550isport
02-12-2009, 12:22 PM
There doesn't seem to be too much technical info. about the Panamera on the net yet. Aside from more power, what could Porsche do to make their sedan a better drive than a 7 sport? I mean as between Bimmer and Merc you can point to differences in weight distribution, torque curves and specific output, unsprung mass (some Mercs sport 6 or 8 piston calipers and 14+ in. rotors etc.) A BMW is designed with a higher priority on performance. So, what is Porsche going to do? Put the Panamera's engine behind the rear wheels and the trunk up front? (kidding) Seriously, how do they get an edge? I can't really point to a non-engine related performance edge in the design of the Cayenne over an X5.
My answer would be that they can afford to tune the chassis for a more performance oriented ride since buyers aren't expecting an S class ride quality inasmuch as Porsche is a sports car company. Right? But Alpina can tweak the 7's chassis and has announced plans to squeeze another 100 ponies out as well. So those points are a bit moot.
No doubt the Porsche will sound 100 times better, feel more special and look far more unique on the road, but how will they get it to handle significantly better given that est. weight figures are supposedly within 200 lbs. of a 750i?
Just curious if anyone has any theories on this?
My answer would be that they can afford to tune the chassis for a more performance oriented ride since buyers aren't expecting an S class ride quality inasmuch as Porsche is a sports car company. Right? But Alpina can tweak the 7's chassis and has announced plans to squeeze another 100 ponies out as well. So those points are a bit moot.
No doubt the Porsche will sound 100 times better, feel more special and look far more unique on the road, but how will they get it to handle significantly better given that est. weight figures are supposedly within 200 lbs. of a 750i?
Just curious if anyone has any theories on this?
