roadsession

In February, my 911 will be 11 years old. That's a lot of years in my books to be carrying the same transmission and differential fluid. Recently there was a slight whine in the drive train and some clunkier shifting in the Tiptronic, so I asked the dealer to change both the transmission and differential fluid. It was really dark and for peace of mind I'm glad I did it. The final tab was $918 for both items but changing the fluid on the 722.6 Mercedes transmission that comes on the MK2 Tiptronic is such a difficult procedure I really didn't want to chance it doing it myself or going to an Indy that didn't have all the right tools. The transmission shifts smoother and the whine is gone.

Anyway I usually get a base Cayenne or base Cayman to drive around so I was really pleased to get a brand new Panamera 4S.

Some impressions of the car:

1. It feels like you're driving a M1 Abrams Tank. It feels more solid than any S class Mercedes or BMW 7'er I've ever been in.

2. The automatic 'stop start' feature is really irritating and unnerving. I don't know if I could really trust it. (this feature stops the car at red lights/intersections and restarts engine when you move the steering wheel or press the gas pedal)

3. The parking assist is amazing. It actually brakes for you when you're about to hit something

4. DRIVING IMPRESSION - whomever said that this is like a 4 door 911 sedan obviously never drove a 911. I had it on firm and sports setting the whole time - I can tell you it feels like 3 911's stacked on top of each other and two more front and back connected together. It is HEAVY and ponderous. The BMW feels much more razor sharp in my opinion.

5. Navigation on both the gauge cluster and center console is handy.

6. Stereo sucks.

7. Steering wheel IS AMAZING. OMG how do I get this steering wheel on my car.

Some pics"








And this morning I was so glad to get my favorite car back

white99c2

I read that the 991 does the engine shut off and restart at full stops as well.

halik

Ha that's definitely the best line I've read about panamera.

KrazyK

They charged you $918 for a trans and dif fluid change? They should have gave you the loaner for a week.

dotframe

The wife really wants a Panamera but I've never even sat in one. I know this might be a dumb question but is there much storage/luggage space?

Capt. Obvious

The Panamera is so ugly it's beautiful. Despite it's many shortcomings I can't help but want one. LOL

Invius

The new M3's have the stop/start as well. You can disable it pretty easily in the settings options, so I'm assuming you can as well with the Panamera.

Lol Capt., I still think of Jeremy Clarkson's description of it ... "this car is so ugly it makes genital warts look good." I have yet to turn the corner and want one...still too bleh in my opinion.

Capt. Obvious

For the money (actually, about half the money), I'd rather have an Audi A7. It's what the Panamera SHOULD have looked like.



Also, the new 3.0T engine is proving to be an absolute monster with simple bolt-ons and ECU tuning.

Gonzo911

My chiropractor had a Panamera when his 997S was in the shop. He told me basically the same thing...its like driving a tank. He didn't think the car offered any kind of Porsche experience.

Gator996

From the ones that I have driven, your review is pretty spot on. Personally, I wouldn't want one but my wife is seriously considering one and we are in the hunt for the right one. Perhaps as a long term owner I will come to like it.

DK570

No kidding, for a $918 ATF change, I would have expected a 918 Spyder rental. It probably took them about an hour to do the service, plus the cost of the fluid. What could be so difficult about the procedure to justify that cost?

TomF

Thanks for the observations. I am curious what the comparison would be between driving a Cayenne Turbo and a Panamera. I have heard great things about the CT. Has anyone driven both?

I know it is blasphemy to make the comparison, but Porsche started it by adding an SUV to their line...

Byprodriver

Thanks for the review, perhaps the "S" 2 wheel drive is more impressive to drive. I have driven the MBZ S63 AMG & the new BMW 7 series and although the technalogy in both are very impressive I would not buy either for driving feel especially the 7 series as my review would seem a copy of the negative comments about the Panamera. I feel the true competiter to the Panamera is the AstonMartin Rapide which I had the pleasure of driving for a day. This drives very much like a sport car should although obviously on the heavy side. Handling & acceleration is very satisfying & the exhaust note is intoxicating. The sensous styling with rear headroom be damned mission statement is undeniably beautifull. The tradeoff comes with the implied insult to anyone over 5'6" sentenced to the rear seat. It is so small that the rear door window lowers to half mast when the rear door is opened to aid climing in or out.

Gator996

Aston Martin....still one of the sexiest cars ever designed.

Byprodriver

THE Sexiest IMHO. The 1st time I drove one for AMNA (DB7) they had a loop of the James Bond theme music playing. I was astonished at the way it made me feel!