The Porsche Panamera is Porsche’s four-door luxury sports car, launched in 2009. It was designed to offer the performance and driving feel of a Porsche with room for four adults and luggage, and it has been built at Porsche’s plant in Leipzig, Germany. Three generations later, the Panamera offers V6, V8 and powerful plug-in hybrid versions, a long-wheelbase Executive model, and — in the current generation — an advanced active suspension that can nearly eliminate body roll.

At a glance

Generation Years Notes
First (970) 2009–2016 Hatchback sedan; first hybrid Porsche sedan
Second (971) 2016–2023 Sleeker design; Sport Turismo wagon; Executive LWB
Third 2023–today Active Ride suspension; stronger hybrids

The name

The Panamera’s name comes from the Carrera Panamericana, the legendary Mexican road race of the 1950s where Porsche earned early victories — the same race that gave the 911 Carrera its name.

A Porsche with four doors

A four-door Porsche was controversial among purists, just as the Cayenne SUV had been. But the Panamera’s low seating, precise steering and powerful engines made it feel unmistakably Porsche, and it found buyers who needed four seats but refused to give up performance.

Hybrids

Porsche offered a hybrid Panamera from its first generation, and plug-in E-Hybrid versions became the brand’s performance flagships. The most powerful versions combine a twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor.

Active Ride

The third-generation Panamera offers Porsche Active Ride, a fully active suspension that can lean the car into corners, keep it level under braking and acceleration, and even raise the body for easier entry and exit.

Panamera as a rear-seat car

The Panamera’s rear seats are individual, supportive bucket seats, and the long-wheelbase Executive model adds legroom. But its low roofline and sporty tuning make it a car for enthusiastic owners rather than a classic chauffeur car. For a rear-seat-first sedan, see the Mercedes S-Class or the best cars for rear-seat passengers.