Jared,

Totally enjoyed reading your article! Coming from a Porsche owner, I can connect much better to what you wrote, than reading articles from authors that can't drive a Porsche properly...

And I got your beer here, when are you coming over?

 

so what is it like to get in and out of - it looks as low as a 911 so will older people have problems ie shoudl i get one while i am still young.

i saw a pic that was trying to suggest it was not much longer than a 911 - it that even close?

the instrument dial next to the large tach - it reads out the computer stuff: is it like the Cayenne turbo's in terms of looks. it seemed to look a little like a large hole in the 5 instrument dials?

did they have a manual in Germany for you guys? if so what was the throw length relative to the 911 or the Cayenne manual?

 

Wow. Great questions, and I'm glad to say that I can confidently answer all of them!

It isn't AS low as a 911, and the seats don't sit as low either. It's not bad. Think Quattroporte. Lower than a basic S, but not like a 911.

It's much longer than a 911. The 997 is 175.6 inches long while the Panamera is 195.7 inches long... 20 inches longer. Nearly 2 feet longer... that's quite a bit.

That instrument is a true HD screen that has the navi info on it, as well as the computer stuff as you mentioned. When showing the navi, it's beautiful and it spins fluidly as you change your bearings to show you all around you. "You" are represented by an arrow that never moves, but the whole earth around you moves. VERY high tech. When it's off, it's a glossy black screen, which is why it likely looked like a large hole, as you say.

No manual to play with, so I can't comment.

Hope these answers help!

Jared

 

I have not read the article yet but it seems to be out already. Can you comment on your thoughts ??? Did you have an opporunity to drive in all the cars (s, 4s and turbo) is that correct regarding the different models available ???

I would most likely be interested in the 4s because of the cost for a turbo for a daily driver.

 

Yep. It's out now. August issue. My thoughts, in a nutshel, are that I went in wanting to hate the car, be angry at Porsche for making it, and pretty much take the chance to tell the world about my disgust. But the car is amazing. It's extremely fast, especially in turbo form. The interior is gorgeous. Everything works so well. They've put so much technology into the car that I actually left thinking that it is a bargain.

The 4S gets somewhere around 26 mpg, if I remember correctly. It sounds wonderful, has 400HP, and won't leave you wanting. The turbo gets just a point or so less though. Amazing measures have been taken in the name of fuel economy. They take far too long to explain here though.

The article is 6 pages long though. I go into every little aspect of the technology, the purity, the engineering... everything that meant something to me. I hope you have a chance to pick it up. I didn't get to drive, but did ride shotgun, including a one-on-one special in the turbo because I wanted to go around the test track at a level that no other journalist apparently was interested in. We attacked Weissach in a manner that has me still doubting my memory. See, I was there with other journalists too... however, I'm pretty sure that I was the only Porsche-phile. The others will compare it to other cars from other makers. I was there to compare it to my beliefs of what a Porsche is. Those beliefs ended up being challenged. I have totally changed my perspective on that company. For the better? Maybe, maybe not. But once you really understand what the Panamera is and what Porsche is doing TODAY, you'll likely change your "little box" that you have Porsche in just as I did.

 

so Jared, it sounds like ingress and egress is similar to my 1985 Jaguar XJ12L - 55 inches high or less, can't quite remember but it was low for a sedan. i drove a Quattro a few summers ago - just a short spin but i can't really remember the feel of the height. i was just amazed at how German the seats were and how slow the auto tranny was relative to my M3 SMG. anyway the instrument stuff sounds neat but i guess i will have to wait for the real thing to show.

as to the Porsche box, i still think that if one really looks at the history of the family, they will find innovation, passion and performance through lightness is the thread that just does not preclude any form or shape of vehicle. As long as it has those traits it is a Porsche.

btw - have you driven the Cayenne Turbo and or GTS? the PDCC was pretty neat on my old Turbo. from the article it sounded that perhaps you had not used PDCC?

 

A PCA friend of mine was out at El Toro yesterday and he saw a Panamera going around the "track". Apparently Porsche was filming a commercial and using El Toro to do it. Although he didn't get to ride in it his comment was that it was very pretty in person.

 

P.S. Jared, I forgot to add that I read your article and liked it very much. I suspected that you were ready not to like it but that the car itself changed your mind. I think we may have a "Cayenne Moment" coming up here, universal dislike when introduced by us Sports Car Dudes and then sales from an entire new market segment that Porsche was chasing. They only need to sell about 20K per year to crack the nut on it which is a pretty modest requirement, even in a recession.

My last comment (I promise) it's expensive. Will they lure people from BMW 750's?

 

I'd so much rather have one than a 750. I mean, Porsche is a higher prestige name, plus, BMW tries to market themselves as the "Ultimate Driving Machine" whereas Porsche really IS that. To be in the same price range and not that of Maserati, I think, makes it a no brainer vs the 750.

 

so, Dinororz showed the auto blog link - Jared, can you expand on how the 4th instrument dial with the video is not just a duplicate of the nav option on the centre console? it is kind of neat seeing "me" on the gps, but much of the time i actually know where i am, hence i smell redundancy?

 

funny- when i was building Pano's i was always doing the white: the auto blog of that white with the PCCB brakes really does look good imo.

white - black full leather and the olive wood accent!

Porsche - build it just the way YOU want.

 

Hi Blakt Out,

It's quite difficult to find a copy of Excellence in Spain, so I'd like to ask you a question: do you think the Panamera S is fast enough for a family car?. I mean, I felt my old Cayenne S was no so fast. How do both of them compare?

Thanks!

 

I've driven the PDCC Turbo and GTS Cayennes, but they are limited because of the tow capacity, etc of the vehicle (so I'm told). It's a new system for the Pano. They said that the only thing coming over from the Cayenne is the block.

 

It is a duplicate of the center console, as I understand it. But now you can have your center console on iPod, CD, etc and still have the navi once you set it up.

I myself don't think it's redundancy. Kind of like how I don't think a digital speedo is redundant with the analog... or how a heads-up display is to the standard gauges. There's a use there. It shows other things as well. Essentially though, it's a high res screen that can show you all kinds of cool stuff.

 

ABSOLUTELY. The S rear wheel drive might be the way to go. In Spain, you can get the manual tranny too. That'd be a riot. 400HP isn't bad at all. Remember, they've taken a ton of weight off of this car. The RWD S 6speed weighs around 500lbs more than a new C4S but has 15 more Hp. So it's not going to be lethargic. Not as fast, by any means, but not lethargic at all either.