I know it all boils down to personal taste but I'd like to hear from folks who have experience with both 911's and Panamera's.
I've been a 911 driver for over 40 years with a couple of 928's mixed in. Always been a stick shift guy. My current ride is a 19 Carrera GTS which I love. I'm no kid and I'm thinking that the Panny might be a better choice for me now. I have an order in for a new Panny GTS which is arriving in a few weeks - I ordered the GTS as it is the sportiest version of the Panny. I still love the driving dynamics of the 911 and I'm thinking that the GTS version might keep me happy. But its a big, heavy sedan - quite a different animal than a 911.
I don't need a sedan so that's not part of the decision.
Thoughts??

 

Lots of folks here have both, including me. The 911 is great for that connected experience, sublime stick-shift and nimble vehicle for carving canyons and enjoying the driving experience. My modified Panamera turbo w/ PDK and air suspension is the ultimate machine for hauling my ski gear long distances, fast. Very fast. Much faster than the 911. My car is older and doesn't have RWS, PTV, etc. that have apparently made the modern Panny's handle even better.

Have you test driven one yet? I think you'll be impressed and very happy - best of luck!

 

As a 4S owner with all the performance goodies a GTS has, you will not be disappointed with it. Car handles way better than it should!

 

I have had pretty much all models . I find my GTS panamera is a great all around fit !

 

Plenty of experience with ***-engine cars but limited experience with 2018 Turbo Turismo. Test drive in Warwicks urban sprawl. 4700 pound beast and steering was a bit numb, but most of my seat time lately is with my RS on track. If I get my plates tomorrow it will be on track a wee bit this weekend. Fingers crossed. This Panny has RWS and sport exhaust.

 

Like you, I drove 911's (and Boxsters) for about 40 years, always with manual transmissions, until I got to be of a certain age and decided that a more "genteel" driving experience might be appropriate. When Porsche announced the 971 version of the Panamera, I placed one of the first orders for a 4S at my local dealer, and traded-in a 911 and a Boxster. I have not been disappointed. If you are comparing a fairly recent 911 to a Panamera, there won't be that much difference from behind the steering wheel. Yes, the Panamera is a lot bigger, and a little heavier, but somehow it "shrinks" around you when you drive it, and more so the more spirited the drive. As someone said, it goes and handles like it has no business doing for its size and weight. That being said, I did find that there was a difference with respect to the Boxster. The Boxster is light and nimble in a way that the Panamera (and the 911, for that matter) just can not match. I missed the Boxster driving experience enough that I ended up buying another one.
As for the transmission, that is another story. I was never a fan of automatics, but one year my wife wanted to buy a car for herself, more than for me, and she wanted an automatic. So, we bought a Boxster with a PDK. At first, I did not like the PDK. I thought that the transmission was slow to get going from a dead stop, and I missed the interaction of shifting gears and being in the gear that I wanted at any specific moment of the drive. Little by little, however, I started to realize what many others have pointed out: the PDK could do a better job of being in the right gear at the right time, and could shift faster and better, than I ever could. Moreover, the more aggressive your manner of driving, the better the response from the transmission. It actually encourages fast and sporty driving. So, it took me about two months of driving that Boxster from time to time, but I became a convert. All our cars have been PDK's since.
Good luck with your switch, and do come back and let us know how it goes after you get the car. Do give it a little time, however. In addition to the driving characteristics, learning all the Panamera's electronic stuff can be a steep learning curve.

 

I have owned three 911's. You can't compare. A 911 is a sports car. A Panamera is more of a sporty Bentley. The Panamera is way nicer to drive on the street. The 911 is way nicer to drive on a track. Everything in between is in the eye of the beholder. For me, at this point in my life, I no longer see any point to driving a sports car on the street. I tried daily driving my GT4 for awhile. It was unmanagable for my lifestyle. My current thought is that I will continue to run real race cars on the track (whether DE or racing) and more comfortable performance cars on the street. Too many compromises trying to double duty cars in this way.

 

I have had 5 911s but often traded them in for something more sedate, especially when I had commuting involved. I went out looking for a sport/luxury sedan last summer and went through BWW5/8, AUDI S7, etc., never considering Porsche because it my mind it was synonymous with 911.

Then out of pure happenstance- a late flight near a Porsche dealer - I drove a Panny 4S, and then an E-Hybrid, and then realized Oh! this is both! She's a Lexus GS on I-95 and a near 911 on the back roads, fast as heck, and smooth handling as silk. Faster than any of my 911s. I don't miss the stick much at all, it was part of both the fun but also the pain of the 911s. Certainly the PDK does a better job than I could do, and as far as the physical experience, I maybe miss it a little, BUT NOT THE 40 POUND CLUTCH IN TRAFFIC.

And as a techie- the E-hybrid gives me another toy to play with. It's a hoot (for me) trying to optimize E miles, that sort of thing.

Nearing retirement age, I'm smack in the middle of "love to power through the farm road curves and rocket through the highway traffic holes" and "just need to get there in comfort." And so is my ****-controlled schizophrenic car. Plus, it is beautiful and makes me happy just looking at it. Despite paying four times more than any other car I've ever bought, I'm totally happy.

 

Everyone has made good points.

The 911 GTS is a great car and the Panamera GTS is a great car, but they are two different rides that excel within their own niche.

If there is an opportunity to have both, that would be ideal. Then you have no regrets or disappointments.

If I were forced to choose one, 911 GTS, all day.

 

They are different for sure. Having owned 3 generations of Boxster, last one being a 2018 GTS, all manual, I came ot understand after taking the GTS to the mountains that it was not ideal. With regret i traded for a 2020 Macan S - great car, nice to drive but an SUV and a gas guzzler. Having switched happily to PDK much more easily than I would have thought, my next fancy was an e-hybrid ST. I was at first skeptical - then completely persuaded. have had for 6 months done 3500 miles and used 2 tanks of gas only. It is pretty well equipped (2018) but no rear wheel steering or surround camera, very valuable for such a big car. It can be a noisy hooligan in Sport + or a gentle, quiet stealth weapon in E mode. I love it - if I oculd find an allocation with ADM I would spring for a 2023 ot my exact build.

 

Keep the 911. Panny is incredible car, but 911 orgasmic. I’ll admit Panny could prob beat my 911 is auto cross, but I don’t care. 911 is a tactile sensation and one I’ll never sell.

 

I'm on my third Panny turbo and have had 10+ 911 variants. I'm currently have a 2018 911 GTS as well.
The Panny is no 911. Start with that in mind, Its a huge very heavy sedan that is about as sporty as a large sedan can be but please stop comparing to a 911. These are both great vehicle but are totally different. I highly doubt anyone would cross-shop these two.

The 911 GTS is very nimble, quick and much more raw. Its much noisier and difficult to even hear a phone call while cruising on the freeway. Mine is also has exhaust, suspension mods and gets to the track a few times per year. To me the GTS is just more 'special' but I would not want it as a daily driver.

The Panny is the ultimate sports sedan. It does everything very well and is crazy fast in a straight line. It is however, very heavy and the handling is nowhere compared to a set up 911. I use the Panny as a SUV replacement - daily driving, carrying hockey bags for myself and twin boys. I have a rack and Thule box that I use to carry skis or extra gear on trips. The fold down rear seats add a lot to to storage and hauling capabilities. Its one of the best daily drivers I've found. I have RWS in both but it is much more noticable in the Panny. For a large sedan I love having it as a daily driver to navigate parking lots. Really helps make the Panny become more minble.

I have the PDK in both and the tranny just seems to works better in the 911. I never use manual mode in the Panny where I use it almost exclusively in the 911.

I have yet to find anything for a single vehicle or daily driver that I would choose over the Panny except a Tacan turbo or turbo S. Twice I've almost made the move and I know I will eventually but the Panny is larger and I can use the extra space.

If you make the move to a Panny just make sure you don't expect it to be your 911 GTS - It is not. If you accept the Pany for what it is, you will love it, but it is not and never will be a 911!

 

I know of one that has a lot of Panamera allocation if you are interested

 

As I said in another thread, get both and live happily ever after..... like me

 

Yes - very interested - PM me if needed