Auto Word by Mark Maynard

"Now it's my turn," said professional racer Bob Faieta, who was my mentor around the Road America racetrack for the media launch of the 2010 Porsche Panamera.

Faieta was among several past and present Porsche racers, including Hurley Haywood and Patrick Long, who pushed or reined in journalists on a day of hard driving. Porsche always holds new-vehicle introductions at racetracks so journalists can drive these cars at the high speeds for which they are engineered. And this car's personality comes alive when it is pushed.

Panamera is the first Porsche sports car with four doors, but it is a four-seater faithful to the company's standard for performance. It is nothing like the luxury sedans from Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi.

Built from a unique platform, Panamera uses some distinct 911 Carrera design elements and shares upgraded V-8 engines from the Cayenne sport-utility vehicle. The new model is on sale in three trim levels, with two V-8s and rear, all-wheel drive. In time, a V-6 model will be added.

Pricing begins at $90,775, which includes the $975 freight charge from Leipzig, Germany; there is no gas-guzzler tax. The 4S starts at $94,775 and the heart-throb Turbo at $133,575. A well-optioned Turbo can run to $152,000, but there are many features to further personalize the car and raise the price.

Porsche is expecting 20,000 sales worldwide, with 20 percent of that for the United States. There are 5,000 preorders to date, with 20 percent for the Turbo and a split between the S and 4S for the remainder. The cars will be ordered by the customer and delivery will take two to three months.

This is a big Porsche. It weighs nearly 4,000 pounds but rides just 4 inches off the road. The arc of the roofline and a low seat position are key to providing good interior headroom and trunk space.

The S and 4S models have 400-horsepower, 4.8-liter V-8s. The Turbo is twin turbocharged with 500 hp. All use a seven-speed PDK transmission, which is a German term that cannot be pronounced in English - Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe. But it has a charming, pursed-lip ring when spoken in its native tongue.

The styling is dramatic inside and out. And seeing the car in its commanding, 16.3-foot-long body of aluminum and steel is better than in pictures. On the road it is unmistakable.

Porsche labored to make this car be all things to Porsche drivers. There is headroom for occupants 6 feet and 3 inches and even a little taller. Rear legroom is snug at 33.3 inches, but the seat style raises the knees for more room. Each seat is an individual cockpit, separated by a flow-through center console. The trunk has large cubic capacity in a sculpted space that will fit four medium-sized roller bags. The seatbacks fold for more space.

Panamera has performance that isn't touched in city driving. But for a car of this size, it is tight and in control on the track. The cabin is surprisingly quiet at 143 mph.

Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wis., is a four-mile road course, where I put on two laps each on all models, as many hot laps as my stomach allowed and good seat time on the street.

On the track, I was introduced to each model with a burnout.

"Might as well," said Faieta, 43, who is a two-time winner of GT3 Challenge. And when he is not racing, he is a car builder, engineer, mechanic, pilot, beekeeper, gardener and cook. His girlfriend is a masseuse. The driver for his car hauler lives upstairs in his state-of-the-art garage on his 10-acre ranch in the hills above Los Angeles. (I am not making this up.)

Burnouts are easy with the Sport Chrono package ($1,320-$2,280), which includes Launch Control and Sport Plus mode with track-driving calibrations for throttle, ride height and transmission.

Launch Control is "like turning on a light and the accelerator is the switch," Faieta said. Pull up to the line, hold the car with left foot on the brake, floor the throttle, then lift off the brake. Keep foot on throttle until the race driver says "Brake — Brake HARD."

The launch is especially visceral in the bellowing Turbo, which will do 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and 0-99 mph in 8.8.

To put that into perspective, the 525-hp Audi R8 5.2 V-10, also with launch control, will do 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, too, but it is a two-seater that weighs 242 pounds less than Panamera.

And then consider that the Panamera Turbo has fuel economy ratings of 15 mpg city, 23 highway, which compare to the R8 at 13/20.

Some of the Panamera's fuel efficiency comes in its aerodynamics, which are a low 0.29 drag coefficient (0.30 for the Turbo) and an engine start-stop feature to save fuel and emissions at traffic lights and other complete stops.

Startup is almost seamless.

The PDK automated manual is also track-ready, but its steering wheel shifters are not crucial to performance.

"I cannot shift this car better than the computer can do," Faieta said, when asked if I needed to downshift for corners. "It learns. It knows what you are attempting to do and it adapts."

He is correct, of course. While heading into a chicane a little too late and a little too hot, the transmission held third gear through a series of mistakes. Steering away from the grass, I brushed the brake pedal, turned in too much, followed by too much throttle, then too little, then back on it again. The Panamera seemed to grit its teeth to make me look good, and I swear I heard the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires let out a squelch that sounded very much like "Amateur!" But by the grace of electronic aids, I stayed on course.

The big disc brakes held up well lap after lap without catching fire, though there were some smoking pads. Late in the day after several hot laps, Haywood said: "There's a little bit of chop, but nothing to worry me."

As entertaining as the Turbo can be, I preferred the more direct performance of the non-turbocharged S. And the all-wheel-drive 4S is a little faster around the track because it is pushing and pulling at the same time.

ON-ROAD DRIVING

On public roads, the ride quality is Porsche-firm, which may be harsh for a Mercedes owner. The turning circle is wide at 39.3 feet, but the car is not prone to scraping its chin on driveways and the steering weight is light and responsive. The test cars were mostly well-equipped models, but interior quality is higher and more luxurious than on a standard 911. Some of the uplevel materials and craftsmanship equals that of Aston Martin. There is much Alcantara, stitched leather and real wood trim, all in tasteful proportions.

The driver's position is the same as in the 911. And each passenger position has the feel of a cockpit seat, divided by a center console that spans front to rear. Comfort in back is greatly improved by the eight-way power option ($1,835), which includes lumbar and back-angle adjustment.

Porsche has resisted a center, electronic controller for cabin and car functions, such as BMW's now notorious iDrive. Panamera has buttons and switches to make adjustments — a lot of them, but they are grouped for function and easy to remember. This also helps the front passenger feel involved with the driving experience.

Panamera is a complex car in styling and ability. Track time helped put the car into perspective for me.

And Faieta was a patient coach. When it was his turn to drive me around the circuit, the Panamera became a tool in the craftsman's hands. I could see what he had been trying to get me to experience.

Afterward, all I wanted was two more laps.

SPECS BOX

2010 Porsche Panamera S

Body style: Full-size, four-door, four-seat sport sedan, in rear- or all-wheel drive

Engine: aluminum, direct fuel injection 4.8-liter V-8 with VarioCamPlus valve timing

Horsepower: 400 at 6,500 rpm

Torque: 369 foot-pounds from 3,500 to 5,000 rpm

Transmission: seven-speed PDK double-clutch automated manual

EPA fuel economy estimates: 16 mpg city, 24 highway; 91 octane recommended

Fuel tank: 26 gallons

Trunk space: 15.7 cubic feet

Front head/leg/shoulder room: 38/41.9/51.9 inches

Length/wheelbase: 195.6/115 inches

Width/height: 76/55.8 inches

Curb weight: 3,968 pounds

Brakes: front, six-piston aluminum monobloc calipers with 14.17-inch cross-drilled and inner-vented discs; rear, four-piston aluminum monobloc calipers and 12.99-inch cross-drilled and inner-vented discs

Tires and wheels: Michelin Pilot Sport 2, front 245/50 ZR 18-inch, rear 275/45 on alloy wheels

Safety features include: six air bags, including front knee bags and rear side bags; Porsche Stability Management and brake assist

Where assembled: Leipzig, Germany

SIDEBAR

Panamera Performance

S: Top speed: 175 mph

0-60 mph: 5.2 seconds

MSRP: $90,775

4S: Top speed: 175 mph

0-60 mph: 4.8 seconds

MSRP: $94,775

Turbo: Top speed: 188 mph

0-60 mph: 3.8 seconds

MSRP: $133,575

Mark Maynard is driving in cyberspace at Mark.Maynard@uniontrib.com.

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