Well I saw in the flesh to day a Porsche Panamera. and despite the negative
reception on looks I think it looked superb.
The thing is will I be able to convince the family it's as comfortable and with
all the goodies my S600 has. I think it's faster, but is it really a 4 seater.
Anybody had any experience.

 

Looks are subjective of course, but most people think the Panamera is not an attractive design with the rear bulge/hump.

The Panamera is never going to be as comfortable as your S600, but it will be a blast to drive. The handling characteristics are like all Porsche cars. It will be faster through corners but the comfort level is a compromise compared to the S600.

 

i personally dislike the looks of the Panamera. I would much rather have either a 996/997 turbo or just go for a full sized sedan. Having driven the Panamera turbo, i can say it feels much more agile - but i couldn't get over the body style.

 

You are not alone Fonzie, there was a massive campaign by potential buyers of Panamera to Porsche to beautify the design when the first early pics were leaked out.

It is not a pretty car but drives beautifully.

 

The turbo one is awesome performance car, but looks so ugly, I would stay with s600 or get new s63 with 5.5tt engine

 

I sold my 2009 s63 to get the panamera turbo. Driving the s class feels like a boat compared to the porsche, there is no comparison the porsche is much more "fun" to drive. That being said on long straight highway drives with the wife and kids there is nothing like the S class and I miss it for those drives. I am considering selling my 2 door sports car which I dont use that much and getting the new s63 and having both that and the panamera , they are that different.

 

What kind of comments do you get on your Panamera's exterior design, nyc123? BTW, the interior is beautifully designed,

 

I have a good friend who bought a Panamera Turbo, and not just a plain jane stocker, but the sticker was north of $182k. He traded in his 02 S55 for the car. I told him when he spec'd it out, and when I saw it at the dealership that it is ugly as sin.......I still stand by my previous statement. I understand Porsche's design standpoint and accept it because it is meant to be a driver's car that will haul 4 adults comfortably. It does that very well. Still ugly as sin though. My friend drove the car for about 2 weeks and in that time I kept hearing him hem and haw over the car, and then all of a sudden, he has his SL600 for sale. Shortly after that, his 996 Turbo S cab(Evolution MS GT740 car) is for sale. Finally, I got the chance to ride with him in the car and drive it. WOW...The car is a near perfect driver's sedan. It can be thrown around like his 996 and will take the punishment and asks if that is all I have? Point, shoot, apex, stoplight....it handles it all very well. I'm understanding why he sold the 600 and has the 996 for sale now, if it had a drop top, it would probably be a perfect car for him. The car may have a cult following of die hard front engine Porsche enthusiasts that pine for a coupe version of it and love the looks, but I still think it is ugly. But if I had to pick between my sense of style conveyed to other drivers and a car that did everything I needed it to do, I would probably pick the Panamera to drive.....but I can't let my fashion sense get in the way and I would have to pass on the car based solely on exterior looks.

Call me Shallow Nick,

Nick

 

Thanks for the info fellas.
I think I will book a test drive, I am sure the performance will be good, I am
more concerned about a long drive over various road surfaces where the S
excels.

 

The performance of the turbo is fantastic - even better than other similar cars like the Aston Martin Rapide that have been popping up lately.

Looks wise, it is definitely unique and has presence though - no other car looks like it. I don't think it is an entirely attractive design, but people hated the Cayenne too when it came out and now it blends in better over time.

 

still don't like Cayenne, especially a new one! those Porsh letters on the trunk are just hideous!

 

As a Porsche owner (not a one leased) since 1961, I've seen a lot of different models come out of Zuffenhausen and they weren't all my cup of tea but they were somebody's, somewhere. As one example, in the early '80s when Porsche was drowning in red ink because of the overpriced but out of date 911, (and before they hired the Japanese to tell them how to build cars and make a profit) the 944 series was introduced and the company was saved from a takeover. And as an aside, Mercedes said at the time that ownership of Porsche AG would never leave Germany even if they had to buy it. After the just-in-time methods were up and running, Porsche built their first zero-defects car in their history and the rework department was no more.

When the Cayenne showed up, everyone was up in arms about it and yet despite it's iffy looks, it sold very well and in fact China has become it's best market along with the UK. And now the new rebodied version is doing just as well.

And now we have the Panamera (called the Buttster by some) and it's worldwide intro was at the Shanghai Auto Show and the numbers of Panameras being sold there are very high.

No question that the technology, driving qualities and overall quality & reliability are right up at the top. But, I agree that the appearance is an acquired taste for some, myself included, but the sales figures tell the tale with several thousand sold just in the US. I've never seen one on the move so I don't know where they are hiding.

The Panamera is one of those cars where color makes all the difference and that old MB "mandatory favorite" of Silver with a black interior kills the car.

BTW, I'm trespassing here since I own a 2008 C300, the best MB I've ever owned and my last S-Class was 1973 450SE.

And, I think the W221 is a wonderful car, out of my budget, but it's too big for me with those acres of paint to keep clean and flawless.

 

In my opinion if one wants something almost as fun as a panamera turbo but needs the bench seat in the bank and dont like the sports car like cockpit of the panamera get the new alpina b7. I drove it today and it is not quite as much fun as the panamera but much more fun than the s63

 

Despite the price point, isn't the E63 and its smaller size/sportier handling more of a direct comparable than the S-class? I think if you need rear seat comfort and cruiser, go S-class. If you want sports-driving sedan, you go w/ E63/CLS63 or the Panamera, right?
P.S. Even the BMW 750Li is not really a comparable as it's much bigger int he rear - only the short wheel-base 750i might be closer size.
PL

 

Unfortunately comfort and room is most important, it's just me trying to
get 2 cars just for me, I need a damn good spanking.