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Desirable Diversion

Carl S. Cunanan
August 26, 2020        |

Timing

The new Porsche Panamera is all about timing.

That is, after all, the best measure for the level of performance that the Stuttgart company looks to set and then reset. Over and over again.

The previous Porsche Panamera was a great jump from the first generation, and not just because they managed to smooth out that large rear roofline swell. It was fast, it handled, it was the continental tourer of choice for a reason. The second generation Porsche Panamera set a very high bar.

That bar is now higher. Their new Panamera Turbo S brings in a jump of around 80 more horsepower, so it is now at around 630. Plus an additional 50 Nm of torque. Plus the usual handling improvements Porsche brings along to help you harness and play with that power. Helpful since the familiar but fully-overhauled four liter V8 now allows a top speed of 315 kph. Three-chamber air suspension, Porsche Active Suspension Management, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus all contribute to keeping the driver safe and the power planted.

Panamera
Panamera
Panamera

The new Panamera comes in an array of powerplants and a couple body styles. The executive is the sleek four-door sedan, the Sport Turismo is what many call the world’s hottest wagon. You have the usual standard engines all the way through the GTS and up to the Turbo S, as well as a newly designed 4S E-Hybrid system that extends the electric range significantly to upwards of 50 km.

Panamera
Panamera

What does this all have to do with time? For one thing, the new Panamera Turbo S just set a new record at the famous (infamous) Nürburgring Nordschleife for “executive class” cars. 7:29.81 minutes around the 20.832 kilometers of what racecar drivers call “The Green Hell.” Test driver Lars Kern made the officially ranked and certified run in a slightly camouflaged Panamera Turbo S earlier this year, using specifically developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires that are options when you buy your Panamera. To show how different the new car is, that is around a 13 second difference (adjusted for a slightly different track length between the two attempts).

Porsche Design is taking a much bigger part in the new Panamera, a welcome effort for many watch enthusiasts. Porsche has been offering the Sport Chrono package for quite a while now, with its nice analog clock. Now, Porsche Design itself has jumped in. The exclusive automobile clock uses a high quality metal dial with ceramic indices and manufacture-made hands. All this makes the clock look far more like a quality timepiece than just an add-on. It helps that a specially developed lighting technology that allows clear readability in the varying ambient light of a car. Finally, a worthy clock. It still allows you to time your laps of course, it just does it looking a little nicer.

Panamera
Panamera
Panamera

And if you want to take your in-car experience with you, there is a new Sport Chrono wristwatch collection. The new line includes a chronograph and a “three hand” small-seconds model that matches very nicely with the in-car timepiece. Power is key, of course, and the wristwatches use in-house Porsche Design movements in cases of titanium. The leather straps are genuine Porsche interior leather, and the clasp is of titanium with safety push-buttons. Lightness is key on the wrist as well. The question here will be, do you go for the nice blue dial version or do you try to match the color that appears on the clock in your car?