Here's How Jalopnik Would Spec The 2024 Porsche Panamera

The last thing I want from a car is subtlety, and my Panamera reflects that. I almost chose Provence, a new color from the brand that’s a stunning light lilac, but I ended up going for Gold Bronze Metallic, a wonderful shade from the Paint to Sample catalog. For a bit of contrast I picked the 21-inch SportDesign in Neodyme, a richer gold hue, and added the bronze sport exhaust tips and a Panamera script on the doors in matching Neodyme. The SportDesign exterior package is also a must, as it gives the bumpers an even bolder look, and I went for the blacked-out headlights and greyscale Exclusive Design taillights.

Inside is where it really gets fun. Porsche’s Club Leather options are sumptuous, and I chose the new Barrique Red color that covers nearly every interior surface. Neodyme accents tie the cabin to the exterior, and I also chose the Eucalyptus wood trim to add some additional warmth and texture. (More sports cars need wood trim in general, anyway.) I went for a four-seat configuration, because the fewer passengers the better, and outfitted all four seats with heating, ventilation and massage functions – plus comfort pillows for the back seats. I selected every single technology option and convenience feature possible, of course, as well as Porsche crests throughout and as much additional leather as I could. All in, I only added $81,440 in options to my Panamera for a total price of $182,990, which is entirely reasonable.

My main focus was creating the most bad-ass lilac Porsche I could. The company calls this new exterior color Provence, but it reminds me of the power suits on “Designing Women.” It should be named Sugarbaker. Where I could pick purple, I did pick purple. When an option affected that purpleness, I deselected it. Heated GT Sport Steering Wheel in Race-Tex? Forget about it. Not purple. Leather interior in Blackberry? Sign me up! The fact that I can’t get purple seatbelts is an attack by Porsche on me personally. I added high-gloss black accents to complete the ‘80s power suit look and optioned as many additional Porsche symbols as I could, because you will fall to your knees in front of my purple Porsche, and I don’t want you to forget for a moment this is a Porsche.

Spotify recently called me a “Vampire” who only listens to atmospheric music. That’s very true, so I also added the Burmester 3D High-End Surround Sound System to make sure the whole neighborhood knows how spooky I am. It shrinks the back seat a bit, but if you’re in the back seat of my Porsche, your comfort is obviously not my concern. I didn’t add all the driver-assist junk, as I’m here to drive, but I did add the heads-up display as I’ve always appreciated the feature.

The Panamera is Porsche’s vindication of the sedan. While a red 911 Turbo like the one Ken Masters drove in “Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie” would be my Porsche of choice, I think a bright and bold Panamera would be a runner up. Of course, as a child of the ’90s, I want a primary color that will startle my and everyone else’s senses. I want it to scream “Caution: Vehicle Moving at Speed” even when standing still. That’s why Lava Orange would be the paint finish I’d take. The nostalgic theme would be capped off by the 20-inch Panamera Design Wheels. Five fat spokes, thank you.

As loud as my Panamera would be on the outside, I would tone it down inside with a black Race-Tex interior. I’m no fan of leather; it burns me every time I get into a car that’s been cooking under the Texas sun. I prefer the humble feel of cloth, by far. I also love a good combination of texture, which the Race-Tex interior provides with its Pepita seat centers. That’s my Panamera: an eye-searing exterior and relatively ascetic interior so I can focus when seated and enjoy the feel of a proper sports sedan.

I went for a classic look for my Panamera. I chose Oak Green Metallic Neo, a new $2,980 color that’s a redux of a vintage shade. Porsche Design 21-inch wheels cost me $3,820, with another $1,290 thrown on to make them gold. The carbon-fiber Sport Design package, sport exhaust with silver tips, and matrix LED headlights round out my exterior choices.

In my ideal world I’d go for a classic color combo of green with brown leather, but the configurator didn’t pan out how I’d hoped. This new Panamera has some interesting color choices for the interior, which is to say I’m not really a fan of any of them. To get as close to my dream look as I could, I had to go with an Espresso leather color, which wouldn’t be my first choice but is at least better than a black interior.

We know how pricey Porsche options can be, and still amazes me anytime I mess around with the configurator. I didn’t even go that wild and choose options like carbon-fiber floor mats with leather edges or bespoke door sill guards. Even without all of those extras, I still managed to rack up over just under $55,000 in options. That’s as much as a nicely used previous-gen Panamera! If I wanted the Panamera I see here, I’d have to part with $156,000.

I chose to go with a base Panamera in the pursuit of a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive experience. A light color scheme is one that I admire, so I went through Porsche’s Paint to Sample catalog and selected Fountain Blue Metallic, choosing the Dark Night Blue and Limestone Beige leather interior to go with it. The SportDesign exterior package somehow manages to make the grilles even larger, but I’m here for it.

I added performance like the Sport Chrono pack, but avoided options that were super glitzy such as the Porsche Design Subsecond clock and bronzed tailpipes in an attempt to keep things tasteful. As someone who likes to be comfortable, and since this massive luxury sedan ain’t a light-and-spunky sports car, I went for all the comfort options including ventilated adaptive sport seats with comfort pillows for my furnace of a backside, and I added the Premium and the Assistance packages to get all the tech features.

Would I shell out the $175,000 for this build? Not unless I won the lottery, but even then I would definitely wait for the faster models to reach the market. I used to be a durability test driver for Porsche, so I’ve spent a lot of time in Panameras and know that they’re incredible vehicles – I would be quite pleased with any Panamera that was given to me. Hint hint.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario where I would ever be in a position to spend six figures on a car, but you never know. Maybe if I slide into Heather Graham’s DMs we’ll bond over a shared love of e-bikes and Merkts cheese, fall in love, and then, for my birthday, she’ll offer to buy me a new Panamera. It could happen. And when it does, the easiest choice is the paint. Oak Green Metallic Neo or bust, baby. Still, I’m a man who values his comfort, so I don’t need huge wheels. Let’s throw $600 at the 19-inch wheels I like slightly more than the regular 19s.

Since I’m spending my girlfriend’s money instead of my own, I’m certainly not going to settle for partial leather seats. We’re going for Club Leather in Espresso because the other option is red, and I don’t want a Christmas-themed car. We’re also sticking with comfort seats but are adding seat massagers front and rear. Gotta make sure her parents are relaxed on the way to the vacation cabin, after all. Everyone’s getting heated seats, and I want a head-up display, so the Premium Package and Assistance Package are a must.

Those are all of the most important features, but while we’re at it, I might as well add some Porsche logos to the headrests and some pillows for the rear. And this car’s already expensive as hell, so why not add some rear entertainment? Beyond that, I guess some aluminum pedals and the heated sport steering wheel sound nice. Let’s add those, too. I could probably get even more granular and get into stitching and seatbelt options and whatnot, but honestly, who cares? The configuration I’ve got is good enough for me.

When speccing my Panamera I realized that what I deserved is the best. That’s why I’m buying a Porsche after all, and what’s better than getting some options? That’s right! It’s getting all the options, so that’s exactly what I did. It took me a good amount of time, but I was able to get a base Panamera 4 from $106,900 to $207,270, including destination. Yup, I nearly doubled the MSRP of the base car with options. I deserve it. Some of the big money highlights of my car are my PTS Emerald Green Metallic paint ($13,150), my 21-inch 911 Turbo Design Wheels ($4,830), the Premium Package ($7,100), the SportDesign Package in Carbon Fiber ($12,030) and my Burmester 3D High-End Surround Sound System ($5,940).

In all honesty, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much scrolling to do on my options page that I’m starting to get tired. I could have made the price even higher, but there were a few odds and ends on the configuration machine that I would have needed to personalize, and it just wasn’t working. I bet I could crest $215,000 if I gave it another go. Anyway, I will soon have the best Panamera 4 on the planet because it’s the most expensive Panamera 4 on the planet.