Opinions?

My wife and I are due to pick up our first Porsche ever tomorrow - a Cayenne Diesel, Platinum Edition.

We are also going to drive the Panamera while we are there. I've driven a Tesla, driven the Quattroporte a bunch, driven in a 740iL and a 750iL but never a B7 - although the thought of an Alpina BMW tugs at my heartstrings, also driven an S550... Never driven or even been in a Panamera.

I currently have an M5 and I'm a pretty loyal/dedicated BMW owner. The Panamera, Quattroporte and the B7 are all in a very close price range... so???

Thoughts, suggestions, comments??

I think that I'd look at the 4S Executive... I think...

Thanks for feedback.

 

if you are in love with the Alpina b7, drive the Panny GTS or a turbo anything else will be a letdown

 

They all have different purposes. I haven't much time to go into detail so, panamera = sporty ride/great handling/luxurious interior/German quality/great ride not as comfy as a B7. B7 = power/luxurious/heavy but comfortable, soaks all the potholes you would feel in the other two. Quattroporte = sporty ride/VROOM VROOM/Italian/not as stylish IMO .Gl

 

We had an LR3 that we just sold (private sale) and picked up the Cayenne Diesel.

I drive an E39 M5 (which I love) and I just (three days ago) purchased a 1998 BMW E36 M3 that will be sent out shortly to be caged and turned into a dedicated track/Auto-x car. My need for speed will be satisfied on the track.

I love the idea of a B7 but my wife loves the look and the styling of the Panamera. We have the Cayenne Diesel and we have a Yukon XL (with bench seats) for hauling kids, etc.

The choice for the sedan will be for our driver without kids - dates, work trips, client meetings, etc. We both work from home so there will be no daily grind into the office but there will be occasional road trips for work.

Simply wondering if the Panamera is going to be as fun to drive as the M5. I'd assume that the B7 would be more similar to the M5 than the Panamera would be??

Thanks for the replies so far. Appreciate it.

 

What about a used Rapide? They should be within your price range.

The E36 M3 is one of my all time favorite cars along with the 993 Turbo. To get a near visceral experience as that E39 M5, I would try out the Panamera GTS. Silky smooth V8 in that thing!

I used to be a BMW fanboy too, I'm not sold on the direction of all their cars now....

 

That's a little on the higher side but looks like a beautiful car. I'm going to take a look this week.

Are you suggesting it over the Quattroporte, B7 and Panamera because of comfort/ride/performance or because of price and exclusivity?

 

Let me explain it for him. Because if you are going to compare super-sedans, you cant forget the rapide. With that hand crafted 6.0 liter v12 engine, you have the meanest sounding machine on the road. It really honestly depends on what you want. Talk of the town (rapide is the flashiest, it is an aston martin after all), incredible performance, drown out your nagging wifes voice with that mean v12. In comparison, the B7 is boring. Do you really need all that comfortability? Its heavy, powerful, and luxurious , and will soak up all the potholes which you will feel in the other two. the panamera is the next flashiest super sedan (honestly if you want a panamera and you are debating over a rapide, get the GTS. the 4S is eh.) the panamera handles great, lovely german quality and excellent porsche interior.f the quattroporte. its lame

 

Considering I've owned all the cars being talked about here is my take. The Maserati sounds very nice, but I never felt comfortable in it and the driver interface with the car was not what you would expect from Maserati. BMW's I owned 6 different 7 series and they have become just another luxury car (I have owned over 40 BMW's over the years and this is happening across the board) the edge that attracted me no longer exists. The 550 is in my opinion the best luxury sedan you can buy but unless you go with the AMG version it is not that sporty and the new 550 is an amazing place to park your butt. The Raptide well lets just say it is beautiful to look at but not well engineered (see what it takes to do simple maintenance) and like other AM cars (no what how good a deal you get on it, it will be worth less in a week) never buy one new unless you have money to throw away. The Panamera is in my opinion the best sport sedan you can buy not because of power (not all of them are that fast) but because the car gives its driver great feedback it responds to driver input and gives you the feeling you're not in a sedan.

 

How does the M6 Gran Coupe compare to the Panamera?

 

While I agree with you that the 550 is a wonderful place to have, it was anything but reliable for me. I had the 2011 F10 550I Msport bought new and drove it till early 2013 with 60K on the clock when I gave it to Carmax. The drive by wire 8sp tranny has serious faults. I had 3 transmission failures and 2 of them due to computer malfunctions that put me in limp mode on the freeway. It seems to me that other 550I owners are having the same problems as they put mileage on their cars. I have owned a long list of BMW's and still have a couple in my company's fleet but I am going to start steering away from them because they simply do not know how to build a reliable car anymore. I think the last great reliable car is the outgoing M3 with the NA V8 and the old DCT or 6SP.

The Rapide was being given away last year and I bought you can still get great deals on them. When I had walked in the AM, they were doing 30-40K off current outgoing models for the new year. Every car loses its value when it's driven off the lot but the Rapide , QP, and Panamera has a lot soul that moves you when it drives... at least for me anyway...

 

Like MrPrice, I've had the Quattro, multiple 7 series and countless other BMW's. They still hold a place in my heart but I agree that the reasons for buying them in the past (drive feeling and steering feel) has been removed across the line. They switched from hydraulic steering to electric and while handling is still there the feel isn't. So the enjoyment is gone. I never owned an S550 and in fact disagree about it being the best car in the class. Perhaps an AMG but it just seems like a big box to me that you would buy after retirement. LOL. My wife has the SLK55 AMG and there is a huge difference over regular SLK so maybe an AMG63 is an all around beast but....for the money I believe the PANAMERA offers an all around smile that can't be replicated. It feels nice, is comfortable, can and does handle on rails for the size and the interior is impressive. As if your navigating a fighter jet. And despite many people not liking it's looks, somehow people still make an effort to seek them out and look at them in excitement. I can state all the above having owned 2 panamera S models. This past week I picked up a 2013 turbo and, well, there is a substantial difference in this and S on many levels and throws this car well above the others mentioned. They do lose their value as the others do and perhaps a late model low mileage find would add icing to the cake? I've reconsidered another 7 series but they are changing model in a year, and at the end of the day, it's just a nice car but nothing special anymore. I wouldn't turn it down but I am much happier and exude more excitement in the Panamera. The rapide is beatiful but for all other reasons already mentioned, I stayed awa. Also want to mention passengers have difficulty getting into back doors.

Here's a one offer- if you can handle some out of pocket non-warranty expenses and really want something different but wowing, pick up a leftover or used Fisker. The wood/leather is Aston Martin like, it really is stunning and is quick and handles quite nice. A little scary of a purchase but I hear the company may be picked up by someone else and another go may be coming soon. I wish them luck.

While I'm at it, here's my take on the tesla...I revisited it many times in an effort to buy one. To me, it drives quite nice and handles quite well. It is fast as **** and you will get pinned back to your seat and perhaps your eyes may roll into the back of your head (performance+ pkg)....but, I just can't deal with the interior. The screen is cool but there is absolutely no thought in designing this interior and the seats and other components just look like an afterthought. I don't mean to offend those who adore it, but that is my sticking point. Probably my only sticking point. Otherwise you are getting one of the most technologically advanced cars on the road. Definitely something different, but I'm seeing many of them around my roads lately.

Let us know how you like the Panameras and how they compare to you vs the others.

 

I agree the new 550 is not a sport sedan (as I said in my post) but the levels of comfort and technology are the new benchmark and sometimes it is nice to ride in something they actually calms you. I am getting older and you learn to like that feeling.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the S class is quite a
Vehicle as a whole. I was referring only to it as it compared to the Panamera as well as my own taste. Fully agree about wanting the calming, comfortable ride. That is really what I loved about the 7's. Luxury and with MSport, not too shabby. I recently also had the new gran coupe. A looker when it came out and drove ok. Dollar for dollar not the best value in its class.

As a side note, one thing that amazes me is the mpg the Panameras get for it's HP and weight. It Does better than many 6cyl (comparing the v8 of
Course). It isn't about saving gas money but hey, it's one nice feature that porache doesn't charge extra for. They make it up in needing oil every 4
Hours. LOL.

Let's face it, all of these cars are world class cars, just in varying ways that are unique to themselves. That's why we all keep looking at the alternatives and change it up a bit.

 

Watch out for the present body 7 series with BI-turbos. All the 7 series starting 2009 have issues with turbos and injectors. They replace turbos around 25K and same story with injectors. Parts of injectors fail and drop into the cylinders destroying engines. Major parts failing at very low milage cars. Every BMW dealer is aware of the issue and they dont really want to change those things unless they fail. But they are known from failing. There are also other issues with oil pumps, etc. I have 2008 7 series and I dont even want to get a present model because its nothing but headache. People that switched to newer 7 series regret getting rid of the old ones (2002-2008). New 7 is very plasticy and it has a very loud cabin with not much storage (compared to the old one). Very very nice car though and it drives beautifully. I would NEVER get the s550 even if I was given one for free. Such a failure Brand.

 

Very interesting read and these are all great cars being discussed here.

Just wanted to point out what might be happening here, that some people are using "550" to describe the Mercedes S550 while others are talking about the BMW 550i.