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Auto Car Design and Review
People who need to apex at max g while taking the kids to school will have another option next spring when Porsche brings forth the 2013 Panamera GTS. Basically a sportier version of the current Panamera 4S, the $110,875 GTS will be the third most expensive derivative of Porsche’s sedan, after the $137,675 Turbo and $174,175 Turbo S.
Introduced at the Los Angeles auto show, the naturally aspirated GTS pulls its suspension and brake components from the Turbo—including the blown car’s larger front rotors—while its free-breathing 4.8-liter V-8 gets a revised intake and stouter valve springs. Redline is up 400 rpm, to 7100, and peak horsepower climbs 30, to 430. The engine’s noises are enhanced using a “Sound Symposer” similar to that on the new 911, with an acoustic tube and vibrating membrane that transmits intake snarl to the cabin via the A-pillar.
Down low, the air suspension that is optional on base Panameras is included on the GTS, with firmer shock rates and a ride height that is dropped 0.4 inch. Both the standard 19-inch wheels and the optional 20s wear Michelin Pilot Sport summer rubber, and the rear wheels get 0.2-inch spacers to widen the track slightly.
Visually, the changes include a front bumper from the SportDesign package available on other Panameras (one of the 10 million options on all Porsches) and the deployable three-element, four-position rear spoiler from the Turbo. There’s also some extra black body trim, and a new arrest-me-now red called Carmine joins the palette. In a first for the Panamera, Porsche says it’ll paint the car any bespoke color you can think of.
Leather and Alcantara, the artificial mouse fur that is the universal code for sporty, are used throughout the interior. Sill plaques identify the model as a GTS, as does lettering embroidered on the seats. The Sport Chrono package is standard and adds a “Sport Plus” setting for suspension and powertrain settings, as well as a 5500-rpm clutch-drop launch-control function on the PDK seven-speed auto-manual transmission. You’ll want to try that after the crossing guard leaves the intersection.
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