Used 2023 Porsche Panamera

It’s large, but not lumbering. Plush, but not ponderous. The 2023 Panamera is a flagship model with driver appeal for CEOs who still want the thrills.

Customers at this level are demanding. Panamera buyers have a vast array of choices: body styles, drivetrains (including plug-in hybrids), interior and exterior colors, wheel designs/sizes/colors, soft-closing doors, massaging seats, and high-end sound systems. Because of the many permutations, each Panamera can be virtually a one-off.

Porsche comes from the land of the unrestricted autobahn. Galloping down the freeway at high speed is part of German culture. That’s why all large luxury sedans from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and, of course, Porsche can perform and handle in a way that something like a Lexus could never match.

Thanks to Porsche’s sports-car expertise, the Panamera is both athletic yet comfortable. Features like rear-wheel steering and torque vectoring enhance the car’s dynamics even more.

Although the GTS has “only” 473 horsepower, compared with an astonishing 690 horsepower in the Turbo S E-Hybrid, it’s the sportiest variant, employing an adaptive suspension set with a slightly lower ride height than the rest of the range. The thing about every Panamera, though, is how driver inputs require just the right amount of effort — enough to feel decisive while also being easy to operate.

We’ve driven and reviewed all the luxury full-size cars on sale today, including the Porsche Panamera.

The old idea of Porsche cars was that they were great to drive, but somewhat sparse inside. It turns out that Porsche is just as good at luxury as it is at making great driver’s machines, and just as good at merging the two.

On the luxury side, the materials in the 2023 Panamera are of excellent quality and assembled in an exemplary manner. This is all as it should be at such a high price level. And while some companies are going for the “ultra-sparse with a large infotainment touchscreen” approach, the Panamera retains a useful amount of switchgear. And it puts the rev counter at the center of the instrument cluster, just as Porsche does with its sports cars.

Following another of the company’s formulas, the Panamera also offers a wide choice of interior colors and materials, with partial leather upholstery as standard, along with trim accents of wood, aluminum or carbon fiber.

In standard form, the Panamera is a 4-seater, with a rear center seat offered as an option. The exception is the Sport Turismo, which is a 5-seater.

Rear legroom is generous, or even more generous in an Executive variant. The Sport Turismo brings a little extra rear headroom plus more cargo space — 18.3 cubic feet (enough for four sets of golf clubs), expanding to 49 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Compare that with the 17.6/47.3 cubic feet of the regular and Executive Panamera models. For a large luxury car, any Panamera is still surprisingly practical.

Most cars in this large luxury class are proper sedans with trunks. The regular Panamera is a hatchback. The Executive versions are essentially the same, but they’ve been stretched to create more legroom for the rear passengers. Because, you know, they’re probably executives.

The Sport Turismo body style adds a wagon-like flourish to the tail end, enhancing cargo space.

Platinum Editions
These versions bring popular features that would work out more expensive if selected individually.

Assistance package
A recommended options bundle that includes a 360-degree camera system, steering-responsive front lights, and a head-up display.

Integrated Porsche 4D Chassis Control
This is standard from the base model up and works with the adaptive suspension to adjust settings in milliseconds, creating the perfect ride quality for the moment.

Burmester audio
If an MP3 can sound great through this 21-speaker/1,455-watt surround-sound system, then anything of higher quality is going to be awesome. This is a $7,530 option, but we feel the same way about good car audio setups as we do about good mattresses — you use them a lot, so spend a lot on one.

E-Hybrid drivetrains
The fuel economy of a subcompact hatchback, the power of a supercar. Buyers who can afford a 2023 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid can afford the gasoline bills, but they can feel better about the lower emissions.

Night Vision Assist
Yet another option, this thermal imaging system sees beyond the range of the headlights to pick up on large wild animals or pedestrians, then sends an alert to the instrument cluster.

Every engine in the 2023 Panamera range is turbocharged, not just the ones called Turbo.

The basic unit is a 2.9-liter V6 making 325 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque. That’s boosted to 443 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque in the 4S variant.

The GTS enjoys 473 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque from its (awesome) 4.0-liter V8. That engine works harder in the Turbo S to develop a massive 620 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque in the Turbo S.

The E-Hybrid versions are actually plug-in hybrids with electric-only ranges going from 17 to 19 miles. The first 4 E-Hybrid has a total of 455 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, plenty of thrust. The 4S E-Hybrid runs with 552 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque.

The Turbo S E-Hybrid (with a 4.0-liter V8) has a mighty 690 horsepower and 641 lb-ft of torque.

All 2023 Panamera drivetrains require premium gasoline. Once we get to versions with a number 4 in their names, every Panamera has all-wheel drive (AWD) as standard. Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is standard in the base model. And an 8-speed automatic transmission is deployed across the lineup.

Panamera/Panamera 4
2.9-liter turbocharged V6
325 horsepower @ 5,400-6,400 rpm
331 lb-ft of torque @ 1,800-5,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 18/24 mpg (RWD/AWD), 18/23 mpg (4 Sport Turismo), 17/23 mpg (4 Executive)

Panamera 4S
2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6
443 horsepower @ 5,750-6,600 rpm
405 lb-ft of torque @ 1,900-5,750 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 18/24 mpg, 17/23 mpg (4S Sport Turismo/Executive)

Panamera GTS
4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8
473 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm
457 lb-ft of torque @ 1,800-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 15/21 mpg, 15/20 mpg (GTS Sport Turismo)

Panamera Turbo S
4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8
620 horsepower @ 6,800 rpm
604 lb-ft of torque @ 2,300-4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 15/21 mpg, 18/23 mpg (Sport Turismo)

Panamera 4 E-Hybrid
2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6/electric motor
455 total horsepower
516 lb-ft total torque
EPA combined city/highway fuel economy: 22 mpg (52 MPGe in all-electric operation)
Battery-only range: 19 miles

Panamera 4S E-Hybrid
2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6/electric motor
552 total horsepower
553 lb-ft total torque
EPA combined city/highway fuel economy: 22 mpg (50 MPGe in all-electric operation)
Battery-only range: 19 miles

Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid
4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 + electric motor
690 total horsepower
641 lb-ft total torque
EPA combined city/highway fuel economy: 19 mpg (48 MPGe in all-electric operation)
Battery-only range: 17 miles

More Porsche Panamera fuel economy information is available on the EPA’s website.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

The new-car warranty on a 2023 Panamera is for four years or 50,000 miles, whichever happens first. This is typical for the luxury bracket. The high-voltage batteries in the plug-in hybrid models are covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.

Porsche also throws in a complimentary first service at 10,000 miles or one year.