cometguy

Oh, one more thing that I noticed for the first time on this trip: When filling up on gas, I found that if you push the button on the door to open the gas-filler door, it apparently does more than just open the door. It also seems to "prep" the car to "receive gasoline". I found this out when it took a while to enter my credit-card details at the pump (this happened two different fill-ups before I figured this all out), and it evidently took so long that the car's "fill-up" time expired! What happened is that I started pumping gas, but the car wouldn't accept more than a few tenths of a gallon at a time, and the pump would stop. I thought the first time that the pump had a problem. But the second time (second pump), I realized that the car was shutting down the ability to accept gasoline -- very bizarre. Once I figured out that there is some time limit on pushing the button before starting to put gas in the car's tank, I had no more problems. Has anybody else noted this strange quirk in our 2018 Panameras? (I never noticed such a thing in my 2015 Panamera -- which, by the way, I never took on a cross-country trip, driving it only in the northeast, due primarily to its lacking adaptive cruise control.)

imgleb

i cant believe your back didnt hurt. I just got my car and drove it for 5 hours, back was killing me... the 14 way seats are soo uncomfortable. If anyone knows what to do or even how i can get new seats without buying a new panamera, pls let me know

cometguy

Well, I did a trial 800-mile-roundtrip drive in July, driving about 7-8 hours each way, and I did experience some back pain (which is why I got the pillow). But I kept experimenting with the adjustment of the 14-way driver seat, including the lumbar support, until I got it just right, and then put it into memory for my key. I agree that the seats aren't the most comfortable (I find Volvo's seats to be noticeably better), but try tinkering a lot with the controls to see if you can get it to a better place for your back, like I was able to...

imgleb

SaratogaLefty

Comet Guy is correct. Initially I also had some back aches and it took me a while to find the right settings and now I am fine. I did get a Macan and a Cayenne loaner on two occasions with their "standard" seats and they were more comfortable (softer) but now my E-Hybrid's seats are good.

chassis

Great trip report, thanks for posting. And nice looking ST.

Can you please say more about the suspension, wheels and tires during the 7,600 mile trip? How was the ride comfort and harshness on highway expansion joints, in both rural and urban driving? What options do you have on this vehicle such as seats, suspension, wheels and tires?

If you have any comparison points to share vs Mercedes or BMW vehicles, those would be helpful and appreciated.

cometguy

I'm not going to be able to help you with Mercedes or BMW, as I have no real experience with them other than as rentals (and riding in them with others driving), as I'm not a fan of either brand; Porsches aren't as floaty or soft on the suspension, and I prefer that, and the steering is top-notch -- just a driver's car. Thanks for your kind comments. The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid comes standard with many features such as air suspension (so you can raise and lower the car to go over bumps and driveway dips at speeds 18 mph or less) and the sport-chrono package. I always buy my Porsches (and other cars) with the smallest wheels possible -- in this case 19-inch wheels -- because they give better ride, they are less prone to damage because the tire sidewalls are larger than on bigger wheels, and they're much less expensive to buy and replace (I don't buy Porsches to try to look cool for other people; I buy them purely for myself because I love how they drive and handle, so you'll see that I don't like quad tail pipes and keep the dual exhaust pipes, also).

My car came standard with summer performance tires, so I had to buy winter tires for October-April, but that's fine because it extends the lives of both sets. As a special-order car, I got the 14-way seats (which I feel are the most important option to get on any Porsche because they give you much more flexibility than 8-way seats plus a bunch of extra features included); as I think I wrote in my trip write-up, I have lower back issues, and I had brought a special pillow along (fearing there would be back pain somewhere on that long trip), but I never needed the pillow because the 14-way seats with lumbar support were so superb. This is the most important thing in comfort in a car for long distances -- not suspension and not tires/wheels. But the car handles extremely well in all situations, and while it won't take corners at high speed like a 911 will, it takes corners really well for a car this heavy. I drove off pavement a fair amount on the trip (much of the roads in Badlands National Park are gravel/dirt, for example), and the car was superb. Its AWD makes it handle really well on gravel and in snow, and it is always really planted and stable on wet roadways even with a lot of standing water; this is the first car I've ever owned that I have not experienced hydro-planing in water-logged roadways -- it slices stably right through lots of standing water.

In my opinion, the current generation of Panamera E-Hybrids are the best 4-door vehicles on the planet right now. Very, very well built, and the best "grand touring" cars that I can think of for comfortable, long-distance driving. With the ACC working nearly to perfection, I never tired of long drives on interstate highways in my Panamera. And it makes the tedious urban daily commuting drives actually fun, every day. And with my E-Hybrid, when driving only locally, there's no need to visit gas stations more often than once every 5-6 weeks.

chassis

Thanks again. What is your view of ride comfort on poor road surfaces, specifically urban interstate freeways with cracked concrete and expansion joints?

cometguy

My experience is that the car with air suspension absorbs bumps and potholes, etc., really well (better than my 2019 Macan, which doesn't have the air suspension, but then Macans are built very differently from Panameras). Both my 2015 and 2018 Panameras have had air suspension, so I don't really know much about Panameras without it.

pokingaround

My PTT ST has 21" wheels and no PDCC and it's an extremely comfortable grand touring machine. In Normal it soaks up miles at 80+ like no ones business and gets weirdly decent mileage to boot. I'm in the NYC area and have 10k miles on the car, for reference...

krabman

PDCC doesn't hurt ride quality, it actually helps because it reduces the rate on the straight which has the effect of reducing the effective the effective spring rate allowing for a more compliant ride at those times.; It's an excellent technology but a very expensive option.

pokingaround

Was not intending to comment on what PDCC did or didn't do, simply to describe what my vehicle did and didn't have, for comparison purposes.

krabman

Roger, that was actually intended for the fellow asking but I was expanding on what you had posted. My forum clarity skills could be better; I'm working on it.

c4racer

My 2013 has the 14 way power seats - I wasn't sure if that was actually true but looked at the build / options sheet and sure enough it's listed as a stand alone option P80. Also have the premium package P64,

anyway - I find the seats very comfortable. We just did a weekend trip a few weekends back where we drive two 4.5 hour stretches over two days and it was fantastic. Most cars I've owned tire me out more from long periods of driving especially on a back to back two days in a row. This one is great - part of that is also the ride, the steering control, and the quiet cabin.

pokingaround

Agreed that the 14-way seats are very comfy, especially with massage

My 2018 PTT ST is at the shop for service and the loaner they gave me - a base Cayenne, very low spec though still nice - doesn't have them and wow do I miss them.