③ Engine Sound With or Without Sports Exhaust

Many people probably wonder whether to get the sports exhaust, and my husband said, “The sound quality and volume are completely different, so I’d definitely get it.” So, here’s a comparison between the sports exhaust-equipped car and the non-equipped (normal exhaust) car, broken down into three points.

1) Sound When Starting the Engine

With the normal exhaust and sports exhaust OFF, the engine start sound volume and tone are almost the same, both waking up with that bold Porsche roar. There might be subtle tonal differences, but they’re so slight it’s hard to describe, so you can say there’s not much difference.

2) Sound While Driving

With the sports exhaust equipped, turning it ON produces a deep, throaty V8 rumble, and you can clearly hear backfires when the PDK shifts. On the other hand, the non-equipped (normal exhaust) car only shows a bit of V8 character at high revs, and at low revs, it doesn’t feel very V8-like. The sports exhaust feels about 1.3 to 1.5 times louder than the normal exhaust.

3) Sound in Sport and Sport Plus Modes

With the sports exhaust, switching to Sport or Sport Plus makes the sound difference very clear. However, with the non-equipped (normal exhaust) car, there’s hardly any noticeable difference even in Sport or Sport Plus modes.

So, to summarize,

One big advantage of the sports exhaust is that it clearly communicates to the driver when the mode has changed. But compared to a regular sedan, even the normal exhaust is quite loud, so if you don’t want a loud sound or don’t like the V8’s throaty beat, the normal exhaust is sufficient.

That’s what he said.

④ Rear Axle Steering

Next, regarding whether the car has rear axle steering or not, my husband said,

In town, except for U-turns, you can’t really tell the difference. Even slow turns at intersections or during overtaking, I couldn’t find any difference.

True, I rarely even do U-turns in town, so I wouldn’t notice the difference either. (I avoid roads where I can’t U-turn because I’d panic.) So how about on the highway?

I focused all my attention on lane changes and high-speed stability over about 80 km, but I couldn’t feel any difference. Maybe on a racetrack or with more aggressive driving you’d notice, but on the highway within normal driving limits, I didn’t. Probably because the Panamera already has excellent chassis performance, making differences harder to detect.

While no difference was felt in town or on the highway, moving to the Royu Driveway, a winding road with tight corners where we usually drive the Panamera, the difference became very clear.

With the standard chassis, the difference isn’t obvious, but in Sport or Sport Plus modes, it’s clear. The front doesn’t feel much different in turn-in, but the rear’s responsiveness is noticeably better. With rear axle steering, the rear seems to follow the curve instantly, almost wrapping around, but without it, the rear feels slightly delayed.

This also shows in the roll feel: the tighter the corner, the less roll you feel with rear axle steering, and my husband said it really does feel smaller. Also, the feeling that the car is smaller and more agile on mountain roads is stronger with rear axle steering.

Though it’s subjective, if we set the standard chassis without rear axle steering as 1, here’s how he rated the feeling on winding mountain roads. (We abbreviate rear axle steering as RS in the table.)

My husband was amazed again that driving a Panamera with rear axle steering in Sport Plus mode feels like a nimble car, not a 2-ton, 5-meter-long vehicle. Overall,

If you mainly use your Panamera as a comfortable sedan for guests or family and don’t drive aggressively on winding roads, you probably don’t need the rear axle steering option. But if you want to enjoy winding roads and make U-turns or parking easier on narrow streets, it’s definitely worth having.

He said. Indeed, parking is super easy with rear axle steering, and without it, I’m not confident I could park the Panamera (laughs).

Overall Evaluation of the Test Drive Comparison

So, here’s my husband’s overall evaluation of the Panamera vs. Panamera Sport Turismo test drive comparison:

We looked at the differences in detail this time, but please take this as a comparative discussion only. As with other Porsche models, small differences in tire pressure or individual cars can change the ride feel, but even setting that aside, it’s clear there are some tuning differences between the Panamera and Sport Turismo.

Both the Panamera and Panamera Sport Turismo have sporty, solid suspensions, maintaining Porsche’s characteristic ride feel, with incredibly high-speed stability and cornering performance beyond their size. So, whether you buy a Panamera or a Sport Turismo, you’re guaranteed world-class driving performance and Porsche’s charm.

What’s more important is what you expect from the Panamera itself. Compared to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or AMG S63, it’s a completely different kind of car, so if you buy it thinking it’s a 25 million yen-plus ultra-luxury sedan, you might feel a mismatch with your expectations. When buying a Panamera Turbo, you should be prepared to “buy a 4- or 5-seat version of the 911 Turbo or GT3 with significantly enhanced luxury.” If you keep that mindset, it will meet your expectations well. As long as your expectations are aligned, you won’t regret buying a Panamera.

That’s what he said. Honestly, I felt a bit embarrassed that the test drive review article I wrote recently was too shallow (sigh)… (But I don’t want to delete it either…) So rather than deciding between the Panamera or Panamera Sport Turismo, first,

“Clarify what you want from a luxury sedan.”
That seems to be the key to not failing when buying a Panamera.