carsnob

Anyone checked these out? One one hand you get the Porsche handling and you get the 4 seater luxury sedan.
My son however says it's like all season tires -- a comprimise -- not a true sports car and not a real luxury sedan (like the S Class).
Anyone test one or thought of driving one?

boschk

The Panamera is like a female Russian athlete. Very good at her sport, but that face! The 12 CLS63 on the other hand...

rominl

it depends on what's your definition of "sporty". c63 is sporty to most, but it has nothing against a 911s, etc... panamera 4s drives fantastic for its size and it's tons more fun. but it's very "sporty" for those who wants the quiet and luxury ride of the s class

walt2810

Driven the 4s and turbo version at the Porsche driving event on the speedway in Fontana, they are a different animal. It's an apple vs orange comparison. They are what they are, nice and luxurious sports sedan. The power and handling is quite surprising for the size.

sedoy

Off topic but dude, what's your problem with Russian female athletes? I believe Russian female athletes look better than other female athletes, unless you have different taste:

Maria Sharapova - tennis player




Yelena Isinbayeva - Russian pole jumper, absolute World and Olympic Record holder



Natascha Ragosina - undefeated professional boxer currently ranked as the top female super middleweight in the world (titles: IWBF, WIBF, WIBA, WBC, WBA, WIBC).

hyperion667

not to be rude, but all the pannies I've seen have chicks driving them......no joke......
they're all over the triangle area!(also not a joke, LOL)

walt2810

Da.

boschk

Russia called. They said thank you for defending their female athletes. Lighten up Francis? You're one of those guys that feels the need to defend every stereotype in the world, aren't you? Good job! Oh, and smile, it's good for you.

boschk

Russia called. They said thank you for defending their female athletes. Lighten up Francis? You're one of those guys that feels the need to clear up every stereotype in the world, aren't you... You must hate to be called a yuppie b/c of the brand of car you choose to drive.

But, since you're having trouble, I'll dumb it down and sterilize my previous comments for you:

The Panamera is a wonderful car functionally. It's just fugly. Acceptable? Or am I know entitled to my stinky opinion?

sedoy

I'm not defending anything, I just don't like when some people use idiotic expressions to better explain themselves.

listerone

Functionality and driving experience mean more to me than do looks...always has,always will.If Porsche ever brough a diesel Panamera here I'd be there in a heartbeat

boschk

I can send you some tampax if you'd like? Again, lighten the hell up.

Learn how to read forums:

= kidding

sedoy

No, please keep your tampax and send me some beer.

boschk

Only if you drink porters and stouts.

sedoy

That's one of my favorite.

sedoy

To get back to topic, Panameras look epic like nothing else, almost 3" wider than S-class mix of sedan, coupe and station wagon.

Check this Panamera by Masonary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwOaA...layer_embedded

IDriveAnM5

It seems to me that the Panamera and the S-Class differ enough that there can't really be a fair comparison. The Panamera is a little bit more like the CLS. Given the choice, I'd opt for a CLS 63 AMG, but that's just me. It does have a lot to do with the appearance for me. I'm not a fan of the Panamera's exterior appearance, and the interior, though very nice, seems a bit complicated for unnecessary reasons. From a functionality standpoint, Mercedes has clearly demonstrated that you can create an interior with all of the modern conveniences, but that is very clean and organized. Porsche seems to have a different philosophy.

On the subject, I'm not a fan of the 4-seat, 4-door coupe style car anyway, so my tastes and opinions are negatively skewed. I have a kid in a child seat, and it seems the safest place for her is in the middle of the back seat, which isn't exactly possible in a 4-place car. So, the CLS and the Panamera both lose big time in my book, which is why I drive an S-Class proudly. Hope this is close to what the OP was looking for.

I'm not sure if anyone has called the Panamera a "true sports car," and I agree that it represents a compromise. However, buyers probably accept that because the Panamera handles itself well when built with the right equipment. It's a case of "Well, it's very good for what IT IS." It is a 4-door car, it does suffer a weight penalty, and it does have a longer wheelbase. I haven't driven one, but I'm sure it is very good. However, I don't think I could live with it for the reasons I've offered.

I've read a lot of praise for the Panamera's dynamic driving experience. But, it doesn't matter how "dynamically" my big Executive Sedan car drives because I have an M5 that gives me what I want in terms of dynamics. But, that's just me.

grane

There are some fun UK Top Gear episodes featuring the 4 door Porsche.

btw I think some of the old East German womens' Olympic entries were found to be questionable and closer to the OPs analogy.

IDriveAnM5

Yes, but none of these Top Gear episodes have anything to do with the current generation S-Class.
There was one where they raced a Panamera against a postal letter. There was another where they compared the Panamera Turbo to the Maserati Q-Porte and the Aston Martin Rapide. This one featured them joining a wedding party as the transportation.

I believe the last time the W221 S-Class was on Top Gear was a comparison between the BMW 760Li and the S63 AMG. If I recall correctly, they favored the BMW to the AMG.

Mad Dawg 350

+1

I can vouch that this statement is 100% accurate for I too live in the Triangle area (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill).

The husband wants the 996 Turbo-S, but the wife wants something with 4 doors to take the kids to school - the Panamera is the ending compromise.

A local mall had a Panamera parked inside on display. I was surprised to see that the base model was, relatively speaking of course, inexpensive, as compared to a S550

IDriveAnM5

Haha, funny timing. If anyone else watches the ABC show "Suburgatory," one male character who is a physician of some sort, or maybe he's a dentist, I forget, is shown pulling up in a Panamera.
Maybe he borrowed his wife's car for the day...... Ha!

I agree, the down-model basic Panamera looks like a bargain next to an S550. But, as has been discussed elsewhere, there is a big apples-to-oranges kind of issue separating the two cars.

Emauss

When I purchased by 2010 S550 a little more than a year ago I looked very carefully at the Porsche. For me the ride was nowhere near as comfortable as the S. I had one of the first Boxsters and loved it, but have gotten older and my tastes have changed.
Please note that a fully configured Panamera 4 (base model with all wheel drive) will sticker out at about 100K. The options on the Porsche just keep adding up and up and up.

carsnob

Thanks guys, that was helpful. I'll keep my S600 and the 911 C4S cab to get the best of both worlds. A sports car as a daily driver can get tedious so it's nice to indulge in both. I can see that one would miss their S class if you changed over to the Panamera.
btw, Russian women are georgeous and the pics of the athletes don't do them any justice. Now some nice Russian pics could confirm that. Anyone have any??

hyperion667

zneB-sedecreM

Well duh, if you take BMW's most expensive and fastest auto against Benz's not fastest and 12th most expensive lol.