Panamera? A swear word?

[M5Sime]

Hi - It has been a long time since I had a lurk around PH, and started doing so as I am looking to scratch a long term 911 itch.. I will message on that separately.. However.. The sensible plan (maybe post 911) is a Panamera.. The early ones are a little harder to love immediately.. I searched and saw no mention of Panamera's on here.... Are they not interesting to the Porscherati among you?

Best
Simon

[Mosdef]

There are plenty of Panamera fans on here but threads are quite rare. You should be able to find them in my profile but there haven't been any recently.

I'm on my second, a Turbo S after having previously had a GTS.

[red997]

had 2
4S & Turbo;
4S had an issue with PASM that dealer couldnt fix, so I chopped it in for a v low mileage Turbo, sport design, with most of the options ticked.
Absolute beast and was mega quick - as a few people at Bruntingthorpe found out ...
Need more boot space these days for the family car so it had to go

[DeltaOne]

Had a Panamera ST Turbo as a daily for a few months now and its been faultless. Does everything I need to carry 4 people in total comfort (and the fifth in less comfort but still ok), and doesn't feel as heavy as I feared. Much more enjoyable than the E63S that preceded it, and less back breaking too. Currently enjoying gut so much that there's nothing else I fancy swapping it for.

[MDL111]

I haven’t driven one, but if I needed 4 doors, the ST would be top of my buying list - such a good looking car imo

[Mosdef]

There are quite a few models to choose from and apart from the early underpowered diesel and base Panamera (not the 'S'), I don't think you can go to far wrong.

On the second generation, both the petrol and diesel 4S versions are probably all anyone needs with the 6 cylinder E Hybrid being a bonus for city users. I don't really get the GTS, it has the thirstier V8 from the turbo but doesn't offer much more power than the petrol 4S. But, it has some nice equipment that is specific to the GTS. The turbos are amazing but becoming overkill for UK use I'd say. The V8 is a great engine but I find myself spending more time trying to keep within speed limits. The 4S is fast but not likely to hit licence troubling territory so easily when driven more enthusiastically.

They are very sensitive to spec and having gone from a relatively poorly specified GTS to a very highly specified Turbo S, I would go for good options every time.

The key ones for me would be:

Bose as a minimum
PDLS headlights
surround view and park assist are very useful on such a big car with limited rearwards visibility
pano roof
adaptive cruise
comfort access and soft close doors
front seat ventilation
heated seats all round
4 zone climate control and blinds in the back are great if you have young children
sport design side skirts if possible but hopefully the full kit

These are the ones I would look for and massaging front seats would be a bonus!!

Others have disagreed but I wouldn't run one without a warranty. They're generally reliable but I've had numerous suspension issues on my 2012 and 2014 cars.

[EGTE]

They are great cars. Air suspension (standard on Turbos) is apparently a must.

Mine's been faultless and is both a mile-shrinking super-comfortable cruiser (e.g. when passengers are onboard), or an awesome missile. It's also amazingly good in snow.

[M5Sime]

I am deeply grateful for the replies! thank you... My reasoning behind the Panamera:

Petrol V8 - I need one of those again
Space - more practical as a single car
It's a Porsche (:-))
Its not a 4x4... Perhaps one day - and I love the look of the Macan - but I subscribe to the Estate car with huge power is better than a chunky SUV with high centre of gravity.

The Gen 1's aren't so pretty.. the later ones very pretty but far from the budget I would spend on one. I was assuming they would be expensive to run given the weight and high cost of parts.. Thats OK.. Just knowing that up-front.

The one limiting factor for me today is that I am wanting to have a 997 'first' and then progress the Panamera as practicality dictates. Has anyone had experience of both a 911 (997/991) and then a Panamera?

Last question - I have had M5s and my 635D isnt small, but when I see a Panamera bonnet in the flesh it seems huge (and wide).. Anyone found these unwieldy?

Best

Simon

[M5Sime]

EGTE said:

They are great cars. Air suspension (standard on Turbos) is apparently a must.

Mine's been faultless and is both a mile-shrinking super-comfortable cruiser (e.g. when passengers are onboard), or an awesome missile. It's also amazingly good in snow.

Hi EGTE, I noted from your profile that you have owned two cars I have (E39 M5 and 635D), and one I always fancied (the S8)... How does the Panamera compare if thats possible to describe? I am in my E63 635D Coupe now.. remapped.

Best
S

[Mosdef]

No worries :-)

The only time I've found my Panamera too big is in multi-storey car parks. It's fine in places like Westfield but not great in city centre car parks.

It's an A Road car rather than a B Road car but does tend to shrink around you.

[h0b0]

Mosdef said:

I don't think you can go to far wrong.

I was sat outside a bar in Chamomix when a GTS started up the exhaust note rolled around the mountains like thunder.

[RDMcG]

Have had a lot of Porsches but until last year never added a Panamera. Ordered a Sport Turismo Turbo and I love the thing. Great V8 and amazing roadholding. I am well aware that the AMG equivalent offers even better performance at a lower price, but the Panamera just feels subjectively more special...not real logic to that..........

This is mine:

[Cheib]

M5Sime said:

I am deeply grateful for the replies! thank you... My reasoning behind the Panamera:

Petrol V8 - I need one of those again
Space - more practical as a single car
It's a Porsche (:-))
Its not a 4x4... Perhaps one day - and I love the look of the Macan - but I subscribe to the Estate car with huge power is better than a chunky SUV with high centre of gravity.

I don’t disagree with any of that and think the Panamera is brilliant....the reason I didn’t get one was that at the time I was having to park a lot in a multi storey car park with tight spaces and that isn’t the Panny’s strong point! Depending on how much space you need the Macan Turbo PP is a brilliant car and I think might just be the best daily driver Porsche makes....way more fun to drive than it has the right to be and also is supremely comfortable too.

[EGTE]

M5Sime said:

EGTE said:

They are great cars. Air suspension (standard on Turbos) is apparently a must.

Mine's been faultless and is both a mile-shrinking super-comfortable cruiser (e.g. when passengers are onboard), or an awesome missile. It's also amazingly good in snow.

Hi EGTE, I noted from your profile that you have owned two cars I have (E39 M5 and 635D), and one I always fancied (the S8)... How does the Panamera compare if thats possible to describe? I am in my E63 635D Coupe now.. remapped.

Best
S

Hi Sime,
Much more space (you already know how little space they crammed into the 6-series!). Interior quality is amazing. Handling neutral and very grippy, unlike the M5! remapped 635D is very quick (I had same) and sounded okay, but the ride was really poor unless you ditched the run-flats. If you go for an air-suspension Panamera, you won't want to keep the 6 any more. Really, the Panamera is a better car in just about every way. You really must try one.
Cheers.

[EGTE]

One other thing: Panamera is only 1 cm wider than a Macan, while Cayenne a fair bit wider (and taller). Panamera is the longest of the three (and the lowest, which is good of course), though.

[David W.]

EGTE said:

One other thing: Panamera is only 1 cm wider than a Macan, while Cayenne a fair bit wider (and taller). Panamera is the longest of the three (and the lowest, which is good of course), though.

Cayenne only 0.3” wider than Panie, 76” vs 76.3”.
Macan 75.7”
So nothing in it.

[Cheib]

David W. said:

EGTE said:

One other thing: Panamera is only 1 cm wider than a Macan, while Cayenne a fair bit wider (and taller). Panamera is the longest of the three (and the lowest, which is good of course), though.

Cayenne only 0.3” wider than Panie, 76” vs 76.3”.
Macan 75.7”
So nothing in it.

That’s amazing....the Panamera looks so much wider when you sit in the cabin than either of the others. And I’d never say there’s so little between the Macan and Cayenne....and we’ve got one of each!

[RDMcG]

Cheib said:

That’s amazing....the Panamera looks so much wider when you sit in the cabin than either of the others. And I’d never say there’s so little between the Macan and Cayenne....and we’ve got one of each!

I have a Panamera and a Cayenne- the Panamera feels much smaller on the inside, but bigger on the outside.One of the peculiarities is that the front doors feel short and low, so getting in and out is less easy than a Cayenne or even a 911.

[GT03ROB]

The only people that use Panamera as a swear word are those that haven't driven one. I don't recall a single negative comment from somebody that has.

I have a 2012 Turbo S with 13k on it. Nobody that has been in it has been anything other than impressed, front or back seat. It does not feel a big car when you are driving it, it feels light & nimble.

There are some questionable specs out there on the 2nd hand market. Good well specced cars go quickly, others tend to sit around. To me this means black leather, dark wood or CF trim, thin spoke wheels, Burmeister sound, heated seats, sports exhaust, air suspension.

[Cheib]

RDMcG said:

Cheib said:

That’s amazing....the Panamera looks so much wider when you sit in the cabin than either of the others. And I’d never say there’s so little between the Macan and Cayenne....and we’ve got one of each!

I have a Panamera and a Cayenne- the Panamera feels much smaller on the inside, but bigger on the outside.One of the peculiarities is that the front doors feel short and low, so getting in and out is less easy than a Cayenne or even a 911.

How do you think the boot space compares on the Panamera ST and Cayenne ? I need to take a good look at the former but seems to be like it’s narrower.