Opening Panamera's Box; LOOKS MAY NOT BE EVERYTHING, BUT THEY DO COUNT FOR A LOT- ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE A PORSCHE.(NEWS)

Byline: GREG KABLE & NATALIE NEFF

There's no mistaking it for anything but a Porsche, but with four doors and four full seats, the Panamera is like no previous Porsche.

Styled by a team of in-house designers under the direction of Michael Mauer, the Panamera is 195.7 inches long, 76.0 inches wide and 55.8 inches tallmaking it slightly shorter but wider and lower than the Maserati Quattroporte, with which it shares a coupelike profile.

As with all such silhouettes, "the real challenge is giving the rear-seat passengers enough headroom, says Mauer. "The way that was done was to give a visual message that it's a coupelook at the chrome around the windowbut make the roofline higher.

Unlike the Pininfarina-designed Maserati, however, the new Porsche has a large liftback, for easy access to the trunk. And the rear seats are individual, with tall backrests that can be electronically reclined. Nominal trunk capacity is put at 15.7 cubic feet, but folding the rear seats increases capacity to 44.7 cubic feet.

Giving the Panamera ample luggage space was key, says Mauer, as was making the car a genuine four-seater and not just another 2+2. Even the tallest folks will find plenty of headroom, legroom, shoulder room and hip room in back. But all will be grateful for the omission of a center seat. "It's a true four-seater, not a five-seater with a compromised middle seat, says Mauer. "By putting only two seats in back, we were able to move the rear seats closer together and get the ...