Porsche’s attempts to deviate from its rear-engined, horizontally-opposed piston layout have met with mixed reviews over the years. True, the Cayenne SUV has been a success for the company, but cast your memory back to the 928 hatchback of the late 1970s - early 1990s. When this front-engined, V8-powered grand tourer went on the market, it was priced in the high $70,000 neighbourhood, and bombed when it hit showrooms, despite the fact that, at the time, the S version was the fastest production car sold in North America. These days, 928 owners can’t give ‘em away, and it’s arguable whether any other prestige automobile has suffered as precipitous a drop in value as the 928.

And let’s not forget the 924 and 968, which were both reviled, and the 944, which, though a sales success, is still regarded by hard-core Porsche enthusiasts as somehow inferior to the "real" Porsche, the 911. The votes are still coming in on the mid-engined Cayman, and the fate of the new Panamera four-door sedan is anybody’s guess.

Introduced last year, the Panamera is a stunner, visually and performance-wise. It’s available in five versions: base, 4, S, 4S, and Turbo. I recently spent some time in the top-of-the-range Turbo, but have also driven the base model.

The differences in the two are striking.

First of all, the Turbo has a starting price of $155,000, whereas the base version goes for $115,000. The Turbo also comes with all-wheel-drive, and its 4.8 litre V8 belts out a massive 500 horsepower. This is 200 hp more than the normally-aspirated base model and 100 hp more than the S. It catapults the Panamera Turbo into supercar territory. Transmission is a seven-speed, with Porsche’s Doppelkupplungsgetriebe - or PDK double clutch gearbox.....the only choice. This transmission can actually trace its lineage back to LeMans racing Porsches campaigned back in the early-1980s.

What all of this means is that although the base version is a quick automobile, no argument, the Turbo is an asphalt-burning beast, with a purported 0 to 100 km/h time of well under five seconds and a top speed in excess of 300 km/h. There aren’t many four-door sedans out there that can match it when it comes to getting down the road in a hurry. It also comes with a higher equipment level, including full leather interior, over-sized brakes, front and rear park assist, and heated steering wheel, among other things. My tester also had Porsche’s Chrono package. This is the coolest thing; for $3110, you get a couple of timers - analog and digital - and a "Sport Plus Mode" button, which, when activated, increases the engine’s rpm limit, tightens up the suspension, lowers the car, temporarily dials up the turbocharger’s boost, and makes the brake s little more responsive. What’s more, there is also a launch control mode, which will bump up engine revs up to 5000 rpm when you simultaneously hold the brake down and tromp the gas pedal. It may be an expensive prestige four-door sedan, but the Panamera Turbo is obviously also designed for track time, and I’d love to put in a few hot laps with it sometime.

A word about the body designation. It’s not being tagged by Porsche as a four-door sedan....although technically, that’s what it is. Instead, the company is calling the Panamera a four-door hatchback, and that’s probably as good a designation as any. You can call it whatever you like, but to my eyes, it’s one of the most stunningly beautiful cars ever to come down the pike. There has been some controversy about its bulbous back end, and not everyone likes it, but I don’t think there’s an ugly line on this car anywhere. The body style conveys elegance, power, athleticism, prestige, and presence in one stunning package. I always thought that a big part of the aforementioned 928's problems was its hideous styling; that’s clearly not a problem here.

Inside, the Panamera has the familiar Porsche trademark ignition key on the left and there is a surprising amount of headroom. 911 Carreras, Caymans and Boxsters can be a little snug around the ears, but the Panamera has plenty of elbow room. Most of the car’s myriad functions and switchgear are located on the centre console around the shift lever, and the ambience of the interior is that of a top-flight luxury car. You really do feel like you’re piloting an expensive prestige-class automobile when you slide behind the wheel.

While I had this car, it rained a lot in my neck of the woods, and I got to experience Porsche’s traction control system more than once....especially when stopped on a hill. I understand that a car with this much power on tap needs to have some kind of safeguard to prevent it from going sideways every time you hit the gas, but when the traction control system kicks in, it lets you know it, with the car bucking and jumping dramatically. I honestly thought I’d damaged something the first time this happened, and pulled over immediately. But that’s just the way it works and it can be disabled. I remain suspicious of traction control systems. I also found the perimeter warning system to be a tad hyperactive; when you pull up to the drive-thru for a coffee, for example, it goes crazy. Last but not least, the windshield defogger only works when the a/c is activated. This latter issue is a common problem with Europeans cars, regardless of their price tag, and manufacturers need to design a defogger/defroster that works even when the a/c is off.

But I could easily live with these little glitches, and, aside from the fact that I can’t afford the Panamera - Turbo or otherwise - there isn’t much to complain about here.

AT A GLANCE

Type: Four-passenger prestige sedan

Base Price: $155,000; as tested: $172,430

Engine: Turbocharged 4.8 litre V8

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic w. manual shift mode

Drive: AWD

Horsepower/Torque: 500 hp @ 6000 rpm/ 567 foot-pounds @ 2250 -4500 rpm

Fuel Economy (L/100 km): 14.1 city; 8.6 hwy, premium gas.

Alternatives: Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes CLS63 AMG, Audi A8, BMW 750i.

Likes: Styling, controlled power, handling/braking, overall performance

Dislikes: Rambunctious traction control, sketchy perimeter warning system, lousy windscreen defogger. Plus, it is expensive.