Any other 1 hour commuters (one way) and questioning if the panni is a the wrong car
I purchased my car after driving it for approximately 15 minutes and loved it. I played with the PDF the entire time. Well what I did not think about was my 1 hour commute to the office on a daily basis. The car has 22” wheels, lowered, painted brakes and the exhaust has been tweeked. Love the car …… BUT the seats are killing me.
My wife has a Mercedes s550 and it is truly a pleasure getting in the car. I stopped by the porsche dealer to see if there was different seats that I could install or maybe another panamera in the lineup or with a seat upgrade. I have a 2011 v6, ventilated seated etc.
I am just curious if anyone else feels the same way. I am actually considering selling her and getting more of a luxury daily driver

 

I've got the sport seats in the GTS and they are terrific. I've already put over 7,000 miles on the car in 9 weeks, so I've done plenty of long drives...

 

I am a little surprised with the complaints about the Panamera seats. I had the standard seats with my V6 and used to do relatively long drives (4-4.5 hours) with no problems. Now my GTS has 18-way seats and I just drove 1800 miles over a couple of days with absolutely no complaints. My back could have gone much more. I wonder if the seats are taking the blame for the 22" wheels and other changes that sure improve the looks but work against a good DD.

I have been thinking on changing the 20" turbo II wheels to 22" but will likely stick with 21" to avoid the bumpy ride.

IMHO the Panamera is a fantastic luxury DD. Hard to beat the mix of great interior comfort and fantastic handling.

 

I've got the standard seats in a 4S, and they are great! I'm blessed with a really messed up lower back, and they do just fine on the few 5-6 hour drives I've been on.

From what others have said about the higher end seats, they must be really awesome!

 

Forgot to mention...after ten months, I still LOVE my car!!!

 

just curious, what was your previous car prior to the panni ???

 

What is your commute on? Freeway or a lot of stop and go? We've had some customers DD a 997TT for some time, as well as other exotics like a AMV8 or M3, it all depends on the roads you take them. And I'm pretty sure Florida's roads are a bit better than what we have in NYC now.

 

I had a 92 Saab 9000 Turbo, which had awesome seats; then a 2004 Maxima 6sp, which also had pretty nice seats. I'd rate the standard Panamera seats between the two, although very close to the Saab. I got a killer deal on my car and LOVE it; but if I was ordering one, from what everyone has said about the higher end seats, I'd go higher end. I really am very pleased with these seats though; they are nicer than in my wife's Audi Q7, which btw is also a wonderful car.

 

I had a Cayenne V6 with standard seats, then Audi A5 with S-line, then Panamera V6 with standard seats, now Panamera GTS with the 18-way seats. I am not a big guy but have a pretty messed up back. I was concerned about the 18-way seats being a little too hard but was surprised to see how comfortable they are. Really no complaints here.

 

So I'm curious for future reference...how much of a difference did you find between the standard and the 18-way seats?

 

The standard seats are not bad. But there is minimal adjustment. There is no lumbar adjustment and little lumbar support. I was concerned the 18-way sport seats would have been too hard and was surprised it is definitely not the case. The side bolster adjustment is quite nice. The seat can "hug" you without being too constrictive. The lumbar adjustment is pretty good. Front extension really helps mainly in long drives.

I think the big difference is the lumbar adjustment. I assume the 14-way seats are as comfortable. The sport seats do look much nicer though.

My wife has a Cayenne with 14-way seats. The adjustments are good but compared to the Panamera I feel like I am seating on my grandma's recliner. That for me is too comfortable for a car, but might be what many are looking for.

 

This is where Porsche is funny, either ventilated seats or a better seating position. I feel discomfort in most seats, its the lumbar support that matters. The 18way adaptive sport seats are one of the best seats Ive sat in and I have had my share of lux cars, the 22 inch make the ride more uncomfortable, but doesnt affect back comfort so much. This is a hard thing to solve for you, I dont know if you can change to adaptive sport seats and are you ready to drop the ventilation?

 

Not having the ventilation was a major concern for me with the very hot summers we have here. But the alcantara is much cooler than the leather in the summer, and warmer in the winter. Its a great solution to this problem.

Porsche should definitely offer the sport seats with ventilation. I'll bet they do with the facelift.

 

I agree. The alcantara does make a difference. I wonder if the vents do not fit in the adaptive sport seats as they look thinner.

 

I'm got grade 3 spondylolisthesis; my lower spine bulges out so far it left a dent in the seat of my previous two cars. So far no dent in the Panamera standard seats; they are quite firm and comfortable even without lumbar adjustment.