IT'S a Porsche - but not as we know it.
The luxury performance car maker has broken the mould by making a four-door, four-seater coupe for the first time - and family men with a healthy bank balance all over the world are celebrating.
For while the German marque has made its name with high performance two-door, two-seater sports cars there are a lot of would-be Porsche buyers who need to have a car with four seats.
And while the Panamera might not be welcomed by purists it is a true Porsche in every detail - except that it's larger.
Approach it head on and it's lines are strongly 911 Carrera. Continue walking and you have a long, sleek coupe shape with dynamic muscular haunches over the rear wheel arches.
Boosting the seating capacity and adding those two extra doors to this Gran Turismo really has made it into a big car, and parking sensors back and front are a must.
Fortunately - unlike on the cars from most manufacturer where the sensors only work after you have first engaged reverse gear - those on the Panamera are constantly monitoring your distance from surrounding objects and protecting your no claims bonus, a factor I really appreciated in a tight multi-storey car park with a narow hairpin-bend exit lane.
The extra inches - it's almost five metres long (well over 16ft) - means that both front and rear seat passengers have an abundance of leg and shoulder room and all four get beautifully sculptured leather seats giving support in all the right places.
There is no room in the rear for a third person as the spectacular, switch-adorned centre console between the driver and front seat passenger continues into the back of the car making it just as impressive as the front.
The Panamera S is powered by a 4.8-litre, 400bhp V8 which boasts so much power it doesn't matter to it whether there are four or two people on board.
When left in normal "comfort" setting the car is luxuriously civilised, offering early gear changes, a slightly softer suspension and a superb ride for long distance motoring.
Switch to "Sport" and the car holds onto the gears for longer to give you even more rapid acceleration, the suspension is firmed up and the braking downshifts come earlier.
Switch to "Sport Plus" and the Panamera grows horns. Everything changes as the vehicle is lowered by 25mm as it sets itself up for driving on a race track and the true Porsche DNA comes to the surface allowing you to hurtle towards the horizon as if something had just rammed into you from behind.
On today's busy roads you wouldn't want to leave it in Sport Plus for long periods but it's great fun when you have a quiet stretch of road and - together with the spine tingling roar from the V8 - goes some way to justifying the £73,000 price tag.
Despite its huge engine the Panamera is reasonably frugal, thanks in part to the surprising addition of the first start/stop system in a premium car with an automatic transmission.
That transmission is Porsche's PDK seven-speed system which, by using a double-clutch gearbox for the first time in this market segment gives faster gear changes than its possible to do manually without the slightest interruption of engine power to the wheels while at the same time improving the economy of the car through its long, overdrive top gear. A win win situation.
Low road resistance tyres and regenerative brakes also do their bit to give you better mpg.
As a four seater the Panamera needs sensible luggage space and in this respect it doesn't disappoint, with a wide opening tailgate and space for four decent sized suitcases.
If you need extra space the rear seatbacks fold down completely flat.
And one other factor I really liked was the fact that on cold nights the residual heat of the engine can be used to heat the interior of the car for up to 20 minutes after the ignition has been switched off. Very civilised.
The Panamera is almost two cars in one. A long distance tourer and a real tour de force when you throw the switch for sporting action.