Road Trip 2010 puts Porsche's Panamera to the test (photos)

One of the best things about Road Trip is driving thousands of miles around the U.S. in a brand-new vehicle. On Road Trip 2010, CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman put Porsche's Panamera to the test, and over the course of six weeks, put in about 5,000 miles in Porsche's first-ever four-door coupe.

Seen here, the Panamera 4S is parked in front of the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury, Vt.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

You can see CNET's official Car Tech review of the Panamera 4S here.

The Panamera 4S, parked in front of the Gettysburg National Military Park, in Gettysburg, Pa.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

Though some say the Panamera's profile doesn't look like that of a Porsche, its rear leaves little doubt who makes the high-end four-seater.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

Although Porsche has made its Cayenne SUV for several years, the Panamera is the first-ever Porsche car with four seats, and four doors. And almost anyone sitting in the rear of the car would find themselves feeling comfortable, not cramped.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

By folding down the rear seats, it's possible to open up a lot of storage capacity in the Panamera.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

The trunk in the rear of the car, while not huge, is big enough to easily store two large suitcases, and some other things in two small side compartments. With the rear seats folded down, the amount of gear that can be stored increases dramatically.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

The Porsche Panamera 4S that CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman drove for much of Road Trip 2010, parked in front of the world headquarters of General Electric Global Research, in Niskayuna, N.Y.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

The Panamera's main dashboard displays and controls.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

Just to the right of the tachometer, and easily visible through the steering wheel, this small screen can display a wide variety of information, from navigation details, to lists of radio stations, to lists of previous calls on a wirelessly connected mobile phone.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

The Panamera's steering wheel features two sets of controls that can be operated with the thumb. This is the left side of the wheel, featuring the silver button that allows for manually shifting up or down a gear, and a thumb-wheel that raises or lowers the stereo volume. There is also a button that switches the car's multimedia system over to phone mode.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

This is the main gearbox, including a set of control buttons. Among them are the "Sport" and "Sport Plus" buttons, which switch the car into much higher-performance driving modes.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

The Panamera 4S, parked in front of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

On the right side of the steering wheel are another set of controls, including the silver one, which allows for shifting gears up or down, and for switching between multimedia system functions.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

The Panamera S, parked in front of IBM Research global headquarters, in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

The main information display, which in this picture is showing the Panamera's navigation system.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

At the beginning of Road Trip 2010, Terdiman took the Panamera to Germantown, Md., to interview PostSecret founder Frank Warren.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

The gear box and the set of buttons on its right side. Among them are buttons that raise and lower the car's spoiler, one that enhances the rumble of the Panamera's exhaust system, and a third that automatically powers down the engine when the car is stopped.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

The Panamera is seen here with its rear gate opened all the way.

Click here to read the related Road Trip 2010 review of Porsche's Panamera, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

You can see CNET's official Car Tech review of the Panamera 4S here.