The 2010 Porsche Panamera S delivers on the automaker’s promise that it could build a sedan that’s true to the spirit and performance of its legendary sports cars.

The V8-powered Panamera I tested also proved to be a surprisingly good value, offering unique looks, comfort and plenty of passenger room at a price that’s very competitive with other elite luxury sedans.

Unfortunately, the car I drove also had an electronic failure that required a trip to the dealer for service — an automatic one-star deduction from the rating of any vehicle I test — and lacked some features that should be de rigueur on a car with an $89,800 base price.

Despite that, the Panamera is certain to please Porsche owners who have longed for a more accommodating car that drives like a true Porsche.

Sometimes, a door is just a door: a way to get from where you are to where you want to be.

If you’re a Porsche fan, however, a door can be an existential threat to everything you hold dear.

Porsche-nation panic began a few years ago, when the legendary sports-car maker announced it would build a four-door car, a roomier and more comfortable complement to its two-door coupes and roadsters.

What’s not to like about room and comfort?

Plenty, if you’re a paranoid Porsche-phile. It was the end of the world as some of the brand’s fans knew it, and they most decidedly did not feel fine. They felt betrayed and fearful, certain the new car would abandon Porsche’s core values of performance, efficiency and style.

Chill. Take a relaxing time-out in the backseat of the 2010 Porsche Panamera. The dreaded Porsche sedan turns out to be riveting and involving for the driver and comfortable for its passengers.

It’s not perfect, but it’s unquestionably a Porsche.

Prices for the Panamera start at $89,800 for an S model. They rise to $93,800 for the all-wheel drive Panamera 4S and $132,600 for the all-wheel drive Panamera turbo. The S and 4S come with a responsive 400-horsepower 4.8-liter V8. Twin turbos boost that engine’s output to 500 horsepower in the top model.

All Panameras get Porsche’s superb new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which combines a manual transmission’s control and fuel-efficiency with the comfort of an automatic.

I tested a well-equipped Panamera S that stickered at $103,245.

The Panamera holds four adults in comfort, but there’s no accommodation for a fifth passenger, a drawback compared with luxury-sport competitors like the Audi A8, BMW 750i, Lexus LS 460 and Mercedes-Benz S550.

The Panamera’s attractive and practical hatchback body offsets that shortcoming with a 15.7-cubic-foot cargo space that’s bigger than the A8 and 750i. It’s 0.7 cubic feet smaller than the S550 and 2.3 cubic feet smaller than the LS 460’s roomy trunk.

The Panamera is 3.5 to 4.2 inches shorter than the Audi, BMW and Lexus; it’s 10.9 inches shorter than the Mercedes.

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