2019 Audi A7 vs 2021 Porsche Panamera

What's the difference?

Audi is known as a design-led brand, and arguably no model in the line-up embodies that ethos more than the Audi A7 Sportback.

This all-new version of Audi's largest swoopy five-door hatchback takes the concept of the original first-generation version and, rather than reinventing the idea, reimagines it with a more modern and even more style-focused look, inside and out.

And it's a very convincing execution, indeed.

It’s a good thing the Porsche Panamera doesn’t feel emotions. Otherwise it might be feeling like the forgotten member of the Porsche family.

While the 911 remains the evergreen hero, the Cayenne and Macan the popular sales darlings and the new Taycan the exciting newcomer, the Panamera simply plays its part. 

It fills an important but small role for the brand, giving Porsche an executive sedan (and wagon) to compete against the big players from the other German brands - Audi A7 Sportback, BMW 8-Series Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz CLS. 

However, while it may have been overshadowed of late, that doesn’t mean Porsche has forgotten about it. For 2021 the Panamera has been given a mid-life update, after this current generation launched back in 2017. 

The changes are subtle in isolation but add up to some big improvements across the range, most notably extra power has seen the previous range-topper, the Panamera Turbo, become the Turbo S. 

There’s also a new hybrid model and tweaks to the air suspension and related systems to improve the handling (but more on that later).