2017 Porsche Panamera 4S

Stuttgart’s latest four-door is just like the original—in name only.

- Arthur St. Antoine

Half an hour into my blast down the autobahn, the speedo needle dancing to 150 mph, I’m ready to confirm what my eyes told me the moment I laid eyes on the car: The new 2017 Porsche Panamera is the super sports four door the original never was. From exterior styling to cabin design to engine and chassis performance, the new one gets it all right. There’s nothing else quite like it.

I’ve never been a fan of the original Panamera, Porsche’s first foray into the world of four-door, all-wheel-drive performance cars. Yes, it drives well enough, and its cockpit is a dramatic, switch-filled riff on a Learjet’s, but—how to put this gently—the bodywork is about as pulse-raising as an afternoon at the fabrics store. Uh, is that a Porsche or a Honda Crosstour? I get more revved up reading my cholesterol scores.