2011 Porsche Panamera

2011 Porsche Panamera

2011 Porsche Panamera

2011 Porsche Panamera

2011 Porsche Panamera

The new, entry-level Panamera is essentially the same car as the S and it, too, is a joy to drive. You give up some raw speed but not much else, and the base model may handle a tiny bit better than the S because it's slightly lighter. Unless you're planning to log time on a racetrack, this new Porsche is plenty quick. And there's good news for denizens of the snowbelt: The Panamera is actually slightly faster with all-wheel drive than with the standard rear-wheel drive and it handles marvelously in ice and snow.

Porsche (PAH3:GR) Panamera, the four-door luxury car that made its debut in 2010. Until recently, I had only driven the Panamera S, which is powered by a 4.8-liter, 400-horsepower V8 engine. What about the base model, which is only now making its debut in the U.S. and has a 3.6-liter, 300 horsepower V6 under its hood? Would it be too slow and pedestrian to seriously consider, even though it costs a good 15 grand less than the S?

The base Panamera starts at $75,375 with rear-wheel drive and $79,875 with all-wheel-drive. That compares with a starting price of $90,775 for the Panamera S, and $136,275 for the Turbo. Standard equipment on the new entry-level model is the same as on the S and includes leather upholstery, eight-way power front seats with driver memory functions, hard-drive-based navigation and 11-speaker sound systems, a sunroof, a power rear hatchback, rear parking sensors, a tilting and telescoping steering wheel, and a cooled glove box.