Porsche has unveiled the official details on the seventh model in the Panamera line-up. The new Turbo S is the most powerful version and, of course, the most expensive one as well. On the US market sales will begin later this spring with an MSRP of $173,200. The car will make its first appearance at the New York Auto Show on April 20th, 2011.
With the new Panamera Turbo S, Porsche has combined ultra high performance and efficiency, sports-car-like driving dynamics, and first-class comfort in just one car. Under the hood Porsche has placed a 4.8 liter, V8 biturbo engine that delivers an impressive 550 HP, a 50 HP improvement over the previous Turbo version. This is more than enough power to sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and hit a top speed of 190 mph. We get all of this while receiving a fuel economy of 23 mph (highway).
Throughout multiple Porsche lines, the Turbo S model has made an appearance and remains today as the range topping model. Some models are more inclined to find a buyer for an ultra-performance version, but other manufacturers have found success with the same formula. The Mercedes S-class has even more model variations than the Panamera, but even the ridiculously powerful S65 with a bi-turbo V12 has found plenty of takers. One of the biggest hurdles Porsche may face is the fact that the basic Panamera is less than beautiful and the Turbo S model is hard to distinguish.
