The Porsche Panamera enters its third technology with some delicate however vital tweaks. It continues to rival automobiles just like the Mercedes-AMG GT, Audi A7, and, most significantly, the BMW eight Collection Gran Coupe. The six-figure sedan market is area of interest however nonetheless related, and Porsche hopes to captivate prospects with traditional promoting factors like dynamic dealing with and attention-grabbing designs. However how does the brand new design examine to BMW’s eight Collection Gran Coupe?
Exterior: 2024 Porsche Panamera vs. BMW eight Collection Gran Coupe
From the surface, the next-generation Porsche Panamera merely doesn’t change very a lot. The brand new particulars embody a small air consumption above the entrance license plate holder that will increase airflow. Porsche says the brand new Panamera will get a “essentially revamped look,” however we’re not seeing it. Small adjustments to the home windows push them additional towards the flared fenders, and the hood strains are barely extra pronounced. A redesigned single taillight stretches the width of the rear finish. Turbo E-Hybrid fashions get center-lock wheels (a bizarre alternative for a luxurious sedan), chrome-plated tailpipes, a painted diffusor, and Turbonite (gray) accents that set it aside from extra pedestrian fashions.
The BMW eight Collection Gran Coupe is round 7 inches shorter and two inches narrower than the 2024 Porsche Panamera. An elective lengthy wheelbase Panamera dwarfs the eight Collection much more. The present eight Collection will get M Sport design cues normal, lending it an aggressive look. Regardless of minimal adjustments to the Panamera and the eight Collection now being on sale for nearly six years, they each look good. However the extra aggressive design of the BMW eight Collection (particularly on the range-topping M8) makes it the clear winner.
Inside: 2024 Porsche Panamera vs. BMW eight Collection
The brand new Panamera inside is evolutionary reasonably than revolutionary, bringing the posh sedan according to the competitors. Now you can add a 10.9-inch passenger-side show, offering streaming and infotainment controls. Non-leather choices can be found – notably, not the case within the BMW eight Collection. Each automobiles get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, app integration, and configurable ambient lighting.
Selecting between the inside of the BMW eight Collection and the Porsche Panamera is basically a style choice. Each supply refined and splendid cabins and spectacular normal options like glass sunroofs, heated seats/steering wheel, and entrance and rear parking help techniques. We predict the eight Collection inside is traditional BMW, and although it misses out on the large, curved show discovered elsewhere within the BMW lineup, it holds up properly. Plus, a number of the normal tools handily bests what you’ll discover within the Porsche. For instance, you get a 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system in comparison with a 10-speaker system within the Porsche. The eight Collection will get 4-zone automated local weather management normal as an alternative of the Porsche’s 2-zone system. We’ll see how the 2 stack up from behind the motive force’s seat quickly.
Efficiency: 2024 Porsche Panamera vs. BMW eight Collection Gran Coupe
To date, Porsche has solely confirmed three trim ranges of the 2024 Porsche Panamera. You may go for a base rear-wheel drive variant, the all-wheel drive Panamera 4, and a Turbo E-Hybrid trim stage. Each non-Turbo variants are powered (sarcastically) by twin-turbocharged V6 engines making 348 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. That’s a rise of 23 horsepower and 37 pound-feet over final 12 months’s mannequin. The Turbo E-Hybrid presents 670 horsepower and 685 pound-feet of torque from a twin-turbo V8 with new {hardware} enhancements, together with new pistons and a brand new valvetrain.
Most BMW followers don’t want an introduction to the eight Collection, which will get a turbo-six or twin-turbocharged eight-cylinder engine. At every stage, the eight Collection will get much less energy than the Panamera. No hybrid variants are deliberate for the eight Collection, both, whereas Porsche plans to convey as many as 4 hybrid variants of the Porsche Panamera to market. We’ll have to attend and see how the assorted trim ranges of the Porsche Panamera carry out earlier than declaring a winner. But it surely definitely guarantees just a little bit extra versatility than the present BMW eight Collection.
Total: Which Luxurious Sedan Would You Take?
Deliveries of the brand new 2024 Porsche Panamera ought to start in March 2024 in Europe. By then, the BMW eight Collection will enter into a brand new 2025 mannequin 12 months, however few – if any – adjustments are anticipated. Proper now, we expect the eight Collection presents extra bang-for-the-buck efficiency for rather less badge attraction. Particularly contemplating the range-topping E-Hybrid will virtually definitely command a $200Ok+ price ticket – excess of even probably the most closely optioned M8 Competitors Gran Coupe, which begins at $138,800. However, we’re excited by the prospect of a high-powered hybrid variant of the BMW eight Collection. Which high-dollar sedan do you suppose appears higher?
[Photos: Porsche and BMW]