TAmes

Hello all,

I'm new to this forum and new to Porsche after driving BMWs for my entire adult life.

I'm placing an order for a Panamera Turbo, and I'm frankly bewildered by the seemingly endless array of both cosmetic- and performance-oriented options.

I would greatly appreciate this board's input on "must-have" options (both cosmetic and functional).

Here are the specs that I've zeroed in on so far:

* sapphire blue exterior
* 911 turbo-design wheels
* black/chalk interior
* park assist
* window trim and air outlet grilles painted in black

Regarding the performance options, I simply don't know enough about even simple options (power steering plus? black exhaust pipes to match the window trim?) or more complex options (PDCC sport? rear axle steering? sport chrono package?)

Thanks in advance -- I appreciate any advice!

-TA

81911

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81911

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philipatl

IMO, the car is big and the older style had lots of blind spots - so I went with the Lane Change Assist.

For PDCC - I am not tracking, so I passed on this..

There are a number of options associated to the back seats - 4 way climate, heated/cooled seats, etc that if you are planning on having fairly regular passengers back there..you should consider.

You are right - there are tons of options on Porsches!

81911

I highly recommend soft close doors on this new car also. The door panel handle is very far forward and makes it more challengeing to close the doors.

Panaseeya

Thermal/noise-insulating glass is a great addition and I strongly agree about LCA. I'm really glad I added PDCC, the car is absolutely flat around everyday curves, such as cloverleaf freeway exits. People and objects in the car don't fly around no matter how fast you take them. The rear steering seems worth looking into.

justabout

i also recommend PDCC. As mentioned above, it helps cornering but also, when not cornering, it allows the suspension to work independently by reducing the connection between the left and right wheels. That smooths out the ride on bumpy roads.
I consider LCA essential given the poor visibility.

hinckley

OP, purchasing a custom build Porsche for the first time is a daunting process. When I bought my first 911 over 15 years ago, I spent hours with a salesperson who dedicated his time to teaching me about every line item both performance and cosmetic related. We walked back and forth to cars in the showroom and lot as he pointed out various options. It was a fun and very educational process. You need to find the right (knowledgeable) person and it does take time, but any Porsche is a significant purchase, so it's worth the effort imo. I'd recommend that you do the same thing and then come back to the forum and ask for feedback. fwiw, I spec'd almost 30 optional items on my most recent 911 custom order.

disden

Most options are personal things, however on my several Panameras the only musts were:
1. LCA - huge blind spots; obviously thats an unknown for new model
2. back up camara - assume this is standard now?
3. upgraded stereo - base stereo was almost intolerable for anything but talk radio

Rest was just personal. I would never have a Porsche without Sport Exhaust, and Chrono Sport. Oh wait, I lied - my incoming GT3 RS doesn't have that!

Enjoy the dizzying process of building a Porsche! And the agony of changing your mind seemingly daily!

TAmes

Gene, thank you so much for taking the time to put together a build -- I really appreciate it!

Some comments/questions:

1) Re: the LED matrix headlights, are these limited in functionality in the US?
2) Appreciate the comments on LCA (due to visibility issues) and soft-close doors. I wouldn't have thought to spec those options in, and obviously ordering the Premium Package Plus and the Sport Package makes things easier.
3) I had thought about carbon fiber trim in the interior (haven't seen this in the Panamera before, but love what it looks like in the RS7 and assume it will look similar in the Panamera).

Re: any budgetary constraints, as I imagine is the case with many on this board, I don't really have any. However, I don't want to order any options that I won't use or notice during the course of my owning the car.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions. I'm going to put some more thought into your build!

Best,

TWA

TAmes

This is a great suggestion. I like the way you described the process as being both educational and fun (which is not how I would describe my past experiences with BMW salespeople!) I live in the SF Bay Area and would appreciate any recommendations from board members re: a good, experienced salesperson.

-TWA

TAmes

Thanks for the suggestion re: power steering plus. Makes sense.

Re: adaptive cruise, curious why you consider this a must-have option. I never use cruise control when I'm driving, even on long drives. Guessing there are some interesting bells and whistles here?

Re: audio, I listen to all kinds of music, as well as talk radio. Guessing that for my purposes the base Bose system might be good enough, but I'll keep an open mind about the Burmester system. This seems like a good option to check out in person at a dealership.

German_Saint

http://www.porsche-code.com/PHI89CW7

If I was building a Panamera for myself. I would want active cruise as I really liked it on my Alpina and wish my Cayenne had it. If you don't use cruise maybe thats a no go. I also have selected night vision as hopefully this is more advanced than the Alpina B7 I had from 2007. I hit 2 deer the other night in my Cayenne although no damage as I pretty much had the vehicle completely stopped... so if I could recognize hazards quicker it would be that much better in keeping the car in 1-piece.

Beyond that these are options I like or have on my Cayenne. PDCC - PTV - is a great feature at keeping the vehicle flat cornering.
sports chrono and sports exhaust give it an aggressive sound and response to get maximum acceleration.
I don't like variable power steering and not sure I would want rear axle steering if given the choice. maybe rear axle but defiantly like a fixed power steering.

I added the side skirts painted but not the entire $5k painted parts- I wonder if it just becomes an area to watch for paint chip likely to occur behind the rear tires.

Premium Pkg Plus- All sound nice. I use LCA and seat vent all the time.
Burmester Sound system- bc I like to rock the music.
Black Trim- I really don't like the aluminum trim look on the 4-door Porsche vehicles.
Black tinted lights- I like the look
Ambient lighting - yes plz _ i like the 1st class soft illuminated interiors when driving at night.
Crest in headrest - I think is classic Porsche vs the model name.
Model Delete- keeps the rear clean and very Autobahn cool delete
Illuminated entry guards - all my Porsche cars have illuminated guards.. adds a bit of suspense and drama of what is to come.
Steering wheel heating - I like for cold mornings.
Ski bag -I'd use my car in Colorado and probably would have a roof system.
Smoking pkg- (to access pwr in center console unless it comes with usb outlets) on the GT3 the non-smoking pkg is just an open area -

Wheels- I like these wheels on the 911 and think its a clean look with silver sports exhaust.

18-way sports seats are the best I've ever used in any car.

Interior trim- I stuck with the free options and thought the sweetgum worked with the leather option of Black and Saddle brown. I really like the 2-tone interiors with deviated stitching.

I think I covered the options or most of them.

philipatl

As I understand in this vehicle smoking package replaces USB ports..with lighter . So, smoking package might be less desirable.

German_Saint

Thank you. I do like to have an outlet for some devices that don't charge to USB. Sometimes my Valentine1 radar isn't hardwired into every car for example. But if you can pick that up in the glove box that is cool.