Gus_Smedstad

Now I rather wish I'd done a test drive of a Tesla. I still could, of course, but it would feel false since I have no intention of buying one.

I've read an article arguing that the profusion of Porsche buttons is more complicated looking, but easier to use in practice because you have direct access to every function. With Tesla's touch screen approach, you have to go through multiple submenus to get to some fairly common functions.

I'm not so sure, though. It reminds me of the hard button vs. touch screen universal remote argument - in practice, I've found that a touch screen works much better than a remote with a dedicated hard buttons, because it presents you with only the buttons that are relevant to the task at hand.

This statement makes no sense to me. In what way is the Panamera not suited for long trips? Why would you need a conventional car in addition to it?

I personally wouldn't base my decision on Tesla's willingness to send out a service van, since there's a lot you can't do without a full shop. No lift, and no large parts. I'm certain that you'll still have to take it in to Tulsa for that $600 annual maintenance where they pretty much tear the car apart.

Even so, the Panamera is probably going to be more maintenance work, because from what I've read oil changes require special equipment to reset the car's service interval warning. That's probably not something they can do at the local garage.

If you're talking the impractical stuff, there's one area where the Panamera is significantly better: hard cornering. It's far more of a sports car than anything in this class, according to the reviews. Most people don't do that, so straight-line acceleration is all the "performance" that matters to them.

asfw

The Panamera e-hybrid does NOT qualify for the California HOV green sticker. This is what I was told by a PCNA staff during a test drive. The reason was vague, something with the design of the fuel tank.

A quick check on the web site (http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm) confirms this. No Porsche is listed.

Also, the limited 40k green stickers have all been issued as of May 9, 2014. No more plug-in hybrid will get a new green sticker.

White stickers are the way to go, and Tesla Model S is the only performance sedan that qualifies at the moment.

Gus_Smedstad

He's not in California. His location says "NoVA" which I assume is Northern Virginia.

The Panamera S E Hybrid is labeled as a "clean fuel plate" eligible, though it's mislabeled as a "Panamera S 3.0L" on the Virginia DMV page. There are only a couple of roads where a Clean Fuel Plate will let you in the HOV - some require that you have a Clean Fuel Plate from before 2011 or 2006. Basically, for a new car it's Dulles Toll Road, I-64, and I-264.

ace10

Yes, Northern Virginia.

We're on the Dulles corridor specifically, where newly-issued plates are still eligible for HOV.

http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicles...pecialfuel.asp

"Porsche Panamera S. 3.0L"

The way it was described to me is this (paraphrasing): The PSeH was not tested to meet SULEV standards, which is a one of the secondary requirements set by Virginia in order to be included in the "Clean Special Fuel" category. However, because the vehicle is a plug-in hybrid, they "adjust" the requirements to take into account that fact. Something about the emissions testing not being performed with a fully-charged battery.

I lost interest after that... my single goal was to get the car on the list. Mission accomplished. End of story.


Oh, and I "pulled the plug" on the Tesla S today. I've been d!cking around with them for a week, and still didn't have a test drive scheduled. Their sales process is a mess. I hope they fix it. It shouldn't be *nearly* as complicated as they make it.


I've got about four dealers on the line right now. Their first offers are all close to one another. Most of the units I'm working are inbound or recently unloaded. I have not yet made any contact with any of the dealers sitting on huge stockpiles of them.

Gus_Smedstad

I'm really interested to hear how your negotiations go. I ended up paying $102 on a $105.5 MSRP car myself, but I ordered, which reduced my leverage. I wanted Ruby Red or Sapphire Blue, and there are no S E Hybrids of either color in stock anywhere. It's gray, white, and black. A few of the two dark blues, but Dark Metallic Blue looks like black to me, and Yachting Blue looks like gray.

That, and the best way to keep the MSRP under control was to create a short list of options. The dealers tend to stock cars with MSRPs in the $115-$125k range because they load up with expensive options like 20" wheels.

ace10

The Boss keeps asking about red inventory. And yeah, there simply aren't any. I think the green accents might look a bit off against the red body. Haven't seen and Sapphire Blue either. She doesn't care for the Yachting color.

The perfect build would be on the medium-heavy side:
Dark Blue
20" Panny Sport with A/S tires
Premium Plus, with 14 way, Full leather (any lighter shade)
Walnut, tineo or olive trim
LEDs
Adaptive Cruise
Bose

I think something will get done this week. Maybe have a car by end of the month.

Gus_Smedstad

I worried a bit about the green accents against red, but I don't think it's going to be a problem.


The thing about the Dark Blue is that in bright sunlight, it's blue, but it's nearly black in anything less. My own wife is adamant about not owning a black or near-black car again because she feels it shows every speck of dirt.

ace10

I agree about the Dark Blue being dark. But her daily drivers now and a Black G-wagen and a Capri Blue E class. In person, the Dark Blue is a nice color. And to be honest, we live on a gravel road. I don't wash cars very often. They all become gray in short order. LOL

That red with acid green accents isn't doing it for me. Thank you for finding a pic. I can show it to her and see what she thinks. [Heart] those black Panny sport wheels. :drool:

prg

I guess I wasn't clear. When all's said and done, I'll either still have an Audi S8 or a MB S550 in addition to a Tesla or an e-Hybrid Panamera. This means I'll still have a comfortable, long distance interstate vehicle even if I get a Tesla.

streetcocaine

hmm are you sure about that?

gman99

Leased a carmine red e-hybrid after two years and counting of trouble-free ownership of a Cayenne Hybrid. Very impressed with the e-hybrid. Has more than ample power to drive around using the "electric machine" only (Porsche's terminology). The ability to pre-heat/cool the car electrically before getting in and driving it is a cool feature. Charging using 240V only takes 2+ hours, and the timer feature gives you plenty of control over when you're drawing from the grid.

I would like to know what other owners are getting from their battery in terms of e-range. Car is rated (Porsche Canada) for 36km (I live north of Toronto), but on a full charge car computer estimates a range of only 26km (approx. 15 miles) . On Porsche USA site, car is rated for 15 miles (I'm not sure why the discrepancy). So, thus far, we are easily matching/exceeding the USA 15 miles spec., but not the spec. (36km) offered up by many other regions. Also, Porsche Canada really needs to get the Porsche Car Connect system up and running.............it is embarrassing that other countries such as (but not limited to) Malta, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Cyprus offer it there.

Gus_Smedstad

It's my plan to test range and MPG when my S e Hybrid arrives. I believe it's currently on the Seven Seas Highway, though I need to confirm that. I'm expecting delivery around mid-August now.

streetcocaine

Hmm I am not so sure

Gus_Smedstad

Car is at the dealership. I'm signing paperwork tonight, and I'll be picking it up tomorrow. Testing to follow in the weeks to come!

Neo Corricon

Just picked up a 2014 on the Porsche leasing $999/month for 36 months deal.
http://porschedealer.com/pfs/
(Ends Dec 1)
It is Agate Grey Metallic which is growing on me.
I went to the dealer to look at a black/black, but that car had the base sound system (which is terrible)
The Grey looked terrible on the web site pictures, but in person it is quite nice and I have no regrets on the color.
Options:
Bose Sound
Premium Package Plus
20" Turbo II wheels
(My favorite since the tire sticks out further than the wheel on this one. I have the black Turbo I wheels on my Cayenne Turbo and they stick out massively from the tire, thus curbing is easy)
Ventilated Seats
Park Assist
Soft Close Doors

This is about 2k more options than the 999 deal, but I just paid the difference in cash.
Keep in mind 999 is before taxes, so your monthly rent will be higher.

After about 2 weeks in the car, I find:
- Driving to work is less than 20 miles, so I can do that with zero gas on a full charge (Free charging at work)
- Mixed driving around town I am showing an average of 26-28 on the computer.
- Throw in some highway driving and it drops down to 22-24 depending on when I last charged.

One thing I can not wrap my head around is the e-charge mode.
It charges the battery super fast (20-30 miles) but puts a greater load on the engine (therefore lowering your MPG?) so you can use the battery later. Is this not a net sum gain of less than zero? Here is the quote from the brochure:

Useful for charging while driving, e.g. on motorways, for instance when there is a city route coming up where you will want to drive on electricity

I rarely use it since (according to what I have read) fast charging the battery will lower its capacity/life.
For this same reason I charge at 120v not 220v. (But then again it is leased?)

Anyway, if anyone has any specific questions (I had a ton the month leading up to my purchase) feel free to post here.

I love the car.