Some of you asked for it, all of you are going to get it. It's time to peek underneath a 2011 Porsche Panamera, the entry-level rear-drive version with the 3.6-liter V6 engine. Even though this is technically the base model, it's no slouch, as our recent IL Track Tested results demonstrate.
Stops from 60 mph take just 110 feet. It slithers through the slalom cones at an average pace of 69.7 mph and pulls 0.94 lateral-g on the skidpad. Not bad for a 4,025-pound 5-door hatchback.
Today's secret word is aluminum. Feel free to "scream real loud" every time you see something made of the stuff, but know first that if you do you'll ruin your future singing career by the second or third photo. We'll all waste less breath by pointing out parts made from other materials.
The Panamera's front end is suspended by double wishbones (aka control arms), with the upper a-shaped arm mounted high to reduce lateral loads in the arm and upper ball joint.
In this view, the coil spring, brake hoses, bushings and bolts are not made of aluminum. The non-ferrous shock absorber does NOT belong on that list, so it isn't.
Because AWD versions of the Panamera exist, the steering rack sits behind the front axle centerline. Yes, the tie-rod end (green) is made from aluminum, too.
Aluminum alone wasn't enough weight savings for the steering knuckle (aka upright), so they made it hollow (yellow).
The lower control arm is mostly L-shaped, but I guess it could be A-shaped if you're visualizing it with some oddball italic font.
The upper control arm is of course canted back for a dose of anti-dive geometry. There's also a suspension position sensor (green) that tells the computer where the suspension is in its travel and how quickly it's moving.
The front stabilizer bar (green) and its link (yellow) are both made of *gasp* steel. The fork is a fork (of course, of course) because all-wheel drive versions have an axle running through there.
This most-basic Panamera has 6-piston Brembo fixed front brake calipers. The ventilated and slotted cast-iron rotors measure 14.2 inches in diameter.
These Brembo calipers are one-piece units with a permanent "bridge", which means no pad insertion window. As a result, the caliper has to be removed via the two mounting bolts (green) in order to change brake pads. The pads themselves are equipped with electronic wear sensors (yellow) that let the driver know when that time has come.
An undertray smooths out most of the underside of the Panamera and directs some cooling air toward the front brakes.
The rear of our Panamera rides on a multilink rear suspension made almost entirely out of you-know-what. Two upper links (yellow, green) conspire to make an upper arm, of sorts, while a third link (white) controls the toe-in.
Here's a closer look at the toe-link (white), the upper link (yellow) and the hollow aluminum knuckle (green) to which they both connect.
But three slender links are not enough to locate a wheel in 3D space. Down below we find a hollow aluminum lower control arm (green), which does the heavy lifting. Not surprisingly, it's canted up at the front for a bit of anti-squat geometry. Note also that the lower shock mount and the stabilizer link share a mounting bolt (yellow).
The stabilzer link (green) and shock absorber's shared attachment point results in a motion ratio of about 0.85-to-1 for each. The steel coil spring sits just past the midway point, where the motion ratio looks to be around 0.55-to-1. Like we saw in the front, the rear stabilzer link and the stabilizer bar itself (yellow) are the other significant steel holdouts.
Here's another look without any of those pesky arrows.
It's not just the links that are aluminum -- the entire rear subframe (yellow) is made of the stuff. Like the front, the rear suspension also has a position sensor (green).
Four-piston (yellow) Brembo calipers squeeze 13-inch ventilated and slotted cast-iron rear rotors. Like the front, we find electronic pad wear sensors and fixed-bridge calipers that need to be removed in order to change brake pads.
Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires provide tremendous grip in 3-out-of-4 seasons. You can probably guess the season in which they fall short. The front tires are 255/40ZR20 and weigh 58.5 pounds mounted and ready to go. These larger rear units are 295/35ZR20 and tip the scales at 62.0 pounds when mounted.
And this is just the base model. Go further up the model lineup and the brakes and tires get larger, the springs switch from steel coils to air bags and front drive axles appear to support the 200 extra horsepower that's unleashed when you swap out the 300-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 for a 500-horsepower 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8.
93aero says:
05:19 PM, 01/26/11
for some reason its odd seeing a nice car in the suspension walk around. I guess after all the common ones that go through, this is refreshing to see how the sport luxury side of things set their stuff up. Also, whites not a bad color on this car.
joefrompa says:
06:34 PM, 01/26/11
That first front suspension shot is ridiculously tidy looking for all those bits. Really enjoyed this walkaround.
miamifan1 says:
07:03 PM, 01/26/11
really trick stuff under this car. helps to rationalize the high pricing somewhat. enjoyed this write-up more than most others in the series.
as a former 996 owner, i can tell you this pursuit of lightness in the suspension will eventually result in a noisy ride, and lack of strength/durability. potholes should reveal weakness where a comparable benz would be unperturbed (take a benz cab in israel and see what i mean).
this car will likely be extremely sensitive to proper alignment.
morrisg2 says:
09:28 PM, 01/26/11
Seems like all this trick aluminum suspension work goes for naught when mounting 60 lb wheel/tire combinations. I'm sure the wheels are aluminum too, but are 20 inchers really coming in at 30 - 35 lbs? This assumes the tires are 25 to 30 lbs, which is probably realistic. Still, a good set of forged aluminum wheels should be able to shave 10 lbs each off those wheels. How much was this Porsche anyway? Not enough to include forged wheels, I guess. Or is that a $7500 option?
blueguydotcom says:
09:37 PM, 01/26/11
Very impressive. They are magicians, in my view.
uncanny_man says:
09:42 PM, 01/26/11
Okay, I'm stumped. How do you make a v6 powered sedan that heavy using seemingly nothing but aluminum?
actualsize says:
09:46 PM, 01/26/11
It's quite large and, compared to things it competes with, the IS relatively light.
neogy says:
10:38 PM, 01/26/11
Nice article. It would have been nice to see a shot of the differential as well though :-).
ahightower says:
05:29 AM, 01/27/11
Cool. Is this a new long term tester?
joefrompa says:
05:50 AM, 01/27/11
By the way, I'd be really curious how much a dealer pays for a hollow aluminum control arm in Porsche land. In Subaru land, retail for a set of 2 solid aluminum control arms is around $600....however, they may have made even less of those control arms than Porsche is going too.
http://www.fredbeansparts.com/index.php/subaru-legacy-spec-b-aluminum-front-lower-control-arms.html
Sorry, $619.
I've got to imagine that the manufacturing process for hollow arms makes them more expensive.
I'm glad Porsche made the endlinks out of steel....those things take a beatin. I don't understand exactly what the sway bars need to be steel personally. And, frankly, I agree with others that aluminum is awesome for sportiness but tends to transmit alot more than the damping effects of steel or composites. I guess you can control that with bushings and the like....hmmm...
audisport says:
05:56 AM, 01/27/11
Now, that's a face only a mother could love. Nice write up Dan.
audisport says:
06:09 AM, 01/27/11
To be a Porsche engineer..... 6 piston brembos front, and 4 piston brembos rear, on the base V6 model...
@ Dan- Is Audi the only manufacturer that you know of that puts the steering rack in front of the front axle on an AWD or FWD vehicle??
I've noticed that on several models, including I think your long term S5.
Always wondered that...
actualsize says:
06:25 AM, 01/27/11
@audisport - the A3's rack sits behind the axle centerline in typical FWD fashion, but yes, the longitudinal-engine Audis (A4 and up) manage to get the steering rack up front. I have A4 Avant photos on deck, but I didn't drop the bellypan to see this area. Maybe I need to take another picture or two--if I can. Stuff is packed pretty tightly in that car. Good point.
yellowbal says:
09:49 AM, 01/27/11
Subarus have a front mounted steering rack, right?
kartracer says:
10:18 AM, 01/27/11
Took the Porsche Sport Driving School at Barber Motor Sports Park weekend before last. We were given demo rides in the Panamera around the course 4 up. I'm not a fan of the direction this car takes Porsche BUT it is an incredible car. The Panamera performs like a sports car disguised as a sedan. Unfortunately virtually none will ever be driven anything close to their capabilities.
I was a nay sayer and still wouldn't buy one (even if I had the resources) but it does not embarrass the Porsche name.
FYI: we autocrossed a Cayenne Turbo with 5 people on board and I can report that it too is an un believable performer.
a6khu says:
10:56 AM, 01/27/11
Loved this section. Many websites don't offer this level of insight so thumbs up!
actualsize says:
10:57 AM, 01/27/11
@yellowbal: Yep. Most of the ones we see here in the States, anyway.
6sptl says:
11:31 AM, 01/27/11
Its nice to finally see a car with a suspension as good as an Accord's. If we count the aluminium then as good as an RL's. Goes to show critical tuning is. Also points to how mazing modern magnetorheolocial suspensions (as in the MDX) can be :)
joefrompa says:
12:12 PM, 01/27/11
Subaru's mount their steering gear front of the axle (AFAIK) on their sedans/hatches at least.
Reading this website, I sometimes feel that seeing a caliper sitting in front of the axle = poor steering feel.
In actuality, I've driven a number of cars with steering linkages behind the axle that had great steering feedback FOR THE CAR. For example, 1997-2003 BMW 540is/m5s (yes, I use this all the time, because I can't wait to own one once). But even besides that, plenty of manufacturers do it.
I don't think it's desirable from a number of perspectives, but it can still transmit a perfectly great result.
v8vader says:
01:26 PM, 01/27/11
still enjoying these very much.
quickxotic says:
01:29 PM, 01/27/11
Great article. Thanks for listening to reader requests for more detail on this one.
rex21 says:
10:54 AM, 01/28/11
Can somebody tell us what the suspension position sensor is for? thanks..
Dan Edmunds says:
10:37 AM, 01/31/11
@rex21: In some cases, a suspension position sensor is there solely to help a computer auto-level the HID headlights. That's certainly part of the reason here, but Porsche uses them for a lot more.
This car has PASM, Porsche's computer controlled adjustable damper system, and these sensors report the wheel speed to the PASM computer. (There may also be a linear position sensor inside the damper, too, but I don't know for sure.)
Porsche also uses these sensors to measure body roll by comparing left to right as part of the control system for PDCC, as system that, among other things, manipulates active anti-roll bars by "overdriving" or relaxing the roll stiffness in real time to quell or permit body roll, as needed.
Also, higher-level Panameras have air suspension, and in those cases these sensors measure vehicle height in order to determine if air needs to be added or subtracted based on vehicle loading.
So, yeah, these little suckers can do a lot.
kosmo69 says:
06:38 AM, 02/ 1/11
very nice indeed. The Panny is the best handling 4dr saloon i've driven. It kicks my m5's butt.
they could lighten the wheels 'tho.
bgsntth says:
01:39 PM, 02/ 3/11
Great comments by all, and as someone lucky enough to have been able to autocross the base and Turbo Panny, I can confirm that they are amazing. Experiencing the Turbo launch control actually scared me. I also agree that a Cayenne Turbo with PDCC handles better than any 5000lb+ truck has any right too.
One request - please stop using wheel cleaner on your base Panny. You are already discoloring the brake calipers. I kept my Cayman's Brembos bright black, even after 3 years. The (obvious) secret is no wheel cleaner and a nice sealant on the calipers. Wheels too.