I wanted to get some of your thoughts of the Porsche Panamera. I have been looking at this car lately.

 

i was between the sexy panny and the rare cl before i decided to go with the benzo. i love my carrera so i thought i would look at the panny - love the unique look, the cockpit-like dashboard, the array of options to customze your way and the sports car like feel. however, the back window seemed a mile away and the power seemed so much more refined than my crazy go-cart-like 911 - that it was almost not-porsche like. (let the pounding begin here, i know.) without going into all the other gory details and given the price point was about the same (both circa $130) as is the maintenance $ requirement, i went with the benzo because quite frankly everything worked, and i could rely on it day in and day out. in my carrera, the niggling things (the factory ipod connection worked sometimes, the factory bluetooth worked sometimes, the factory satellite radio worked sometimes) drive me crazy enough that i thought the panny would suffer from the same issues. small stupid stuff, i know, but they add up and when you are dropping that kind of vig on a daily driver - it begins to matter. to me anyway. my history with benzo the last 20 years is superbly perfect as these cars never let me down, they work as advertised, and have the refinement in a luxury-cruiser that you expect. the power that the new twin turbos put out in the cl is plenty for me around chicagoland and quite frankly can't see using anymore! you can hop on this cl and it really pushes you back into the seat. fun. but it is a huge car as you know. but doesn't feel as big as the panny did. with that said, the panny still catches my eye when one rolls down the street. best wishes with your decision; the "research" is the best part of the buying experience!

 

Your 2012 is putting out some serious horsepower and torque compared to my 2007. I have spoke to the dealership that sold me my CL550 and they are raving about the reliably of the Panamera. I have also read a lot reviews about great reliably about this car. I test drove the S and Turbo models. I was blown away by both. The turbo model is ridiculously fast and sounds like a Maserati when you turn the exhaust to fully open. I don't think the Porsche will be a upgrade but it will no be a downgrade.

 

I love it!! It is one of those cars though, that I feel you either love it or hate it.

 

It's between the Panny and Maserati GranTurismo MC Sport Line .

 

it was the 4s that i drove/tested. i think the unfolding spoiler wing on the turbo is awesome-looking. i saw one on the motorway the other day, and it was very cool to see it deploy. i was *about* to suggest to you that you consider a panny now and then when the redesigned cl comes out (a year beyond the new s?) you come take a look at how benzo changed the cl. that would give you 2+ years to drive something new. but i see from your entry above that you have already made up your mind to go with the panny or the gt (and move away from the benzo line). so i won't suggest it. haha. my vote for you is to go the panny route. i read too much woe from gt owners about reliability. btw - not to change the direction of this thread - have you seen any spy photos of the new cl design? i have seen plenty of s spy shots but none of the cl? anyway - good luck with your decision.

 

I think the W216 is up for a total resign by the end of next year but correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't looked into any spy shots because I don't like the design direction mercedes is going. The new CLS and E Class looks terrible. They are starting to look more like hyundai's or resemble Japanese competitors. I have a really bad feeling the new CL is not going to look pretty. The panny is indeed sexy but compared to the gts I don't know about that. The biggest realibity issue with the gts is the rubbish F1 transmission. This should not be a issue since I would be going with the bullet proof automatic.

 

Like you, I have also been looking at the Panamera as I want a 4 door and the CLS is a bit small and the S too big. My CL is already a big car!
But I won't give up my CL, it is far and away the smoothest driving full lux car around.
I did just read that they are coming out with a GTS Panamera to go between the S and the Turbo. If you don't want all the power that is a good option.
My Cayenne Turbo was scary fast for a SUV, but in a low slung car like the Panny it would be scary fun instead.
Nothing like properly tuned twin turbos to kick you back into the seat!

 

Bringing Sexy Back.

 

NICE!!!!
Love the color and wheels!
but then same as my CL!

 

I guess I jinxed myself this morning. After coming from the post office this morning in the rain. My front driver side window decided it didn't want to drop down. It's struck in the fully up position. Luckly the rain stopped. All the other windows work find. I can't get the window to go up or down. I'm at the mercedes dealership and I'm guessing the switch or window regulator took a ****.

 

Sounds like good news, it could of stuck in the down position in the rain!

 

That's true but this still sucks. Headaches.

 

MB called and said the window lost programming and the $179.00 diagnostic fee covered it.

 

Stay away from the Maserati! I had a quattroporte and will never go back to that brand. The car had TONS of problems! I would go with the porsche.

 

It's sad such a beautiful car like the Maserati would be plagued with problems. I know for a fact the F1 transmission version had clutch problems. My friend went through 2 clutches on a 08 Mas GTS in 22k miles. He doesn't even drive the car hard nor is it a daily driver. I guess Porsche it is. Now, I have to decide on the color. White or Black. I have never owned a white car before.

 

well if you go with white - you'll have to change your screen name from blkmamba to whtmamba!!!!

 

Well you do have a point. lol.

 

Ironically the reason he had problems with the clutch was he didn't drive it hard enough, but they still should have made a clutch that could last under both hard and easy driving conditions. The problems I had were ones you never expect on a car that cost what a Quattroporte does. The hardest part of giving up the car was the gorgeous looks and exhaust note. I bought my CL600 after my Quattroporte and I haven't looked back. The CL's power is on another level compared to the Maserati's.

I think a white Porsche with black accents would be an amazing looking car.

 

I remember the Top Gear review of the Quattroporte. The exhaust sound and looks was amazing. A very stunning car. I'm sure the CL600 is a lot of power coming from the Quattroporte on the other hand. I think you still kept your baller status

 

Like previously stated, stay away from the Maseratis. Beautiful car but too many headaches. I know one of the mechanic at the dealer that services Porsche, AM and Maserati and he pulls his hair out with Maserati.
The Panameras seem to have a fairly good record. I was myself in the market for a used Panamera Turbo and took one for a week end. I was not impressed at all with the gearbox (could not get it to start in 1st gear unless in manual mode, was told it was because it did not have the chrono package). I was impressed with the cockpit and overall quality (It should be for a $160K vehicle) but the overall drive and aural feedback left me a bit numb and I was sorta missing my C63.
I ended up ordering a CLS after driving a new one.
You can't go wrong with a Panamera if you liked the way it drives. A few people advised I should drive a GTS and I am due for that in December.

 

One of my bosses has a quatro Maser and it is nothing but trouble. The only thing I love about it is the sex noises that come out of the exhaust, hahaha! I agree that the new w216 succesor will not be as appealing as the current one, but I remember when the w216 came out and people gave it a lot of criticism on the design stand point :p IMO the face-lifted w216 just made it look like the rest of the Merc line-up and it sort of lost it's unique-ness so to say. I don't have much experience with the Pany, but I remember being kinda disappointed when I viewed it at an auto show. I'd much rather prefer a CLS63 personally, especially styling wise. Although, word on the street is that they will be making a much better looking wagon form and even a 2-door coupe form as well

 

Emericr,

Why would you want a automatic transmission to start in first unless it was not in sport mode? Porsche is just like Mercedes when it comes to this. The car starts out in 2nd gear unless in (sport mode) to conserve fuel. I actually like this feature. Having the abitiy to only utilize 1st gear in manual mode makes sense to me.