Porsche announces Panamera with 300-hp V6 starting at $74,400

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http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/porsche-panamera-v6.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/porsche-panamera-v6/)Porsche Panamera V6 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Porsche (http://autoblog.com/make/porsche) has just announced that it is filling out the remainder of its Panamera (http://www.autoblog.com/model/panamera) lineup with the addition of a V6-powered model that will be available with either rear- or all-wheel-drive. Starting price for the RWD V6 Panamera will be $74,400 while the AWD Panamera 4 will begin at $78,900 (plus destination).

Wondering how that compares with the V8-powered Panamera S? Let's look at some numbers. The 3.6-liter V6 puts out 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, which is a decrease of an even hundred horses and 74 lb-ft from the 4.8-liter V8. Each buyer will have to decide for themselves whether those hundred extra ponies are worth a $15,400 surcharge.

Porsche's seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) dual-clutch transmission will be standard equipment in the V6 Panamera, along with such necessities as an electric moonroof, power liftgate and the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system with navigation.

According to Porsche, the V6 puts 66 fewer pounds over the front axle, resulting in an overall weight of 3,880 pounds. Auto Stop/Start technology ought to help the V6 Panamera eke a few more miles from each gallon of gasoline, and though official EPA numbers are not yet available Porsche says the car will not be subject to a gas guzzler tax. Check out the gallery of high-res images below and hit the jump for the official press release.


Gallery: Porsche Panamera V6 (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/porsche-panamera-v6/)

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/porsche-panamera-v6002_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/porsche-panamera-v6/#2919320)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/porsche-panamera-v6003_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/porsche-panamera-v6/#2919321)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/porsche-panamera-v6004_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/porsche-panamera-v6/#2919323)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/porsche-panamera-v6005_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/porsche-panamera-v6/#2919324)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/porsche-panamera-v6006_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/porsche-panamera-v6/#2919325)

[Source: Porsche]Continue reading Porsche announces Panamera with 300-hp V6 starting at $74,400 (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/22/porsche-announces-panamera-with-300-hp-v6-starting-at-74-400/)

Porsche announces Panamera with 300-hp V6 starting at $74,400 (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/22/porsche-announces-panamera-with-300-hp-v6-starting-at-74-400/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).



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[ZBB]

That's roughly the same power/weight as my CTS (slightly lighter, 6hp less)...

[JST]

So, this, or a CTS-V and 9 grand in change. Hmm. Tough call.

[SARAFIL]

So, this, or a CTS-V and 9 grand in change. Hmm. Tough call.


Sorry... don't think that there is much of that cross-shopping happening with this car. What is more likely is that this is the car someone will buy when they like the Panamera S but want to find a way to save $15,000.

BTW... BMW is now offering a N54-powered 740i in the US market. At $12k less than the 750i and packing 315hp (almost as much as the 2002 745i, and considerably more than the E38 740i V8) I would seriously consider it if I had an interested in buying a 7-series. Or, just come to my senses and buy the 9/10 version in the new 5-series for another $12k less.

[FC]

I agree with Fil to an extent. I do think a lot of people want the car regardless of the engine. The 525 (or similar) has always been pretty good seller despite its realtively weak output. It also explains why the weaker 3-series is by far the better seller. Big engines get you sexy numbers, good spec sheet sand win you auto rag comparos and yield great reviews, but ultimately the weaker cars sell more. If you can live witha bit less power youget most of the car for less $$$. That all makes sense.

But I wonder if this will apply in the world of Porsche when you are already so high up in the price range? Perhaps with respect to attractive leases that may work. It seems to work withte Boxster.

All that said, I still cant get over the looks.

[SARAFIL]

But I wonder if this will apply in the world of Porsche when you are already so high up in the price range? Perhaps with respect to attractive leases that may work. It seems to work withte Boxster.

All that said, I still cant get over the looks.


Yes. The V6 Cayenne was a (relative) sales hit when it came out. Bargain priced Porsche Cayenne? Everyone that wanted the badge but could not give a shit about what was under the hood came out to buy them. Same thing will happen with this (relatively speaking)... it will pretty quickly become the volume leader in my opinion. I don't think the Panamera buyer is as much of an enthusiast as the Boxster, Cayman or 911 buyer.... they won't be as concerned about the power as they are about the image.

[JST]

Yes. The V6 Cayenne was a (relative) sales hit when it came out. Bargain priced Porsche Cayenne? Everyone that wanted the badge but could not give a shit about what was under the hood came out to buy them. Same thing will happen with this (relatively speaking)... it will pretty quickly become the volume leader in my opinion. I don't think the Panamera buyer is as much of an enthusiast as the Boxster, Cayman or 911 buyer.... they won't be as concerned about the power as they are about the image.

I don't doubt that there is a very solid business case for this car, and I suspect that you are right--very few people will cross-shop it against anything that doesn't have a Porsche badge on hood. I was speaking more from the rational (or irrational enthusiast) perspective.

OTOH, given the recent merger and the talk about the need to share the Panamera's underpinnings in order to leverage more volume, I'd wait for the VW badge to go with the VW engine.

Just as a point of clarification--this is still the VR6 from the Passat, right? I think it is, but I haven't bothered to dig that up.