rpilot

... grotesquely ugly? As much as I love the 911's design and find the rest of the Porsche lineup acceptable or good, I just don't get what Porsche was thinking with this one.. Am I alone in this?

PS: I did not want to offend the Panamera faithful in their forum so I asked it in this forum. Besides, it is getting boring in here listening to price rants.

chuckbdc

Let me preface my reply stating that I like the direction Porsche is going with the "shooting brake" (AKA expensive station wagon) more than the fastback.. But I don't hate the fastback. Then again I grew up when Nash was the American sedan performance leader.

Placed next to the 4-door competition- BMW's overwrought "flame surface", and Mercedes AMG "bling-hoff contemporary" metal doodles, I find the Panamera has a sense of functional purity to its style. The shape gives it a roomy back seat and huge cargo capacity. I had one for a week recently and can say with authority that it is pure Porsche moving forward and looking forward. The GTS I flailed at Porsche World was so good driving the exterior style just did not matter.

Ok, I admit (1) there is a sense that one is being followed by the rest of the car, and (2) it is good that you cant see the back of it when driving.

Bottom line- it is a Porsche. Function dictates form.

theporscheguy

I have seen the "station wagon" version and think that its a vast improvement. I would not buy the current version, but to each is own...

os993

Well, styling is indeed very personal, but as much as I am excited every time I see an Panamera, once it passes, it seems like I feel dissappointed. I certainly do not feel like "OMG, I can't wait to get one of those".. or something to that effect.

Have I driven one? No. Have I even spent any considerable time in one? Nope. But have I seen it on the road (GTS, Turbo, S, 4S - black, white, silver, etc..), it's done nothing.

oldman40

i test drove a few prior to coming to my senses and getting what i really always wanted. it does drive really well--sport mode almost makes you forget what a large car you are actually driving. the interior appointments are quite nice etc.

but to paraphrase something i read about the panamera, the best thing about it is that while driving it, you don't have to look at it. that being said, my wife absolutely loves the look of it....so to each his/her own.

clutchplate

It's no beauty queen, maybe the next generation will be better. The station wagon version in black will make one heck of a hearst though. If the 961, 981 and 991 are any indication, Porsche is paying more attention to aesthetics these days. They apparently are reworking the body of the Macan prior to its first release to improve appearance.

MayorAdamWest

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/10/p...driving-debut/

parkerfe

I find the Panamera quite attractive. I've been in a 2013 Panamera loaner since Thursday morning while my 991C2S is having a defective XM antenna replaced and some sort of service bulletin on the 7 m/t being taken care of. So far, I love it! It's fun to drive and feels very Porsche-like. Although a bit pricey, I would still prefer it over an E Class, 5 series or A7 if I wanted a four door sedan. I can only imagine what the Panamera Turbo S is like.

simsgw

Only if I look at it from back of the B-pillar. The front isn't bad at all. It manages to look like a Porsche variant, but the dominant effect is still "that's a Porsche." A big Porsche though. A friendly woman at the supermarket asked "Is that really a Porsche? I didn't know they made cars that big." I was tempted to say I didn't either until I got home and tried to park it, but the truth is the Pannie feels like a Carrera from inside until your peripheral vision picks up that extra row of loge class seats following you around. So I just smiled and made a mental note to check the shipping progress on my Carrera.

Like a couple of others, I had driven that one as a loaner. They gave me a Panamera S while I was waiting for my new Cab to come off the boat. I had it for about three weeks I suppose. Maybe a month. I expected it to be a good sedan, but I was very impressed that my feelings after that time were that it is simply a very good car -- without qualification. I don't mean I'd take one over a Carrera, but I would prefer it to a comparable Mercedes or BMW sedan, and it's a better road car than most 'sporty' cars.

So I guess I wouldn't go so far as "grotesquely ugly". Like love, functional excellence creates a halo that makes us see the good bits and ignore the others. But I would make sure to park it where my eye only swept across the front whenever I glanced at it. The back causes words like 'tumor' to float across my speech centers for no good reason. I do like the proportions of that "shooting brake" version we've seen recently.

Yes. If you can't afford one or can't see paying that much for a toy, just don't buy one. It won't help to come moan about it to us folks who did just pay for one.

Gary

fester

It looks ugly at certain angles..in person though, it has always looked nice, special and somewhat muscular to me.

solomonschris

I wish they would build a car like my A6 Avant, but with simplicity, real durability, performance and Porsche soul. At one end of the spectrum is the Porsche tractor, at the other....well that's a moving target, at the moment it is the 991 something or other S. I would like a Porsche closer to the tractor for my domestic needs. Sometimes all you want is durability, economy and safety, with just a bit of panache. Can't they be best at that too?

simsgw

Well, sure. But they sold the design rights to VW.

G

jumper5836

Every thing behind the drivers seat is plain ugly. It is a great thing while driving it, that you don't have to ever see the back of it but yet u can still say your driving a Porsche.

chuck911

Every time I have seen one driving around in traffic I have been surprised how much better they look in motion and especially in traffic than in photos or dealer showrooms. Parked nearby a Boxster, or even one of those gigantic new 911's, is a lot different than among normal cars. Not sure why that is but I'm always left with the impression its a better looking car than I thought.

stronbl

I had an opportunity to test the GTS variant on the track recently. I was positively impressed at how well it performed - I suspect the turbo would be even more so. Not a GT3 or even a Carrera, you could feel the increased weight easily in the turns, but it was a pleasant surprise on the track. I was also surprised at how quickily it accelerated for a heavy car -- and of course the Porsche braking was excellent. I have to admit, the more I see them around town, the more they are growing on me. Perhaps another design cycle is all that it needed. I certainly agree with the comments above about taking one over a Merc or BMW equivalent sedan.