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Agreed, I test drove the Panamera and the Panamera S back to back, and the V6 version just felt overly heavy and slow to accelerate. The handling was there but the engine seemed lackluster.
The BMW inline 6 is an amazing engine, and although I have never driven a 640i GC, I can say that when I did a test drive of the BMW 740Li and 750Li back to back, I was actually more excited about the 740Li from a 'fun to drive' perspective.
On paper the 640i GC has similar numbers to the base Panamera, but in real life the BMW 6 cylinder engine wins.
Now if you decide to look at the V8 models, the story changes. That Panamera S is a total beast. I agree with WhyGeeGee, a car of that caliber deserves the finest of materials and the one I test drove actually had the Marsala Red and Cream two tone interior with the Yachting Mahogany wood trim, this is almost $6k worth of wood and it shows. The renders do not do it justice.
The Sport Chrono package also gets you launch control, sport plus button, more aggressive shifting for the PDK, and 0.2 seconds off of the Panamera S 0-60 time. Also the Sport Exhaust is a must have, too. Even comes with a button to toggle the exhaust! Then there is the Burmester sound system ....
Problem is with all of these options, the Panamera S becomes in a different price range than even a fully loaded 650i GC would be, even if you go Individual and get every option. It makes the 6GC seem like a bargain in comparison, but my personal opinion is as beautiful as I think the 6 GC is, the Panamera is more unique and has more presence. Option for option it is a more expensive car, without a doubt, but it shows.
Final comment, of you like sunroofs, the one in 6 GC only cracks upward, which I found to be silly, and if rear seat usability is a concern, the Panamera also gets the bonus points in that department as well.
Good luck with your decision.
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