The Sport Chrono Package

Our Panamera Turbo is equipped with the optional Sport Chrono Package, which gives us access to Sport Plus mode. In this mode, the engine, transmission, and chassis are set up for maximum performance (including a firmer suspension), making the car more suited to racing and track driving.

You can find more details on the Porsche Car Configurator page.

Six months after buying the car, I still hadn’t really driven it in Sport Plus mode, so I gave it a try on Royu Driveway last weekend. Here are five things I noticed.

Five Things I Noticed in Sport Plus Mode

1. The engine note gets higher

As soon as I switched to Sport Plus mode and pressed the accelerator, I could hear the engine note change. In Normal mode, the Panamera Turbo’s engine has a fairly deep, bass-heavy sound. In Sport Plus, it turns into a higher-pitched “waaaah” (I can’t think of a better way to describe it…) that sounds sportier and puts a smile on your face.

2. The car feels lighter and smaller

Of course, the car hasn’t actually become lighter or smaller, but suddenly it feels closer to a 911. The Panamera seems to shrink around me, making it even easier to drive. Motor journalist Goro Okazaki once wrote in a review, “When I drove it on mountain roads, the Panamera seemed to get smaller and smaller.”

3. The handling feels more precise

With the suspension firmed up (the Panamera Turbo has air suspension), the car feels more muscular and composed. The handling feels smoother, and it carves through corners exactly where I point it—so much so that I almost feel like I’ve become a better driver. The ride height also drops by 25 mm compared with Normal mode.

4. The car feels more stable with a little speed

On uphill bends, the car feels more stable through the corner with a little speed than when I’m nervously easing off the accelerator. The speed also feels much slower than it really is, so it never feels scary. (Still, I need to be careful not to get carried away and hit a cats-eye road marker.)

5. It holds the revs to around 4,000 rpm

In Normal mode, the car shifts up at around 2,000 rpm (after pulling away from a green light, it’s already in fifth or sixth gear in no time), but Sport Plus mode lets the engine rev to around 4,000 rpm, bringing more of the car’s power into play. I’m a bit of a coward, though, and tend to ease off the accelerator quickly… Apparently, if I kept my foot down, it would hold the revs even higher.

Because I kept getting nervous as the revs climbed and easing off the accelerator, the car often gave a noticeable jolt when it shifted gears. That wasn’t a fault with the car—it was simply down to my lack of driving skill.

I’ve probably only experienced a small fraction of what the Panamera Turbo can do. But driving it in Sport Plus mode reminded me just how much fun mountain roads can be: “I had no idea driving on mountain roads could be this much fun!”

Why the Sport Chrono Package Is a Must-Have

My husband had also retrofitted the Sport Chrono Package to our previous Panamera Edition. Yesterday, I finally asked him, “Why are you so keen on having the Sport Chrono Package?” Here’s what he said.

“Of course you want it. The Sport Chrono Package lets you get the most out of everything the car is capable of, so I can’t imagine not having it. Other options are one thing, but the Sport Chrono Package is the one I’d choose above all else.”

That makes sense. I’ve heard that we only use a small part of our abilities, with the other 90 percent lying dormant. Wouldn’t it be great if we could fit ourselves with a Sport Chrono Package and press a button to unleash everything we’ve got?

That’s the sort of daydream I’ve been having lately.