No Porsche has ever been crash tested by Euro NCAP but the Panamera comes packed with safety kit including an advanced stability control system called PSM along with driver and front passenger airbags, curtain and side airbags (on the front seats) plus knee airbags. For extra Porsche Panamera safety rear-seat side airbags are available as an option on the 4 and 4S models.

Every car also comes with a Porsche Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) which can track and locate the car should it be stolen or towed away.

As well as offering impressive passenger room, the Panamera is also practical with a 445-litre boot – that’s almost as large as a BMW 3 Series. The luggage space itself is wide and fairly easy to access thanks to the high opening tailgate (which is available with an electrical opening and closing function), although there is a pronounced boot lip which can make lifting heavy items out quite tricky.

The flexible load cover is cleverly built into the tailgate which makes it much more convenient than a traditional retractable cover. The Panamera also has split folding rear seats, something which is unusual in most luxury saloon cars, and when folded down there’s enough room to carry two bicycles without even having to remove the front wheels. The standard model comes with an 80-litre fuel tank but the 4S and Turbo versions have 100-litres, giving them a longer range.