RC:
bluelines:

Hence I am not convinced about the statement that the Panamera is 10 seconds faster around the Ring than the M5 thanks to it's AWD. It is 10 seconds faster for other reasons and a RWD Panamera should be even faster.

 

It is. Porsche actually uses the excessive weight of the Panamera combined with the AWD traction advantage for that achievement. Sport Auto has actually described it pretty well when they tested the PTS and were surprised about the track performance. Lots of electronics are involved in this process too.

You are comparing cars with much lower weight with cars with a much higher weight, huge mistake.

The lower the weight, the more the car benefits from RWD actually.

Take the Panamera S and 4S for example: The 4S is faster on the track under the same conditions. Best proof actually. Smiley


--

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S, BMW X5M, Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe PP/DP, Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

In my opinion, RC is correct to state that the AWD car is faster than RWD car....just imagine how often do you know that the RWD car is on the limit during cornering? Remember that the RWD car only have lateral grip on their front wheels. As for the AWD car, their front wheels efficiency can be maximized if the lateral grip is not on their limit, it can be used to accelerate or decelerate. as Bluelines said, as long as the resultant is the same.

So, in AWD car, their front wheels can have more choices depend on the situation.Smiley