The new facelifted Porsche Panamera has been spotted undergoing high-performance testing at the Nurburgring. Porsche is in the latter stages of developing the revised Panamera, which’ll team front- and rear end overhauls with a tweak for the S model’s powertrain.
How different will the 2013 Porsche Panamera look?
Up front, there’s a square-jawed front bumper with reprofiled intake shapes nicked from the new Cayman. The bumper’s daytime-running LEDs and indicators will also migrate from the middle of the intakes to the top, as on the new 991. This test mule is fitted with reshaped headlights, but carries old-style rear clusters. Fear not – the updated Panamera will get less blobby rear lights instead.
What’s new under the skin of the 2013 Porsche Panamera?
This test car sports rather unsightly exhausts, but it’s a tell-tale sign that there’s some powertrain work afoot underneath. CAR understands the 4.8-litre V8 engine of the current Panamera S will be binned, replaced in the facelifted car by a twin-turbo V6. Although the cylinder count is down, power will rise from 398bhp to around 420bhp, with a healthy surge in the torque output to boot. Expect the revised range to mirror today’s line-up, stretching from a Panamera Diesel through to a Turbo S with over 550bhp.
The facelifted Porsche Panamera could make an appearance as early as the Shanghai motor show in April 2013, though we may well not see it until the Frankfurt show in September.
I’m keen. When can we expect Panamera Mk2 to arrive?
In 2016, we’ll see an all-new Panamera, as previewed by the Sport Turismo concept from the 2012 Paris motor show. This shooting brake-style Panamera will join the range alongside the more conventional saloon.