2010 Porsche Panamera Gran Turismo

Gorgeous engine note, scintillating acceleration, finely balanced handling, all-conquering brakes and steering so communicative you'd think it's been to counseling to learn to get in touch with its feelings.

After reading that description you probably think I'm talking about some hot new sports car. Well, in actuality, I'm talking about some hot new luxury sedan, and some hot new sports car.

With the Porsche badge on its nose it has to be at least part sports car – right? And while Porsche is far from the first company to roll out a four-door sedan and work to convince the world that it is actually a sports car that just happens to seat four, it is the first car company to roll out a four-door sedan that redefines the term sports car.

Before now, most people thought of a sports car as a bit on the impractical side, with seating for two, diminutive proportions, and the ability to impart a driving experience that leaves you enthusiastically screaming invectives.

Well, now you can do all of that and bring three other people screaming along, with first-class accommodations besides. Panamera seats four quite comfortably. The attention to detail in the cabin rivals any luxury car currently on the road and the experience is thoroughly Porsche - in every way.

As usual, the Porsche is offered in one basic body configuration, with a variety of mechanical configurations and so Porsche says there are three models of the car available at launch. The Panamera S and 4S use a 4.8-liter direct injected V8 that makes 400 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 369 ft-lbs of torque from 3500 to 5000 rpm.

The Panamera Turbo adds a pair of turbochargers to the mix and squeezes out 500 horsepower at 6000 rpm and delivers 516 ft-lbs of torque from 2250 rpm to 4500 rpm. Both engines are paired to Porsche remarkable semi-automatic dual clutch direct-shift gearbox, labeled PDK or Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe. A brilliant transmission, it gives the Panamera an unusual feel at low speeds as if something is a bit sluggish, but underway, it operates beautifully.

To improve fuel economy, Porsche has fitted the Panamera with an auto start/stop function like that employed in hybrid automobiles. Simply put, stop the car, the engine shuts down, remove your foot from the brake to resume travel and the engine restarts. On a hill, Porsche Stability Management will maintain brake pressure to prevent unintentional movement while the engine restarts. Naturally, all comfort, convenience and safety systems remain active.

Behind the wheel, you sit low in the Panamera. Porsche designed the Panamera so the driving position is virtually identical to the 911. In fact if you parked a 911 side by side with the Panamera and walked around the cars, you see more than a few similarities. The overall shape is the most obvious trait shared by the two.

Anyone who's ever had the pleasure of piloting a Porsche will feel right at home in the Panamera. The key goes to the left of the steering wheel, five instruments face the driver with the prominent one being the tachometer, and the steering wheel is sized perfectly and provides just the right heft to let you know it controls the actions of a sports car.

The center console flows from the dash just as it does in the Carrera GT, and rather than going the dial and monitor route for all key functions, Panamera treats the driver like a pilot with an array of switches that provide direct access to all key functions of the automobile. I have to admit the first time I saw all those buttons I was a bit overwhelmed, but when you spend time with the car the grouping of them sinks in and becomes logically intuitive.

Key features include navigation as standard equipment, a speed limit display, which will apprise you of the posted speed limit for the road you're traveling on, Bluetooth and active cruise control which will bring the car to a complete stop if traffic does so. Outstanding audio systems by Bose and Burmester provide surround audio experiences. A rich selection of woods and leather impart a sumptuous feel, even while enhancing the sportiness that infuses the Panamera experience.

Far more than a 911 "limo" though, the Panamera is an absolutely outstanding car in its own right. I spent a day with the Porsche ripping around the 14 turns that comprise the four-mile circuit that is Road America near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Now this might comes as something of a surprise to you, but frankly I'm not all that fond of driving on a track. In my opinion, it's like lab testing as opposed to real-world experience.

Of course, one thing you can do on a track, that you can't do on the streets of the U.S (legally anyway) is operate a car like the Panamera to its (or your) full potential. As you'd expect from a car wearing the Stuttgart crest on its nose, Panamera is exceptionally stable at extraordinarily high speeds and so responsive to inputs from the throttle, brakes and steering you'd think it's been through Marine Corps basic training at Paris Island.

This is a car that follows orders - and executes them with deadly accuracy. Porsche's usual array of acronyms for features such as active roll bars, air suspension, traction control, and stability management are all in place. In fact, it can honestly be said the Panamera is the culmination of everything Porsche has learned about building cars over the last 61 years.

Comfortable, powerful, agile, luxurious and, based on the way it looks, in all probability exclusive (Panamera can be said to be a lot of things, but universally beautiful ain't one of them - OK?), Porsche has entered the luxury sedan segment on its own terms and elevated the genre to an entirely new pinnacle. Pricing starts at $90,775 for the S, $94,775 for the 4S and $133,575 for the Turbo. All prices include $975 in destination charges.