Hello all. As you can see I am a new member and am posting because I could use the help from the forum in making my next purchase decision. I have narrowed my choices down to the ones listed in the title. I must admit that I have a preference for the Panamera after two test drives and conversations with a 6 speed online member (leslierc) who is also an avid BMW owner. So....here is my situation and I am hoping a few of you can help steer me in the right direction. First, I drive 30k miles a year and plan to run my next car, as I have in the past, well into the 150-180k mark before I dump it. Second, I love sports cars, but need something that does not beat me up given my long distance car trips (have had M3's and loved them, but did not love riding in them for hours at a time). Third, I need something that is sporting and fun, but also luxurious enough that I can arrive at my destination without wanting to kill myself. Fourth, I value speed, but most of my driving will be done at sane and legal speeds so top speed, ect does not matter much since I will not take it to the track (ironically the 0-60 times mean more to me than any other measure of speed since that is the speed I will actually use). Lastly, I have not test driven the new M5 because I cannot find one to test drive. However, I have spent some time in the E60 M5 and I have an F10 535 sport so, between the two of them, I can pretty much estimate the driving experience in the M5. The M5 is the one car I could order without a test drive and know I would be happy with it. So guys/gals...what advice can you give me? You would be surprised at how much difficulty I am having making a final decision.

 

I am slightly biased...but i just traded in my 997 and range rover supercharged for the 2013 Panny GTS and i couldnt be happier. the sound ... the technology ... the speed ... the handling and if you need it to turn off the sport button for some crazy reason you could drive it for hours in comfort mode (must admit only have ~1k miles on my GTS). it has great space for 4 adults and has storage space. Like i said im biased but i've always been a P guy ... good luck ... pls test drive a GTS if u havent yet ... i still have not turned on my radio... the exhaust sound is to sweet

 

I say Pan GTS as well. Drove one at the Porsche road show, loved it. Sounds great, looks mean and handles incredibly for its size. I also love the new E63 with the turbo motor, I would take one of those before the new M if I were purchasing. The E probably handles the "worst" out of the three though.

 

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2 words from above : "test drive"

and I'll add "drive 'em all" before you decide - you're the one that'll be paying for it and using it

 

If it helps, I was at the dealer to test the GTS the day I purchased my 4S. For me, it was an easy choice because I wanted something that was powerful (normally aspirated V8) and still civilized...I had learned my lesson regarding "expensive dates" with my M6. That said, the GTS is one very sexy beast with a delightful growl! I'm not a Merc person, so the E63 has no pull on me and the only thing I could say against the new M5 is that I think the Panamera is a better
looking car IMO. I concur with the advice to test, test, test. Hopefully, you will be as fortunate as I was and run into a dealer who will let you drive to your heart's content.

 

I also drive many miles per year (25K or so for me), and am considering a panamera also.

However due to the mileage I put on cars, I think I'll be going after a CPO'd V6 Panamera as the V6 offers enough pep for my daily driving plus it gets 28mpg on the highway, and the 100,000 cpo warranty will def come in handy when the mileage gets higher.

I know I didn't exactly answer your question but thought you might be interested in my thoughts as we both do high-mileage.

 

I vote for the Pan, but which version is up to you! I drive about 20k per year and will probably go the CPO route as well when I do buy. I think the new M5 is not distinctive enough from the regular 5 series and the new 6 GC is way overpriced for what you get. Also, I am not fond of the runflats and turbo engines. Not too familiar with MB, sorry. Bottom line, drive everything you can and then decide. We are all very fortunate to have these choices in cars! Good luck!

 

i would vote for the Pan as well, I find overall I find it alot more comfortable for the long drive over the AMG

 

I have daily driven an M5 since 1988. I just opted against the new M5 and got a Panamera Turbo - I considered the GTS - drove it and decided the Turbo was better fit for me.

I have not driven the new M5 since they are not out yet, but it did not do much for me and I did look in detail at a current 5 series and felt the trunk space and rear leg room were both less than my current E60 M5. Which was not great. The E63 is similar in size, but a bit more trunk space.

The Panamera has more rear leg room and decent room in the back. So overall it seemed to meet all my needs better than the others. Now that i have the PTT I can't believe how much better of a car it is than my E60 M5. Only thing that does not measure up is the steering feel (you will get that with the S, but not with the Turbo, 4S or GTS). Otherwise I find the Panamera to be the best street sedan I have owned.

If you get a Panamera you will not be disappointed. For the Money the S with good options is closest to the E63 and M5, but you are giving up a lot of performance. Even the GTS, with good adds will be more than the Merc or M, but it hits all the right spots and may be a bit slower, but more fun to drive.

Drive all you can and then decide. My Porsche dealer let me take a 4S and PTT for a weekend each, that is how I decided on the PTT. 4S simply was not fast enough. All the GTS guys love it, and when I drove it I did too, but I wanted the added power and the quiet luxury the Turbo offers versus the GTS - that is more what you get from the Merc and M as well.

Good luck finding the right car for you.

 

GTS will be the best all around car compared to E63 and M5 in Power/Handling/Comfort/Utility. u will be amazed how well balanced Porsche built it.

 

test drove both E63 and the Panamera back to back.
No matter how fast the E63 is, I still love the Panamera much more.

 

bumb ubm!

 

I have driven a Panny S and 4S and have not driven the GTS primarily because it exceeds what I am willing to spend. The 4S is 110k and that is as far as I am willing to go for this car purchase. I too love the E63 AMG and the motor is awesome. However, the wife has her heart set on an ML63 AMG so I am debating if I want two cars that are so similar.



Thanks Leslie. At this point I think more test drives will not change things. I have had two test drives in the E63 and the Panny S/4S and they were all 30-60 minutes long over various roads and speeds. I personally agree with you that most MBZ are boring, but the AMG cars are quite nice. Tell me what you mean by the expensive dates with the M6? I figure any car I am looking at is going to cost some money to maintain and the Panny S/4S is no exception. I agree with you on the looks front...the Panny is the best looking car of the bunch. I think the E63 and M5 are tied for second place.



Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Here is my take...the Panny V6 is slower than my 535i 6MT and my 535i is barely adequate in the speed department. Consequently, I did not even bother testing a Panny V6 because for 90k there is no way I will buy it. For 90k I will buy an E63 or M5 period. Now you metion CPO and that is a good idea except here in South Florida the CPO cars are all as much or almost as much as a new one. Id rather just buy a new one.....



Thanks Jen...BTW...do you post on bimmerfest? Your handle sounds familiar. Anyway, I get what you are saying about the M5 vs a regular 5 series. I commented to a friend that a cheap way to get what I want would be to order a 550i M sport and buy the 20 inch M5 wheels and most people would not be able to tell the difference. The E60 M5 had a really noticeable presence and differentiation over the E60 550i...the F10...not so much.



This is extremely helpful and it is a question no one else has been able to answer for me. I even asked Leslie how he compared the Panny comfort to the 750 he traded (his 750 and my 535 have the same seats) and he told me that he has not owned the car long enough to take a long trip and provide that feedback. The fact that the E63 AMG is probably my second choice (can get a good deal vs sticker for an M5) the comfort distinction you make helps push me in the Panny direction.



Your comments are much appreciated. My 535 has enough trunk space for me although I agree that the E63 has more. The rear seat space is not a huge concern, but the front seat space is. The Panny is by far the most spacious car (front) of the three, the E63 is second place and the M5 is dead last. Given that I am 6 foot 6 inches that is a tremendous selling point for me to get the Panny. The downside to the Panny is the small trunk space. I understand I can take the cover out to open it up a little, but it really is not big enough for long trips. If I get the Panny I am thinking of getting the roof rails from the parts department and ordering a Thule storage bin for the roof. Seems to be the easiest way to get around that little issue. Lastly, you hit on a big part of what makes this decision so hard. The E63 and M5 give you more performance for the money compared to the Panny. Since the S/4S hits the top of what I am willing to spend that means I am giving up about 130-150 hp if I go Panny. During the test drives I can really feel the difference, but Leslie pointed out something I was overlooking. How often do I really punch it and get into that power? After giving it much thought I realized, for me, he was right. 400 hp is enough for a guy who basically cruises the interstate for 2-3 hours a day. Another thing that I thought of, courtesty of the wife, is fuel economy. The Panny S/4S gets pretty darn good highway fuel economy. The E63 and M5...not so much. I took the E63 out the other day with a full tank of gas...my friend told me to play with it and take as much time as I needed. After driving around Fort Lauderdale in all kinds of traffic for about 35 minutes I noticed the needle was already moving off of full. By the time I got back to the dealership I was almost halfway between full and 3/4 full. Hey...if you can afford the car you can afford the gas..I get that. But, I hate to be wasteful and I can see myself churning through a ton of gas in that thing (I had only driven about 30 miles). So, that was another plus for the Panny because, driven the same way, it certainly seems to burn much less fuel.


Thanks for this...I am starting to feel the same way.

To everyone else...your time to post and give your thoughts is greatly appreciated. I welcome any additional comments you guys/gals may have.

 

 

For what it's worth, the M5 does not come with runflat tires. It's only the X5/6 M that has them.