Refreshing or Revolting: Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door vs. Porsche Panamera

Porsche first debuted the Panamera in 2009, so it’s had a lot of time to perfect the four-door coupe formula. Recently moving into its second generation, the new Panamera dons a more tapered and stylish rear end, a bold active spoiler, and a simplified and more harmonious interior compared to the previous model. The new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show makes a nice showing its inaugural year, although it adopts a tamer look than we all expected. Which one of these stately four-door fastbacks wins the beauty contest? You decide.

Despite its recent overhaul, the Panamera still features a rounded front face. Inside the headlamp housing, there are four lights that form a square, mimicking the look of the 918 Spyder. In contrast, the Mercedes has aggressive-looking, angled-inward headlights and a lighting signature that runs along the inner edges of the housing. The car’s AMG grille looks a lot sportier than the unit on the Porsche. The badge on the Mercedes is also much more prominent than the one on the hood of the Panamera, although the latter is immediately recognizable as a Porsche.

Look at the side profiles of both the GT and the Panamera, and you’ll start to see a few similarities. They both feature long hoods, raked rooflines, and rounded rear ends. While the Mercedes sports a simple badge behind the front wheel, the Panamera features a vertically oriented gill in the same area. Bold character lines flow away from this gill, while the side of the AMG GT has relatively few lines, except for one at the bottom of the doors.

Both models feature slim taillights. On the Panamera, these lights are connected by a light bar with “Porsche” and “Panamera” spelled out underneath, but the GT goes for a simpler look. The GT and many versions of the Panamera feature four exhaust outlets, and on the higher-performance versions of the Mercedes, these take on a unique square shape. The model also offers a retractable rear spoiler like the Panamera. Overall, the rear end of the Panamera looks more upright than the rear of the GT.

We have to hand it to the GT for its gorgeous Widescreen Cockpit extending the length of the dashboard. This unit consists of two displays measuring 12.3 inches each. The central dashboard display on the Panamera is a bit smaller but still generous, and you’ll also find touch controls and toggles near the shifter. The GT’s interior is more flamboyant, with bold ambient lighting running across the doors and dashboard, circular air vents, a center console inspired by the GT coupe, and striking material choices rounding out the top features.

Do you prefer the look of the Mercedes-AMG 4-Door Coupe or the Porsche Panamera? Let us know in the comments on Facebook.

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