Look inside Panamera as Porsche reveals more details of its long awaited four-door GT.

With a continuous centre console that extends from the dashboard to the rear seating area, the Panamera's interior is different from that of other Porsches. With deep seating positions and a sport steering wheel, it's about contact with the road, while ensuring comfort and space with leg and head room.

At this end of the market it's all about options. Panamera gets 13 colour and material combinations including four two-tone leather interiors and seven interior trim options including carbon fibre to Natural Olive wood.

An optional four-zone climate control system gives each seating area individual control of functions such as temperature, air distribution and venting direction. In the event of an accident, front, side and curtain airbags help protect the front occupants, while standard rear side airbags help protect those in back.

The Panamera S and Panamera 4S feature eight-way power seats in front with a driver memory package. In the rear are two individual seats with a folding rear console and, according to Porsche, room. The Panamera Turbo has power seats with a memory package for the seat functions and the electronically adjustable steering wheel. Further seating customisation is available through optional alternatives such as 18-way Adaptive Sport Seats or fully adjustable eight-way power seats in the rear.

Porsche for the first time offers from Berlin audio manufacturer Burmester a new high-end surround sound system. With 16 loudspeakers plus a subwoofer (a total of over 2.5 square feet of speaker surface area) it has a total output of more than 1000 watts. And like the 2009 Porsche sports cars and SUVs, Panameras will be available with the latest personal electronic connectivity features, including Bluetooth for cellular telephones, Universal Audio Interface for connecting personal audio devices, and satellite radio.

The rear luggage area provides up to 445 litres of space, enough room for four large suitcases. The tall space enables luggage to be loaded in an upright position, and with the rear seat folded down the luggage space increases up to 1263 litres.

Extreme engines

Initially, all Panameras will be available with two V8 engine options, standard seven-speed "Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe" (PDK) double-clutch transmissions and rear- or all-wheel drive. All engines feature Porsche Direct Fuel Injection (DFI) for highest efficiency. For additional fuel savings, all Panameras include an engine stop-start function that can turn off and restart the engine at certain times, like when stopped at an intersection or in traffic.

The rear-wheel drive Panamera S has a 300kW, 4.8-litre V8 engine that can propel it from 0 to 100km/h in a claimed 5.2 seconds on its way to a top test track speed of 280km/h. The all-wheel drive Panamera 4S receives the same 4.8-litre powerplant. It sprints from 0 to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds and also achieves a claimed top test track speed of 280km/h.

At the top of the lineup is the Panamera Turbo with its 373kW, twin-turbocharged 4.8-litre V8. Also featuring the new PDK transmission, the all-wheel drive Panamera Turbo sets a 0-to-100 time of 4.0 seconds flat and a top test-track speed of 300km/h.