The advanced suspension system of the new Panamera eliminates roll, pitch, and dive during driving – even if you won’t be able to control via phone like this demonstration model
by Brad Anderson
March 15, 2024 at 21:15
While the updated Porsche Panamera doesn’t look much different than the model it replaced, it has plenty of important upgrades under the skin, none more special than the new Porsche Active Ride system. It’s a complex active suspension that promises to transform how the sports sedan drives and comes with some fun party tricks.
Porsche has fitted each corner of the car with a motor-pump unit using an electric motor to regulate the amount of hydraulic pressure going into the damper. These motor-pumps are powered by the car’s 400-volt battery and the system also uses single-chamber air springs.
The system is said to be so powerful that it essentially eliminates all roll, pitch, and dive during driving. The dampers can also change their characteristics up to 13 times a second thanks to the use of accelerometers that monitor all body motions.
Read: New Porsche Panamera Adds Two More E-Hybrid Models And One Has Lost Some Horses
Like Mercedes-Benz’s E-Active Body Control launched with the GLE six years ago, Porsche’s Active Ride system can technically (more on that below) be used while the car is stationary, allowing it to bounce up and down. What’s more, it can even be tilted side-to-side, with the front raised independently and the rear bouncing up and down.
However, before you get too excited, this fun feature is not available on the production car. Instead, Porsche’s engineers demonstrated the possibilities during the presentation using a smartphone app connected to a gyro, allowing users to make the car perform dynamic movements.
It’s a mind-blowing technology and while this feature of the system could be considered a mimic, the advanced suspension system won’t just have dramatic impacts on how the Panamera handles but also how it rides over rough and uneven surfaces.
In the videos we’ve included below, an orange Panamera can be seen driving over a raised platform with plenty of bumps and while the suspension is hard at work, the body of the car remains remarkably flat.
Porsche is already working to add its Active Ride system to other models. These will include the all-electric Taycan that will use a DC-DC converter to step down from 800 volts to 400 to allow the system to function.