rkwfxd

I hate to come on here and thrash a car that most likely several folks already own and love, but I really felt I needed to post my experience in case someone else was looking to buy one of these.

So, my brief and limited Porsche background - Owned a 2001 C4 and currently own a 2016 C2 and 1990 C2. I have driven both the Cayenne and Macan as loaners.

My 2016 is in for service and they asked if I would like the 2017 Panamera for a few days. BOY WOULD I!!!!!!

So the car is beautiful and very comfortable but if I had paid $100K for it I would be pissed.

PDK - Transmission seems like it is either searching for the correct gear or TOTALLY slipping the clutch. Occasionally it makes a hard "thump" as it shifts into gear.

I've heard this might be a software issue but come on, Porsche has had more than enough time over the years to get this transmission shifting perfecting.

NAVIGATION - The navigation screen is so glossy that it should be and could be a one-way mirror. Big deal right? Well yes it is. When my wife is in the passenger seat the reflection off her blouse is such that it makes reading the navigation screen almost impossible.

REAR SIDE WINDOWS - this is a big one. When my son rolled down the rear window it created a low frequency sonic thumping in the cabin that was actually painful to our ears.

INSTRUMENTATION (MFC) - Not intuitive at all. I'm sure I could figure it out if I could spend some time with the manual. I enjoy technology but think it should make your life simpler, not more complex. I spent a good ten minutes trying to perform the simple act of resetting the trip meter to zero today. No luck. Called other Porsche owners over and had them take a look. No luck. That's a very simple and basic function that should not require reading the manual to figure out.

PDK Shifter - OK from a stop if you want to go forward (Drive) pull the lever back. If you want to go backwards (Reverse) push the lever forward. One can easily adapt to this but it is just plain backwards and defies common sense.

MEMORY SEATS - Don't remember climate settings so I have to re-set those every single time I get in the car.

ERGONOMICS - Gas and brake pedal are VERY close. They would be perfect for heel/toe shifting but this is an automatic, they are all automatics and several times I have hit the gas accidentally while I was braking. This has NEVER happened to me in any other previous vehicle I have driven.

OVERALL - It drives nice enough but it is HUGE. It has all the size and weight of a Cayenne and about half of the usefulness with the smaller rear area and lower ride height.

This is just one guy's opinion. If you bought one and you like it, ROCK ON!!!! I hope you enjoy it for many many miles.

If you are thinking of buying one, I would encourage you to go for a looooooong test drive and be mindful of these "issues" before you part with $100K or more.

alanshutko

The thumping when one window is open is a consequence of being aerodynamic and something that happens with many cars.

knowspin

Every console mounted automatic shift lever I have ever seen has you moving it down, or back, to select Drive and then moving it forward when wanting to put it in Reverse.

What cars do you know where you pull the lever all the way back to go into Reverse and push it forward to select Drive?

rkwfxd

This might be true. I would not know because I have not driven very many aerodynamic four door vehicles. Plenty of SUVs but nothing like the Panamera. The thumping is probably a bigger issue to me than most because my adult son is disabled, often (usually) comes with us and he prefers to ride in the back with the window down.

rkwfxd

I understand what you are saying and I agree but the Porsche is different. In my other cars, Park is all the way forward. Reverse, Neutral, Drive, 3, 2,1 are all "down" or "back" from there. I have no problem with that lay out.

But on the Panamera, Park is basically in the center. Since it is centered, I think they should have wired it so that pushing forward selects a forward gear and pulling backwards selects reverse.

The closest example I have in my fleet right now is my 1990 C2 Tiptronic. While in manual mode if you want to shift up (go faster) push the lever forward, if you want to shift down (do slower) pull back. Just feels "right" to me where as the Panamera does not.

rkwfxd

Thanks. I'm DEF not a hater.

So I found this interesting as well. When I turned in the Panamera and picked up my 991 one of the service writers asked me how I liked it. I gave her my honest opinion and talked about how the transmission always felt like it was slipping or searching for the correct gear and how the car basically died for a moment when I punched it to merge with traffic.

Just as I finished the service manager approached. And asked the same question. Before I could answer he said, "Wait, let me guess." And then listed an identical review of the BASE Panamera.

He had experienced the same exact thing while driving the BASE model but went on to say the S and Turbos are MUCH better. He went on to say that most folks who purchase the BASE Panamera are attracted to its looks, comfort and features over its performance. This makes perfect sense because it is VERY comfortable.

So, keep in mind, my performance based "nits" are all from driving the BASE and your experiences will probably be different.

dudecs

I agree about the base engine. I had a Cayenne as a loaner and did not enjoy the performance of the base engine and 8-speed transmission vs my V8 and 7-speed PDK. The computer is frequently trying to optimize fuel efficiency at sub-interstate speeds. Does not make for a smooth driving experience.

thorfun

simply opening any other window a slight amount gets rid of the thumping. i've had it in pretty much all cars and can be alleviated by cracking a second window open.

PMPN8EZ

First world problems.

NorthernMonkey

I own the new Panamera interesting review, few comments having owned mine for 2 months:

- nav screen, not noticed it glossy at all or reflective did your loaner still have the protective cover on it? have to admit mine did until recently then i noticed the little "tab" bottom right corner and removed it. i'd say mine has an almost matt finish when turned off and is not that reflective even in direct sunlight

- PDK, my car seems to "thud" slightly when going from 3rd down to 1st at very low speeds, seems more prominent in "Comfort" mode and not noticeable at all in sport/sport plus. could be a software thing, i'll get dealer to look at it next time i have chance but its so intermittent and only in comfort its not that big a deal right now. others have reported same so suspect software

- instrumentation - to be honest i find this is Porsche in general. PCM has never been that intuitive compared to say BMW i-Drive. we have an new X5 and that system is much simpler to use compared to our previous Cayenne PCM. the Panamera PCM is superb BUT is not that simple to use for a short period (loan car), you need to live with it a for a few days and then set it up how you like it. now I've got mine set i find it a breeze but i can see how on a short loaner it is not that simple

- trip meter.....no idea how to reset that never looked, suspect its on the jog dial wheel right hand side of steering wheel, actually i'm sure it is thinking about it you have to drill into the trip menu and there's a reset option...another PCM quirk

- memory seats, my car remembers all my settings all of the time inc air con on the drivers door there's a little button with a "key" on it, when you've got the driver environment set how you like it you push "set">"key symbol" and it recalls all of your settings next time that key is in the car. of course if you take the other key by mistake you'll lose your settings until you next have the original key with you

- pedals, not noticed them being close together compared to my other cars to be honest certainly not had an issue with it.

and7

I am delighted with my new 4S which I have owned for 2 months.

I do not have any problems with the PDK or the rear windows.

Otherwise I agree with all the comments made by Northern Monkey.

The car is big, but you get used to the size quickly and I actually find it as easily manoeuvreable as my previous Macan.

Gus_Smedstad

I haven't driven a Panamera with PDK, just a 911. The 911 had no such issues with hunting gears, thumping, or clutch slipping.

I did own a 2015 Panamera S e Hybrid, but those had automatic transmissions with the electric traction motor replacing the torque converter.

Can't comment about the new instrument panels, since again the car I owned was a 2015.

Never rolled down just a rear window, as described.

I had to look up what you were talking about with the 2017 Panamera shift lever, since the 2012-2016 models used the same P-R-N-D pattern that 911's use. I'm not sure what's going on with Park - it looks like a separate button now? How does that work? R-N-D is still consistent with how every automatic transmission lever in the world works, it's the absence of P at the top that makes it weird.

Had no trouble with the distance between the throttle and the brake.

The car is huge. That's why I traded mine in for a 911. It was just a little longer than the Supra Turbo it replaced, but it just felt enormous and difficult to maneuver in tight spaces. I never did get used to the size.

Cargo capacity was good, though, and I liked it a lot better than the Macan or Cayenne loaners I've driven. It's much lower to the ground, which means it doesn't give me the "driving a truck" feeling I get from those.

Chicago Mike

I couldn't agree more, the PDK in my Turbo is terrible. I would rather have the transmission out of my old '14 Pan. 4S. Just really disappointed with it.

custerdog

I've had that thumping that cuts through your brain on a number of high end cars prior to my Panamera. Maddening but it is what it is. Opening a second window helps.

and7

I had a test drive in the P Turbo and much preferred the 4S which I got as the PDK seemed much smoother to me plus there was no Turbo lag in the 4S which was distinctly noticeable in the test Turbo.