docjackson1

obviously, it is a 100k car. there is no reason in the colder climates to get a 2s. beautiful interior, to compare it you should be comparing the 4s to other 4wd luxory coupes (750 awd-new, s550 awd, audi s8) it would get my vote versus these cars. handles and drives beautifully, it is a great all weather sedan, but limited to 4 people (unlike the mb and bmw 5 person capability) if you compare it to the 2wd cars, then the panamera has problems matching up to the slightly less expensive and much quicker e63. but as an awd sedan, it is great.

DRJMK

I drove the 2S yesterday. What a fabulous vehicle!!! The car was incredibly nimble and fast. Recently coming from an M6, it was totally lighter, handled better, the accerleration without hesitation was there and it could have been driven alot harder given the road I was on. The car was planted on all 4 tires and handled the curves without any roll or instablility. This car was equipped with the PDCC, but I assume it would handle just as well without it.
Love how the engine shuts down at traffic lights and the autobraking.
The interior was top notch, the gauges were familiarly laid out to the 911, the buttons and trim were ergonomically placed. The leather was incredibly rich and the interior decked out with full leather was luxurious! I do believe full leather should be standard. I did listen to the Burmister(sp?) system in a beautfiul turbo that was sold and I am definatley into ordering that!
The trunk space was adequate compared to the M6 and the seats fold down giving tons of room for hauling stuff including my dogs!
Overall, I'd rate it an A plus!
Would I order one? Yes! The question is would I give up my C2S cab for it? Don't know yet....

Color would probably be yahting blue, but I would love to see it in green. The car I drove was the carbon gray which had alot of brown tones to it and luxor beige matched perfectly.

eclou

I drove a 4s yesterday too:

When the Cayenne came out in 2003, I was ready to burn Porsche at the stake. What an ugly POS - my initial impression. I was unforgiving and relentless in branding the leadership in Stuttgart as crazy and suicidal. Fast forward 5 years and I have an 08 CTT in the driveway which I love, but I have been highly skeptical of the Panamera. Once again, Porsche has out-uglied the Cayenne IMHO. In this economy and with other beautiful options - Maserati, Aston, Fisker hybrib - they seemed to be on another suicide trip.

Well, that all changed yesterday. I went by a local dealer and checked out a Pan Turbo and a 4s. The car is so large that you cannot see all the ugliness in one view. Standing next to one you can only appreciate the smooth arcing lines of the body which appear quite muscular. The frown on my face evaporates once I got in the car. The interior is fantastic - it makes the full leather interior of my CTT look like a Chrysler rental. The effect is nicer than any Audi A8, and comparable to the Maserati with a more German tone.

The frown changes to a wide-eyed smile as I drive this "abomination" - really feels like a 4 seat sports car! The 4s I drove was Grey with a light interior and Sport Chrono. The PDK is perfect for the car, and it pulls as hard as the CTT but without any lag. The exhaust note replicates my old high school friend's family 6.9l Mercedes beast - so deep, so subtle and perfect! I don't care how ugly it is anymore, I gotta have one in the garage! The CTT lease comes up in 18 months - I know exactly what will replace it.

ze_shark

I had the opportunity to drive the S, 4S & Turbo both on a handling course and on open roads. The chassis of the S & 4S impressed me but the N/A V8 lacks torque, especially on the longer upper ratios of the PDK gearbox. I therefore had high expectations for the Turbo and it was a complete disappointment: marginally more meat on a straight line, but way too nose heavy in twisty stuff. Stunning to see how 240lbs in the nose can ruin the balance compared to a 4S.

talkinghead

Yes, but it has wonderful low end torque, if you noticed, and for a DD, that's MUCH more important, imho.
When you put all the meat on the scale that this car has, it's so nicely balanced, and that is it's strong suit.

Oh, and BTW, I have only driven the 4S, so ymmv.

ze_shark

It's true that it does feel meaty on lower gears, but at freeway speeds, I found it tiring that downshifting three gears to 4th would be required to get some acceleration. I would not be surprised if the car is heavier than claimed. We'll know soon enough once we can corner scale one.

talkinghead

Did you notice this in Sport mode or regular? As I do w/ my C2S, I kept it in Sport mode during the demo, which did not include interstate driving, so you may have a valid point if it is seeking downshifts all the time.

docjackson1

My g-d doc-don't sell your c2s for it. It is a sports sedan-it has none of the feel of a c2s, but if you were otherwise interested in an s550, well, here is an alternative.another point which no one is discussing is price. The panamera's are all selling right around msrp now. Eventually, that will stop. All big luxo-sedans depreciate like a rock-if you buy a panamera now at msrp, you will get absolutely killed when it comes down to 8k off, as there is a large amount of money in profit that the dealer makes on that car, so when the supply demand ratio changes, early buyers will not be happy

ze_shark

I tried both, but it does not make much difference. Either the PDK box does it, or you have to do it yourself. If you do try to ride the torque curve at 75 mph, you've got next to nothing under the foot. Granted, seventh is useless, but I found myself going down to 4th to get enough juice when traffic would clear up. Max torque is at 3500 rpm, and then it's only 500 Nm, which is not massive for such a heavy car. I would not be surprised if the Merc or the new twinturbo 7-series would squash it in real life usability.

The Panamera somehow reminds me of the Quattroporte, exquisite in certain ways (for the Panamera it's the interior and the handling as long as you stay clear of the Turbo), but too thin in the engine dpt.

DRJMK

I won't buy now for sure! Maybe I'll win the pca raffle! I can't get rid of my car, I love it too much! Maybe in a few years....

yemenmocha

I'm curious to see how the S model stacks up against the M3 and/or outgoing M5 in performance tests.

PogueMoHone

^
(IMO)Chalk and Cheese!

docjackson1

another point-what does this car really compete with? remember, this is a 4 person max car. alot of people who buy an s550 or a 750 like the option of carrying 5 people. okay then-if it carries 4, then the 2s, for the money, is competing against an m5 or an E63-unfortunately, 2 cars that will outperform the 2s panamera day in and day out. the 4s? i guess it's competition would be what? you have a $100,000 awd sedan that only holds 4. and the turbo? a 150k sedan-it's customers would be anyone who is looking for ?????. i think the cayenne s and turbo was probably the answer to most of the panamera's customers desires. and add to that the fact that the panamera isn't particularly good looking. so who would be their customers?

Bluehinder

Add to that next year brings a V6 and hybrid at $65-75K, and then how will the $150K TT owners feel about their prestige car?

I still don't understand the demographics of this car.

mstams

I saw the 4S last Thursday. I agree that it did look very nice, but I still think the new Cayenne will be better for your dogs. Hold out if you can...