I need to see the Panamera in real life as well, but I think it is a clean and attractively different design.  And comparing it to the Maserati is a bit off the mark, in my view.  The Maserati design is more of an elegant, cruiser type design, which to me does not convey a powerful sports car character.  It does not look like a car that can be driven fast, or that handles well on challenging roads.  It seems a bit bulky and top heavy to me.  To me the Panamera does convey the Porsche racing/sportscar heritage.  Porsche is going for a niche here--a truly sporty 4 door niche, like the Cayenne was intended to do in the SUV field.  It is a fine line, and a risky venture, but Porsche has been pretty right on in the past.  So we shall see..