Well after months of nothing but problems with my 2010 P4S it is gone and I am going to start over.

I think the Panamera was the most fun I have ever had in a 4 door car - way more enjoyable than my S63 but the reliablility was pretty crappy on my P4S - my S63 was bullet proof.

So my choices today are another Panamera vs CLS63 vs Maserati 4port.

I drove the Panamera Turbo today for the first time and that was absolutely night and day compared to the 4S. Every part of the car was better - I was truly inpressed.

I have talked to a number of dealers and they all suggest waiting for a 2012 Panamera Turbo as there are still lots of gremlins with the current cars and a number of upgrades scheduled for 2012 - I would lose my mind if I got another car with a bunch of little nagging issues every few weeks.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

So sorry to hear of your problems with your 4S. I have had a flawless year with mine, and have over 16K miles. The battery on the key fob needed to be replaced, I can't think of anything else that isn't perfect.
I would get another Panamera, the odds of getting 2 problem cars has got to be infinitesimal. I have had very good luck with the 4 Porsche's I have owned and the customer satisfaction and reliability scores Porsche earns are excellent and have been for a number of years. Give them another chance.

 

I owned an S and put 4,000 miles on it before upgrading to a TURBO which now has 11,800 miles.

You are correct in that they are significantly different:

- Engine. Torque is incredible. 12 sec 1/4 miles, wow.
- Bigger Clutch in PDK
- Larger Brakes
- Many more standard options
- Air Suspension
- PDCC and Electronic Rear Differential

The TURBO is such a more confident, powerful car!!

Cheers, JohnnyB

 

I briefly had a 4S before I upgraded to a Turbo. As everyone else has said, they are night and day. No issues with my Turbo apart from some minor electrical gremlins but those were solved by just restarting the car.

Did the dealers indicate what the upgrades were for the 2012 model?

Good luck

 

PTT> CLS + QP together

 

It looks like I am leaning toward a Turbo - it was a great drive.

I will check and see when the 2012's come out. I have no clue what the upgrades are other than they address a number of the gremlins we all experience.

 

Personally, I wouldn't touch a maser or merc. The PTT is best at any cost then new M5, then a CTS-V. The best part about the CTS is that you can get a third pedal. The best reason to wait for a 12 model is that it is one newer than 11. Either one will be fantastic.

 

Over the years I had nothing but pleasure from my AMG vehicles, and was never let down not even once. I have had my Panny S to the dealer twice in less than 6 months of ownership. I definitely made the mistake of not getting the PTT, and immeidatley missed the performance of the AMG vehicles.

My Panny S is growing on me, but I would be seriously tempted by the new CLS63 with Twin Turbo. It looks like it will sell for around $30-50k difference compared to a similarily equipped PTT. However I believe PTT is probably the gold standard in 4-door performance, but it is overpriced relative to some of its competitors. Just my $0.02

 

I've got the first CLS63 reserved at my local dealer with delivery this month - I just need to drive it to see if I want it. Looks like down to two cars CLS63 vs Panamera Turbo.

Reliability os probably my most significant deciding factor at present

 

Reliability must be secondary judging by the cars you're considering. If reliability was your #1 value, Lexus would be on your list. Oops...did I just use a bad word?

 

notice the use of the qualifying word "deciding" used by dhh above

 

After recovering from about 8 weeks out of service in the first 8 months with my P4S certainly reliability is one factor to be considered when evaluating future options.

 

Yes. Lexus can't make fast cars. Even if they have L, F, and A in the name. . I mean seriously, the lfa is as fast as the PTT in the 1/4 mile.

And apparently are not more reliable than several other brands like, Jaguar and Lincoln, either.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings...ings-by-brand/

 

What were your issues?
I've only had my 2010 S for 2 months, < 1k miles so far, but no issue except creaking and hearing a ping that sounded like a suspension part when going over a steep driveway.

 

ummm...but the LF-A driving experience will probably rival a GT3...LFA wasn't designed for speed, it was designed to be a connected, fine handling experience


Either way its a good car...too bad it has a Lexus badge. If they wanted speed...they'd dump a Twin turbo V-10 instead of a wonderful naturally aspirated V10 that is super responsive.

Apples to Oranges. THe Gt3 's power output isn't that impressive either, but its not a straight line car.