Porsche: Find Your Freedom

Porsche founded its formidable legacy as a sportscar manufacturer, but the hallowed Stuttgart marque has greatly diversified its portfolio over the past couple of decades, with the rapid yet luxurious Panamera and Taycan limousines catering to buyers seeking performance and practicality in equal measure.

L’Officiel Arabia recently had the opportunity to sample both Porsche models via a 300km road trip that would take us from the urban environs of Dubai to the opulent Address Beach Resort in Fujairah and back, enabling us to get a good feel for the duo of the luxurious four-door Porsche models. We chose the Taycan 4S for the outward leg, as we were intrigued by the fully electrified newcomer that has been greeted by rave reviews since its launch.

The Taycan 4S derives propulsion from a pair of electric motors that deliver a total output of 571hp. Floor the throttle and you’ll experience eye-opening acceleration that’s scarcely believable for a luxurious limo that comfortably seats four occupants. A 0-100kph split of 4.0sec is highly impressive for such an opulent vehicle, as is a touring range of 400km-plus on a single charge.

Just as appealing as the straight-line performance of the Taycan 4S is its remarkable agility. Some Porsche purists may have been concerned the brand was diluting its heritage by deviating from the traditional combustion-engine formula, but they can rest easy. The Taycan is every inch a true Porsche, and this becomes apparent once you’ve spent even 10 minutes behind the wheel.

The Taycan 4S is a highly engaging and tactile driver’s car and piloting it across twisty roads is an experience to savour. The cabin, too, is immaculately crafted, with both front and rear-seat occupants very well catered to.

For the return trip from Fujairah, we selected the latest version of the Panamera, which has been redesigned and restyled down to the last detail. Its engines and transmissions have been re-engineered, its chassis perfected, and its display and control concept reinterpreted for the future with multi-touch gesture control. The new Panamera once again extends the boundaries between an ambitious sports car and a comfortable cruising car with technical highlights such as rear axle steering and electromechanical roll stabilisation.

 

A 0-100kph split of 4.0sec is highly impressive,

as is its touring range of 400km-plus on a single charge.

The impression from behind the wheel is of effortless performance as the massive torque quota makes for easy overtaking and refined highway cruising. As with the Taycan 4S, the Panamera offers generous seating for four and the standard of fit and finish in the cabin is flawless.

All in all, the Panamera is a superbly well-rounded sporting saloon that manages to serve up supercar performance, yet not at the expense of comfort and refinement, thanks to the three-chamber air that delivers a magic-carpet ride. There’s also the impression of tremendous stability and surefootedness through corners.