On this episode of Head 2 Head
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Hi there, and welcome to the If I Were a Rich Man episode
00:03 of Head to Head, because if I were,
00:05 I would own one of these two.
00:07 I feel very strongly that every car enthusiast
00:10 needs to have a weapons-grade luxury assault super sedan
00:14 in their collection.
00:15 And for a long time, the no-brain answer to that
00:17 would have been the Porsche Panamera Turbo.
00:20 For a long time, this has been one of our favorite cars
00:22 because it defies logic.
00:24 How can something so massive be so balanced,
00:27 so quick, so precise, and so fun to drive?
00:31 Although, recently, Audi has been challenging
00:34 the Panamera Turbo's throne.
00:36 I drove the S8, and that car blew my mind.
00:39 But today, I've got the RS7.
00:41 It's got a twin-turbo four-liter V8
00:43 very similar to the one in the S8,
00:46 but it's got more power, and it's lighter.
00:50 So which one of these two is the best super sedan?
00:53 There's only one way to find out.
00:55 (dramatic music)
00:58 Here I am in the Audi RS7.
01:03 Now, Corvette ZR1, Dodge Viper, Ferrari 458 Italia,
01:08 hell, the F12 for that matter.
01:10 What do all those super cars have in common?
01:14 They're slower than the Audi RS7 is to 60 miles an hour.
01:17 In fact, this car's gonna hit 60 miles an hour
01:20 in 3.2 seconds.
01:22 Ready?
01:23 Here we go.
01:24 (dramatic music)
01:27 And we're going a quarter mile in 11.6 seconds
01:32 at 120.4 miles an hour.
01:35 Monster car.
01:37 In fact, we figured this out.
01:40 Saying zero to 60 happens in 3.2 seconds
01:43 takes 3.3 seconds.
01:46 Now we're gonna do our 60 to zero braking test,
01:49 which happens to be very impressive.
01:53 101 feet.
01:54 All right, now we're taking the Audi RS7
01:56 around our figure eight course.
01:58 So this car we know has lots of power.
02:00 It's got all-wheel drive, 21-inch tires.
02:03 It's got lots of grip.
02:04 And it's an Audi, so it's got lots of push.
02:06 There's so much understeer in this thing.
02:08 Notice how much my arms are crossed up.
02:11 Compare this to the Panamera.
02:13 I mean, I'm almost making an X.
02:16 Straight edge.
02:17 You can hear the tires squealing.
02:21 You can see it from outside.
02:23 What's happening is push, push, push, push, push.
02:25 And then it's got the trick rear differential,
02:27 which is trying to overdrive the outside rear wheel.
02:30 So the rear wheel is actually moving faster
02:33 than the front wheels are.
02:35 It's a goofy feeling.
02:36 There is so much power
02:38 that it puts down an incredible number.
02:40 24.2 seconds around our figure eight.
02:44 That's like an elite supercar time.
02:48 You know, that's a Ferrari 458 Italia
02:50 would lose by two tenths of a second.
02:52 About to launch the 2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo.
03:03 The reason I say 2014 is because Porsche
03:06 just refreshed this car and gave it 20 more horsepower.
03:09 Now, the last Panamera Turbo we tested
03:12 ran to 60 miles an hour in 3.5 seconds
03:16 and through the quarter mile in 11.9 seconds.
03:19 I think this one might be a little bit faster.
03:22 To launch it, it's got the easy Porsche launch control.
03:25 Make sure it's full sport plus.
03:27 Make sure traction control's off.
03:28 Bury the brake pedal as hard as you can with your left foot.
03:31 Hit the gas.
03:32 It goes up to about 4,800 RPM.
03:35 Release the brake and hold on tight.
03:37 Yeah, wow!
03:41 Okay, 60 miles an hour happens in 3.4 seconds.
03:45 That's a tenth quicker.
03:48 And we keep on racing down the quarter mile,
03:51 which we complete in 11.8 seconds at 116.4 miles per hour.
03:56 That only took 104 feet.
04:04 Okay, driving the purple Panamera around our figure eight.
04:10 And if the Audi put down a fast time,
04:13 this thing puts down a ridiculous time.
04:16 This car is in the same league as the all new C7 Corvette,
04:20 the Lexus LFA, and the Audi R8 V10 Plus.
04:24 23.7 seconds, give or take a tenth.
04:28 Unlike the RS7, you'll notice my arms
04:31 are completely crossed up.
04:32 I'm not making an X.
04:33 So there's a lot less understeer.
04:36 It still pushes a little.
04:37 It is a 4,500 pound car.
04:39 But remember, this thing is only 17 pounds heavier
04:43 than the Audi.
04:44 Yet it just flies around this thing
04:46 so much better.
04:47 It's just so much more controllable,
04:49 so much more precise.
04:50 I'm not waiting for the tires to get gripped.
04:52 You kind of just steer and it goes.
04:54 It's just an unbelievable machine.
04:58 But again, of course, this is all limit handling stuff.
05:01 We need to see how these two cars perform in the real world,
05:04 which is why we're heading to one
05:06 of our very favorite canyons.
05:08 (upbeat music)
05:11 (car engine roaring)
05:14 Let's start with the exterior.
05:21 Purple, they gave us a purple Porsche.
05:23 It's funny, my wife was looking at it
05:25 and she said something to the effect of,
05:26 "Oh, cool, it's like black but with style."
05:29 I'm just sort of of the opinion that purple
05:33 shouldn't be on cars.
05:35 I'd even take a pink car, I think,
05:37 before I take a purple car.
05:39 Could just be me.
05:40 With the black wheels and the yellow calipers
05:42 for the carbon ceramics,
05:43 it really does have a kind of a mansory flavor about it.
05:46 And then we get to the interior.
05:47 It's a very expensive option.
05:49 You get body colored panels all over,
05:52 so you're always reminded that you are, in fact,
05:53 driving a purple Porsche Panamera Turbo.
05:56 I do like this Porsche sport steering wheel.
05:58 It has no buttons on it at all.
06:00 There's no volume control.
06:02 It's just a really good steering wheel.
06:04 As for the layout, you know,
06:05 Porsches don't have a knob controller
06:07 like BMW's iDrive or Mercedes Command, Audi MMI.
06:11 Instead, you have a bunch of buttons.
06:13 A lot of people, I think, find them intimidating at first,
06:15 but they're really quite logical.
06:17 You know, you realize this thing is fully, fully loaded.
06:20 Not only does it have a rear window sunshade,
06:22 but it has side windows, sunshades,
06:24 heated and air conditioned rear seats,
06:26 and it's such a wonderful handling car as is,
06:29 but you gotta think to yourself,
06:30 could they do a hardcore track model?
06:33 Could they maybe lose a couple doors
06:34 and put a 928 badge on it?
06:36 I bet they could.
06:38 As for driving, right now I'm in sport mode.
06:41 Things incredible up here.
06:43 You know, if I get on the brakes pretty good at downshifts,
06:46 of course I can just go ahead and use the paddles,
06:48 go ahead and get the shift I want.
06:49 What's cool is though, when you go into sport plus,
06:53 and it really just turns into a monster.
06:56 It's a hell of an engine.
07:00 520 horsepower for 2014.
07:03 Not as fast as the Audi, we know that,
07:05 but damn, it's really, really quick.
07:08 I do like the transmission a lot better.
07:09 So, I would give the Panamera engine just an A,
07:13 and the transmission an A plus.
07:15 The more vocal commenters of you out there
07:22 are already typing,
07:23 whoa, whoa, whoa, why not the Panamera Turbo S?
07:25 Why not the Turbo S?
07:26 The reason is, today's Tuesday,
07:29 tomorrow's Wednesday, the first day of the LA Auto Show,
07:31 and that's when they're debuting the Turbo S,
07:33 so it's not available yet.
07:35 We asked for it, trust me.
07:37 As far as handling goes, the Panamera is on 20 inch wheels,
07:41 as opposed to the 21s on the Audi,
07:43 and I think as a result, it really does ride better.
07:45 I mean, they both have air suspension,
07:47 but there's something just so tied down
07:50 and wonderful about this Porsche chassis,
07:51 and when you do hit a bump,
07:53 it doesn't really upset the car the way
07:55 that you do get a little bit upset in the Audi.
07:57 There are certain places that I do enjoy the Audi
07:59 more than the Panamera,
08:00 and I think that they're all going straight,
08:03 because that engine in that Audi is just so thuggish.
08:07 (engine revving)
08:10 I'm in the RS7, and I'm rocking up a canyon road,
08:20 and I guess we should talk about looks for a second,
08:22 'cause this thing is gorgeous,
08:24 especially compared to the Panamera.
08:25 Now, the Panamera's been refreshed,
08:27 but it still looks like a humpback whale,
08:31 especially when the wing pops out.
08:33 The one thing I don't like
08:35 is that big quattro thing in the grill.
08:37 Now, what they're trying to do
08:38 is they really want everyone to know
08:40 that Quattro GmbH, who builds the RS models,
08:42 who builds the RA,
08:44 they want everyone to know that Quattro
08:45 is their in-house tuning division,
08:47 similar to AMG, similar to M,
08:50 but it just looks so tacky.
08:51 In fact, it's a no-cost option,
08:53 and I think for the first time in the history of Germany,
08:56 there's a no-cost option on a car,
08:58 which means they know that no one's gonna buy it,
09:00 so they might as well just give it away.
09:01 Inside, well, the first thing that catches your eye
09:04 is, of course, the seats.
09:05 It's not quite diamond stitching.
09:07 It might be a Lambo too far,
09:09 like, yes, finally, my seats match my grill.
09:13 One negative thing, though, you cannot get cooled seats,
09:15 which, if you have this much leather, you're gonna want,
09:17 plus, not only does the Panamera Turbo have cooled seats,
09:20 but every car in this price range,
09:22 plus the Kia Forte, has cooled seats.
09:24 You also have this striped aluminum impregnated wood,
09:27 which looks awesome.
09:28 Now, they have gone bold.
09:31 This is just so cool-looking.
09:33 I own two suits, and every time I go to buy a suit,
09:35 I wanna go get, like, a light blue, you know, British suit
09:38 with big, white, chalky pinstripes,
09:40 and I always chicken out and buy another gray suit.
09:42 If you don't like it, at least appreciate
09:44 that they're being bold.
09:46 As far as driving goes, this is like driving a Howitzer
09:52 with a steering wheel.
09:54 You will not understand how fast this car is.
09:57 As quick as it was on the test track,
09:59 it feels even more monstrous up here in the canyons.
10:02 I mean, I can easily pop up to 85 miles an hour,
10:05 and I know that 'cause I have my heads-up display,
10:07 and it's just a brutal, beastly engine.
10:10 Unbelievable, this motor.
10:12 (engine revving)
10:15 Total A-plus, and it's tied to a pretty good transmission.
10:22 Now, the S7, which only has 420 horsepower,
10:26 has a seven-speed dual-clutch, or DSG as Audi calls it.
10:30 This, though, it has an eight-speed auto.
10:31 It's the ZF eight-speed that's in practically
10:33 every car on the market.
10:35 Why?
10:36 Audi's dual-clutch cannot handle the torque
10:38 this engine produces, but it's okay
10:40 because it's the same transmission that's in the S8,
10:43 and for the first 20 minutes you're driving it,
10:46 you won't even believe it's an automatic.
10:48 You've never seen an auto box shift this quickly.
10:51 Still, not quite as fast as a dual-clutch,
10:53 so while the engine is an absolute slam-dunk A-plus,
10:57 gonna give the transmission just an A.
11:00 As far as handling goes, well, I'm supposed to say
11:02 that Audi's Achilles heel, the monkey on their back,
11:04 is terminal understeer, and we did see some of that
11:08 on the test track, but up here,
11:11 where you're probably not going 10/10s the entire time,
11:15 boy, this thing's pretty good.
11:16 Like, yeah, it's a little pushy.
11:18 You wanna get on the brakes a little bit earlier
11:20 for corners, and then kind of blast out of the corner,
11:22 use that trick sport rear differential,
11:25 but I mean, what an awesome machine.
11:27 You could just annihilate a road in this thing.
11:30 So, I think this is one of those situations
11:33 where I'm gonna need the help of my buddy
11:34 and professional race car driver, Randy Popes,
11:37 and we're gonna have to settle this one on a racetrack.
11:40 (engine revving)
11:43 This is a four-liter twin-turbo V8.
11:45 - Little baby four-liter.
11:47 Whoa, that doesn't feel right.
11:48 - Yeah, this thing.
11:49 Wow, this thing feels really great
11:50 when I'm not driving real fast.
11:52 - Yeah, on a track, you know?
11:54 - You know, Johnny, even a mildly fast corner,
11:57 I feel the understeer.
11:58 Look at the wheel angle to get around this corner.
12:01 - Yep, it's severe.
12:02 - Quattros have long had a tendency to understeer a lot,
12:05 including under power.
12:07 - Right. - This car does.
12:08 - Yeah. - Well, you know what, Johnny?
12:09 I've also felt the car oversteer a little bit.
12:11 - Sure, it'll do that. - Like, right there.
12:13 - Yeah. - Sometimes on drop throttle
12:16 or entry, if you don't already have a big understeer.
12:19 - Right. - If you keep the fronts
12:20 hooked up, off throttle,
12:22 the rear will come out a little bit.
12:24 - Now, what do you think that's from?
12:25 - So, they're trying. - Okay.
12:26 - They're trying to balance the car.
12:28 - Right.
12:28 - I'm feeling a lot of body roll.
12:30 - Yeah, oh yeah. - A lot.
12:31 Are we in the sport mode?
12:33 - We're definitely in sport mode.
12:35 You seem like you're working a lot.
12:36 - The car's not all sorted out.
12:37 Right, I'm working a lot.
12:39 It's not completely tied down.
12:41 It's got a lot of roll, it's got dive.
12:43 - Yeah. - It's got squat.
12:45 - Right.
12:46 - Much more than I expected.
12:48 - Yeah.
12:49 - I was excited about driving the RS7
12:51 because I'm just so excited about the RS5.
12:55 When we tried that at Mazda Laguna a few months ago,
12:58 that car was fabulous,
12:59 especially it was so well balanced under power.
13:02 - Yeah. - And I expected that
13:04 from the RS7.
13:05 - Yeah. - And it's not like that.
13:07 I gotta say, you know,
13:09 as much as I love this car on the road,
13:10 and this is a tremendous road car,
13:13 oh, it's just not a great track car,
13:17 which, you know, with the RS badge.
13:20 You're right, for an RS,
13:23 too much body roll.
13:25 - Way too much. - Too much understeer
13:26 when you push it hard.
13:28 Now, it's not a track car,
13:29 but it has the potential with some of the tuning
13:33 that's in the RS5 to be way better.
13:36 I think maybe what we have here
13:38 is a car that's designed and comfortable
13:41 up to about 70, 80%.
13:44 - Yeah. - And beyond that,
13:45 'cause as I'm talking to you,
13:46 and if I start driving a little more gently.
13:49 - It's great. - Everything gets a lot better.
13:51 - Yeah. - But here on the track,
13:53 it's just, you know,
13:54 when you push it to the limit,
13:56 it kinda falls apart. - It does.
13:58 - Yeah, I see.
13:59 I see.
14:00 - Okay, the Porsche Panamera Turbo.
14:05 - I don't remember the straightaway being that short.
14:07 - (laughs) This baby just cooks, right?
14:10 - It's my very first time in a Panamera.
14:13 - Really? - Yeah, I'd heard they were good.
14:15 - Yeah.
14:16 - I've never experienced one before this test,
14:19 and I am impressed.
14:23 (car engine roaring)
14:25 It doesn't have extreme understeer under power,
14:28 which is the bane of the four-wheel drive car.
14:32 The Panamera's got kind of a reasonable balance.
14:36 - Right. - And it drives out balanced,
14:38 just like that.
14:39 We had big torque, second gear,
14:41 and we didn't get a big push.
14:43 I didn't have to add steering.
14:45 The power is fantastic.
14:46 It's a really broad power curve.
14:49 It makes a lot of power down low,
14:50 makes a lot of power up high.
14:52 Wow, it stops, too.
14:56 Look at that balance.
14:57 - Oh, the brakes are incredible.
14:58 So this has the optional $9,200 carbon Brembos,
15:02 which, if you're already spending close to 200 grand,
15:05 what's another 9,000, right?
15:06 - Yeah, and they look so cool.
15:08 - And they do look-- - And they're lighter.
15:09 - Yep. - So they do make the car
15:10 accelerate and stop better, just out of light weight.
15:13 - Absolutely.
15:15 (car engine revving)
15:16 The only real downside is that you pay for it.
15:18 I mean, this is, you know, 60,000 more than the Audi.
15:21 - Wow.
15:23 Transmission is smart, too.
15:25 Shifts quick, and it always seems to know
15:27 what gear to be in.
15:28 - Porsche wrote the book on double-clutch transmissions.
15:31 I mean, you know, the PDK is unbelievable.
15:34 And the thing is, you know, you do have paddles.
15:36 I don't, have you touched them?
15:37 - No, I have not. - Yeah.
15:38 You put it in Sport Plus,
15:40 and it's almost like having a co-driver.
15:42 - Yeah, I don't need the paddles.
15:44 - Right, right.
15:45 - Look, I accelerate out of the bowl.
15:47 This whole time, I'm taking steering out
15:50 as we go through 80 miles an hour onto the straightaway.
15:53 - Right.
15:54 - That's my favorite thing about the Panamera.
15:56 (car engine revving)
15:57 I also like the way it just feels absolutely planted.
16:00 It's not harsh, but there's no extra monkey motion
16:05 in the body.
16:06 - And what's crazy is it's air suspension.
16:08 - Oh, is it really?
16:09 - Yeah, and usually air suspension on a track,
16:11 you get mean, you know what I mean?
16:13 It's not.
16:14 - I mean, I don't care what my spring is.
16:15 - Right.
16:16 - As long as the shocks are properly dampening it,
16:19 and it has that adjustability.
16:20 - But I think, you know, on the road,
16:23 this and the Audi, great cars.
16:26 There's no question.
16:27 I mean, if you had either, they're great.
16:29 But I think when you put them on a racetrack like this,
16:31 and even in my hands,
16:33 I think you come away with a clear winner.
16:36 And I think the winner is the Porsche Panamera Turbo.
16:39 - Johnny, I have to agree with you.
16:42 The Panamera is just so much better
16:46 in the environment where I've tried it today,
16:48 the racetrack.
16:49 - Yeah, it's unbelievable.
16:52 (car engine roaring)
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