Has anyone gone from a Cayman to Panamera?

[ParkerG]

I have a 981 as a daily driver, and I think I’m growing out of it (2 seat cars in general), although I want to stay with the Porsche brand.

Has anyone made a move to the Panamera, or maybe even the Cayenne, and how did you find it?

Similarly, does anyone have experience with the base 3.0T petrol vs the 2.9T petrol found in the S?

Ideally, I’d go for an S, but these cars are specification sensitive, and I’ve seen some lovely examples of the base model. I would hate for it to feel too slow, though.

[Panamax]

Unless you want a luxobarge to cruise at 150 mph on the Autobahn I'd buy a Macan.

[ParkerG]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I have driven every model of the Macan except the GTS, and none have come close to the Panamera. Which is to be expected, really, given the price difference.

[Mosdef]

The base spec engine in the Panamera is not appropriate for the car in my experience, it’s slow and not great to rev. The S feels much sportier and I didn’t find economy much different. Still, if you can get a turbo (V8), I’d recommend it due to the higher level of standard kit, they’re also barely any thirstier on open roads.

I don’t think anyone can cross shop a Macan with a Panamera, they’re very, very different.

[Ezra]

I had a Cayman 987 and, whilst there was an Audi S6 in between, then moved into a Panamera 4S. This was a few years ago and the Panamera was old model with 4.8 engine, quite diff to what you're looking at, but I loved it. TBH, in sport plus and manual mode it was fabulous on the twisty B roads where I live, and super comfortable all other times - I did have air suspension. I have a Boxster 987.2 at present. When used prices for a decent spec Panamera Sport Truismo come more into my bracket I'll me making the shift again as I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for 2 seats.

[ParkerG]

Mosdef said:

The base spec engine in the Panamera is not appropriate for the car in my experience, it’s slow and not great to rev. The S feels much sportier and I didn’t find economy much different. Still, if you can get a turbo (V8), I’d recommend it due to the higher level of standard kit, they’re also barely any thirstier on open roads.

I don’t think anyone can cross shop a Macan with a Panamera, they’re very, very different.

Thanks for the input.

It tallies what I've started to read else where the 2.9T is a much better engine irrespective of performance.

I had a turbo for the weekend, and yes that's ideally what I'd like to afford, with my budget though I'd be looking at the earliest 2017 cars, which is fine I suppose.

[ParkerG]

Ezra said:

I had a Cayman 987 and, whilst there was an Audi S6 in between, then moved into a Panamera 4S. This was a few years ago and the Panamera was old model with 4.8 engine, quite diff to what you're looking at, but I loved it. TBH, in sport plus and manual mode it was fabulous on the twisty B roads where I live, and super comfortable all other times - I did have air suspension. I have a Boxster 987.2 at present. When used prices for a decent spec Panamera Sport Truismo come more into my bracket I'll me making the shift again as I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for 2 seats.

I'd be curious to know if you feel similar to me, regarding getting long in the tooth for 2 seat cars.

For me its a combination of factors, from ride quality, to being able to hold a conversation at 80mph without having to raise your voice, to just having a proper cup holder in the centre console and not the dodgy things that pop out of the dash.

I don't drive particularly quickly in terms of outride speed but feel is important to me, and I do like to have power in reserve, hence why a V8 Panamera would be a good fit.

[Ezra]

ParkerG said:

Ezra said:

I had a Cayman 987 and, whilst there was an Audi S6 in between, then moved into a Panamera 4S. This was a few years ago and the Panamera was old model with 4.8 engine, quite diff to what you're looking at, but I loved it. TBH, in sport plus and manual mode it was fabulous on the twisty B roads where I live, and super comfortable all other times - I did have air suspension. I have a Boxster 987.2 at present. When used prices for a decent spec Panamera Sport Truismo come more into my bracket I'll me making the shift again as I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for 2 seats.

I'd be curious to know if you feel similar to me, regarding getting long in the tooth for 2 seat cars.

For me its a combination of factors, from ride quality, to being able to hold a conversation at 80mph without having to raise your voice, to just having a proper cup holder in the centre console and not the dodgy things that pop out of the dash.

I don't drive particularly quickly in terms of outride speed but feel is important to me, and I do like to have power in reserve, hence why a V8 Panamera would be a good fit.

Yup, ride quality, noise levels, cup holders are all issues for me too, and the general ease of getting in & out. I'm a young 60 yo, but its starting to become a bit of a pain, literally

I'll probably be lambasted for saying this on here, but I found the Panamera to be not that far short of a 911. I've had a few of those too, but the Panamera hid its size quite nicely when being pushed. I do drive all my cars quickly and found the Panamera to be a perfect all rounder. In addition to the Boxster, I've got a BMW 7 series. A Sport Truismo would replace those two nicely.

[Radish]

I used to have a 981 Cayman as a daily driver and on one of its services the OPC gave me a Panamera as a courtesy car and, to my surprise, I loved it. Quiet, smooth, rapid and with lots of toys I thought that if I had needed 4 seats a Panamera would certainly be the business. On another occasion I had a Cayenne as a courtesy car - not for me I'm afraid. The thing was huge and the only reason I would buy an SUV is if our roads, with regard to potholes, became even worse than they are now.

By the way, after racking up 96,000 miles in the Cayman I traded it in for a 911 and have never regretted the decision.

[Mosdef]

ParkerG said:

Mosdef said:

The base spec engine in the Panamera is not appropriate for the car in my experience, it’s slow and not great to rev. The S feels much sportier and I didn’t find economy much different. Still, if you can get a turbo (V8), I’d recommend it due to the higher level of standard kit, they’re also barely any thirstier on open roads.

I don’t think anyone can cross shop a Macan with a Panamera, they’re very, very different.

Thanks for the input.

It tallies what I've started to read else where the 2.9T is a much better engine irrespective of performance.

I had a turbo for the weekend, and yes that's ideally what I'd like to afford, with my budget though I'd be looking at the earliest 2017 cars, which is fine I suppose.

You’re very welcome, I missed mine after selling it to Porsche on September 2022 and then bought it back earlier this year, in pristine condition for much less than I sold it for.

The S is a great car, it felt very lithe to me but the turbo fits the bill of exec express a little better in my experience. But, they’re very spec sensitive and I can’t see how anyone would feel short changed with a well specified S.

Mine’s a 2019 model and I covered 1k miles in it last week. It averaged around 30mpg meaning I only filled up every 550 miles and I felt very relaxed at the end of my long journeys. Refinement in the Panamera is pretty good, not up there with a 7 series but not at all exhausting either. It has plenty of creature comforts too.

My must haves would be:

Pano roof
Air suspension
Sports exhaust - it’s not night and day but gives a good rumble.
Bose as a minimum
Adaptive cruise is great - I don’t find innodrive adds much
14 way seats are fine if you’re bigger, 18 way might help for skinnier people
4 zone Air Con

Nice to haves:

Surround view
Rear axle steering
Ventilated seats
Comfort access
PDLS Plus

P.S we have a Cayenne with the base spec engine. It’s a very different drive to the Panamera, definitely more ponderous, as it should be and feels a step down quality wise. But, it’s great for family duties and is very easy to live with. Engine is unremarkable but does the job.

Edited by Mosdef on Monday 3rd April 09:39