it to be. It’s more like an undertone of sportiness, a composure and precision that becomes more assertive when the driver goes off for a solo jaunt around some entertaining roads. It also feels reassuringly stable on the freeway.

Maybe you can’t always please everyone, but the Panamera makes a Herculean effort to please as many people as possible. Well, those who can afford it.

This year brings a few tech upgrades. The infotainment system has been tweaked for faster responses and now allows users to download third-party apps. Amazon Alexa can take on the duties of a voice assistant. Both optional audio systems from Bose and Burmester have been enhanced with Dolby Atmos technology for exceptional clarity.

If rear-wheel drive (RWD) is acceptable, we have no qualms recommending the base Panamera, as it’s already well stocked with standard equipment. This approach might also leave room in the budget to add a few options, which tend to be expensive (we have a gift for understatement).

The other large flagship car with big driver appeal is the BMW 7 Series, starting just over $100,000. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is still the king of this opulent hill and begins in the same kind of ballpark as the Panamera.

Before buying a new Panamera luxury car, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should be paying.

Best-In-Class Resale Values

The Panamera retains its value better than any other large luxury car. Recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

Buyers of a new Panamera have a choice of drivetrains ranging from a more-than-adequate 348 horsepower to a gargantuan 771 hp. They can zip from a standstill to 60 mph in five seconds (sweetly brisk) or 2.8 seconds — incredible for a large luxury car or virtually anything else on four wheels. The top Turbo S E-Hybrid also has a top speed of 202 mph. Another of our favorite large luxury sedans, the BMW 760i xDrive, gathers up its 536 horses to hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.

An air suspension is standard, so the Panamera can do comfort as well as it does speed. The plug-in hybrids also offer a more sophisticated active suspension for a wider range of cushioning or connection. It keeps the car flat, eliminating body roll through fast corners, and prevents any pitching under heavy braking or hard acceleration. A rear-wheel steering system is another Panamera option, improving agility and maneuverability even further.

Fuel Economy

The base Panamera achieves 21 mpg in combined city/highway driving. It’s the same figure with all-wheel drive (AWD). That’s a little thirstier than the Mercedes-Benz S 500 (24 mpg combined) and much thirstier than the base BMW 740i (28 mpg combined).

Porsche says the plug-in hybrid batteries are capable of being recharged in 2.5 hours.

Porsche keeps switchgear to a minimum in the 2026 Panamera. Various functions are accessible through the screens, and the car comes with a 12.6-inch digital driver information display as standard. An optional 10.9-inch screen for the front passenger is not visible for the driver.

The high center console gives a cockpit-like ambiance, underlining the company’s sporting heritage. Naturally for a luxury car, there’s also a cosseting side. Porsche says it has improved the quality of the Panamera’s seat foam (although we never felt the previous generation was lacking in this respect), and makes leather-free upholstery available. Other little touches include finless air vents that can be preset along with preferred climate settings.

Occupant space is perfectly reasonable for average-sized adults in both rows. The luggage area behind the rear seats measures an eminently useful 17.4 cubic feet. This expands to 46.9 cubic feet when those seats are folded down. The plug-in hybrid variants reduce these figures slightly.

With a design more evolutionary than revolutionary, this latest generation of Panamera will not shock any onlookers. That’s fine by us. We like how it evokes the famed 911 sports car. The headlights are different, with matrix-LED technology as standard. And we think the taillights are cool — forming an unbroken bar from one side to the other.

Unlike its conventional sedan competitors, the Panamera has a hatchback. That brings some cargo-carrying versatility while maintaining a sleek roof line.

Navigation systems
Those in the hybrid models also take fuel efficiency into account when planning a route, which we think is quite ingenious.

Burmester audio
Now with Dolby Atmos, this is one of the absolute best-sounding car systems we’ve ever heard.

Porsche Active Ride
Although the Panamera has an air suspension as standard, this optional setup (standard with the top Turbo S E-Hybrid) has an electro-hydraulic pump for each damper, enabling the Panamera to reduce body movement to an even greater degree. It will also raise the ride height for easier entries and exits.

Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes
A famous and famously expensive option in Porsche vehicles. They withstand all sorts of harsh treatment without fading, warping or wearing. A good thing to have when your luxury car can develop 771 horsepower and, fortunately, they’re standard with the Turbo S E-Hybrid.

Sport Chrono package
Another well-known Porsche feature, this includes a stopwatch and a launch control mode for the automatic transmission. It’s standard in the GTS and E-Hybrids, optional in the two lower trims.

Assistance package
This options bundle includes a head-up display, night vision, and a screen for the front passenger.

The Panamera’s base engine is a turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 making 348 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque. Rear-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive available as an option — then the car is called the Panamera 4.

The plug-in hybrid Panamera 4 E-Hybrid augments that turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 with an electric motor for a substantial total of 463 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. The Panamera 4S E-Hybrid retains that setup while boosting output to 536 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque.

The Turbo S E-Hybrid brings in a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter to pair with an electric motor for a total of 670 hp and 685 lb-ft of torque. The same engine is in the range-topping Turbo S E-Hybrid, but this drivetrain generates a massive 771 hp and 737 lb-ft of torque. This output makes it the most powerful Panamera the company has produced.

The sporty Panamera GTS employs a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that sends 493 hp and 486 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels.

Every Panamera has an 8-speed automatic transmission.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

Porsche’s new-vehicle and powertrain warranties last for four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. Roadside assistance is also included on the same terms. This coverage is typical for a luxury European marque. High-voltage batteries in the plug-in hybrid models are guaranteed for eight years or 100,000 miles. Porsche also offers a complimentary first service at 10,000 miles or one year.

Safety Ratings

This generation of Panamera has not been crash-tested by any independent agencies, which is quite common among high-priced, low-volume vehicles. Standard safety features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian/cyclist detection (Warn and Brake Assist), plus blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (Lane Change Assist).