New Porsche Panamera: futuristic interior oozes style and quality

The interior of the new third-generation Porsche Panamera has been revaled, previewing a cleaner and more futuristic design for the brand's flagship saloon car. Due to be revealed in full at the end of November, the new Panamera has both traditional combustion-engined and an increasing number of full-electric rivals to compete with. 

For now, though, we can dig into the Panamera’s opulent new interior, starting with the tech. Mounted directly in front of the driver sits a new 12.6-inch curved display that combines with an optional head-up display. The driver’s display is highly configurable and can support everything from the traditional five-dial setup to a full nav screen, plus everything in between. 

This is joined by a typical 12.3-inch central touchscreen and an optional passenger display in the main dash section, which is now finished in glossy black across its entire fascia. Both run an identical user interface based on the system found in the Cayenne, and – in our experience – function extremely well, with clear menu structures and fast processing. 

To free up space on the Panamera’s centre console, the drive selector is now mounted on the upper dash as in the Taycan and new Cayenne, with a combination of touch-sensitive and physical controls for a small heating and ventilation control panel now placed where the gear lever used to live. Porsche has been very clever with the use of ambient lighting and premium materials to retain the previous car’s ultra-premium feel that most definitely sits on a higher plane to rivals from Audi or Mercedes.

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We were invited to an early preview of the car, and can confirm space is slightly disappointing, considering the car’s sprawling footprint. But Porsche’s balance between opulence and contemporary design is second to none. In the rear, headroom is quite tight, especially when fitted with the dual-pane glass roof. When specified in the four-seat option, Porsche will also fit a rear touchscreen to give rear passengers access to things like the ambient lighting and ventilation. 

For the first time, Porsche will be offering a leather-free interior option, combining Porsche’s Race-Tex fabric and inserts with its ‘Pepita’ pattern. This joins traditional leather finishes in both solid and bi-colour designs, with further trim options including matte-finished timbers and carbon fibre available. 

We’ll have to wait another couple of weeks to see the Panamera in full, where we expect it will debut a range of updated powertrains and a clever new active suspension system that’s already been previewed. 

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