Sport Turismo that have been delivered..
03-23-2018, 08:48 PM
#62
Burning Brakes
Three new Panamera Sport Turismos
Some photos taken today at a nearby dealership (Westwood, Massachusetts) of three Sport Turismo Panameras that just arrived. There is a midnight-blue Panamera 4S, a black Panamera 4, and a black Panamera Turbo (the latter two next to each other in the rear lot when I took these photos, the 4S in the front of the dealership). I only had interior access to the 4S, where you see the doors open and the back hatch up. (Sorry, this is a horrible system for uploading photos, so I couldn't order them the way I wanted to in the final posting.)
03-28-2018, 06:35 PM
#69
Instructor
Got my turbo sport turismo volcanic grey, burmeister etc delivered this weekend.
Car is being paint corrected and modesta applied as we speak, so no picture...sorry.
Amazing car.
Car is being paint corrected and modesta applied as we speak, so no picture...sorry.
Amazing car.
04-02-2018, 08:20 PM
#73
Burning Brakes
04-08-2018, 09:32 PM
#74
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Annapolis, MD
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I think the AMG wagon will deliver more performance and a lot more practicality plus it is cheaper. I have 911-owning friends who own the AMG wagon and love it. It was a very subjective decision for me to go for the ST but it is not the best bang for the buck. I just liked it.
The C&D comparo (https://www.caranddriver.com/compari...omparison-test) was a disappointment as was the insane price of the ST turbo, and there was also the utility issue. There is just not that much usable wagon room in the Porsche due, in part, to the curvature of the rear gate. Scroll down and look at Patrick George sitting in the cargo space of the two wagons here: https://jalopnik.com/the-2019-porsch...-dr-1824312987. George's article states that with the seats folded down the ST has 49 cubic feet of storage versus 64 for the MB. That's significant. I can get another dog with the MB.
The CD article led me to look harder at the e63 s, and now I think it will be the car I order. U-tube reviews are almost universally positive, though Chris Harris does not look all that impressed in the sedan he tracked. At least he tracked it and that says something. The e63 s is handsome if plain (perhaps an advantage), there is a huge price advantage that goes along with the MB's power advantage and more cargo space, and it appears to handle better than past MBs, and finished in front of the ST in the CD article. I don'tthink the e63 s is a track car and wouldn't use it as one, but it has been tested on tracks and acquitted itself well And let's compare the interiors. The MB is a bit disco for my taste, but I would replace the carbon fiber with black ash, turn the saturation down on the interior night lights and deal with the rest of it. I don't like the new haptic interiors Porsche is moving to. I don't find them attractive and the interior surfaces will need to be wiped down after every drive or the driver will have to deal with the annoyance of looking at surfaces and screens of finger smudges. I much prefer the buttons.
I have a bias towards Porsche and against Mercedes, but more power and practicality at a significantly better price makes my choice easy. Both great cars, but (and I can't believe I am saying this) I will take the Mercedes.
05-08-2018, 10:40 PM
#75
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UPDATE: I test drove an E63 S today and came away with mixed feelings. On the plus side, pictures of the interior do not do it justice; it is gorgeous. I saw examples with both black ash trim and carbon fiber. I did not expect to like the carbon fiber, but it is truly stunning and will be my trim choice if I get this car. The rest of the interior is comfortable and elegant though the controls will take some time to learn. I can affirm that pushing buttons at speed in a car you barely know is not a good idea. Car reviews have variously described the ride as flinty. It's not. In comfort mode the suspension took bumps with the compliance expected from a luxury car. Steering feel was good if not great and the car handled the corners I was allowed to take with a rep from the dealership sitting next to me capably, if not with much excitement. The car remained flat and composed in corners, but road feel was distant.
The down side, performance was not as sharp as I hoped it would be. The car is quick, but throttle response is slower than I thought it would be and the brake pedal is too soft. Overall the car's performance disappointed, an impression that may be due in part to the inevitable comparison to the 2015 MT 911 GTS I drove during the hour trip to the dealership. The MB just could not come up to the standard set by the 911. No surprise there, but I thought it would be closer.
The MB was larger and more comfortable and fast and capable, but disappointing, too, and I am not sure I want to replace the 911 with the E63 S wagon. Sport Turismo? Guess I will take another look. Cayenne? Maybe. I don't know.
The down side, performance was not as sharp as I hoped it would be. The car is quick, but throttle response is slower than I thought it would be and the brake pedal is too soft. Overall the car's performance disappointed, an impression that may be due in part to the inevitable comparison to the 2015 MT 911 GTS I drove during the hour trip to the dealership. The MB just could not come up to the standard set by the 911. No surprise there, but I thought it would be closer.
The MB was larger and more comfortable and fast and capable, but disappointing, too, and I am not sure I want to replace the 911 with the E63 S wagon. Sport Turismo? Guess I will take another look. Cayenne? Maybe. I don't know.