The car itself is based primarily on the MINI Cooper S, with similar front and rear styling and the l.6-liter four-cylinder turbo engine that debuted in the 2011 MINI S. (The engine gets 181 hp and up to 192 lb-ft of torque, with a 0-to-60 mph sprint of 6.6 seconds.) Fuel economy ratings are 35 mpg on the highway and 27 mpg in the city under the manual transmission variant.
The twin-turbo V6 replaces the naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V8 engine in the previous-generation Panamera S and Panamera 4S. The new bi-turbo engine is also used in the Executive version of the Panamera 4S. The engine's figures themselves are indicators of progress: increases of 20 hp and 15 lb-ft torque when compared to the outgoing V8 engine.