Panamera Turbo wagon..first few weeks
Discussion
Now that I have had a few weeks of living with the new beast, here are my first impressions:
LIKES:
- Handling is just sublime. Until you look in the rearview mirror and realize that there is a lot of wheelbase back there its hard to believe that it it not a much smaller car. Love the steering; great braking on the standard steels.
-Power: Not the most powerful version, but the twin turbo ( non-hybrid) is a honey of a V8 with more than enough power for anything I can possible use it for. It will be exercised properly in Germany in August /September and of course I will try a bit of tracking which should be interesting in such a long car
- Quietness. I have the thermal and sound insulated glass which makes for a very quiet car. Downside is that its infrared proof apart from a couple of small patches for toll readers. You're SOL if you have a key fob for the office; nor will the standard door opener work on buildings with multiple entrants.
-Comfort. I have had the 18 way optional seats in other cars and they remain some of the best in the business. Both heated and cooled and infinitely adjustable
-Airiness. The panorama roof makes the cabin a light and pleasant place to be
-Clean interior design. I deleted all wood so just used the CF package which is quite discreet
-Small steering wheel. Always find older Porsches could do with a smaller, thicker wheel
-Air suspension is superb and shocks can be set to various levels of firmness
DISLIKES:
PCM registration is ridiculously complex and even the dealers have difficulty.
- Upload your driver licence pic and other ID:. Well, can't use your iPhone because the can only accept low-res images
- two step process with different services at each step.
_ Now I can remotely fold the mirrors from my iPhone. I never knew I needed this brilliant feature.
-PCM voice control is not too good at understanding me, though Siri on my iPhone X has no problem.
- impossibly complex heating system
- less than intuitive haptic buttons though they work well enough , and most of the time I have preset. Lots of opportunity for fingerprints though, so I keep a small optical cloth in the pocket.
-With all of this technology why can't Porsche do something useful like a really good HUD like the brilliant displays on current BMWs?? THIS is something I can use.
OK ITEMS:]
-
Standard Bose sound system is good enough, not amazing, but I was not willing to shell out the usurious amount of money for the Burmeister.
Seems to have an 80 litre tank; would prefer the 90 litre like on my RS as its not that way on fuel. Minor quibble.
The car is currently on its winter rims and tires (20") rather than the summer 21"s, and I do expect handling to take a further advance on porformance tires.
A few Pics:
Rear is debadged and Porsche logo blacked out
Not everyone prefers it to the regular car but I prefer the look:
Luggage capacity is ok, but slope of roof means I can't carry my Great Dane so Cayenne stays:
Very clear dash:
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/Q6gHkj5N[/url
Super comfortable seats
Panorama roof good:
Summer wheels are bigger:
LIKES:
- Handling is just sublime. Until you look in the rearview mirror and realize that there is a lot of wheelbase back there its hard to believe that it it not a much smaller car. Love the steering; great braking on the standard steels.
-Power: Not the most powerful version, but the twin turbo ( non-hybrid) is a honey of a V8 with more than enough power for anything I can possible use it for. It will be exercised properly in Germany in August /September and of course I will try a bit of tracking which should be interesting in such a long car
- Quietness. I have the thermal and sound insulated glass which makes for a very quiet car. Downside is that its infrared proof apart from a couple of small patches for toll readers. You're SOL if you have a key fob for the office; nor will the standard door opener work on buildings with multiple entrants.
-Comfort. I have had the 18 way optional seats in other cars and they remain some of the best in the business. Both heated and cooled and infinitely adjustable
-Airiness. The panorama roof makes the cabin a light and pleasant place to be
-Clean interior design. I deleted all wood so just used the CF package which is quite discreet
-Small steering wheel. Always find older Porsches could do with a smaller, thicker wheel
-Air suspension is superb and shocks can be set to various levels of firmness
DISLIKES:
PCM registration is ridiculously complex and even the dealers have difficulty.
- Upload your driver licence pic and other ID:. Well, can't use your iPhone because the can only accept low-res images
- two step process with different services at each step.
_ Now I can remotely fold the mirrors from my iPhone. I never knew I needed this brilliant feature.
-PCM voice control is not too good at understanding me, though Siri on my iPhone X has no problem.
- impossibly complex heating system
- less than intuitive haptic buttons though they work well enough , and most of the time I have preset. Lots of opportunity for fingerprints though, so I keep a small optical cloth in the pocket.
-With all of this technology why can't Porsche do something useful like a really good HUD like the brilliant displays on current BMWs?? THIS is something I can use.
OK ITEMS:]
-
Standard Bose sound system is good enough, not amazing, but I was not willing to shell out the usurious amount of money for the Burmeister.
Seems to have an 80 litre tank; would prefer the 90 litre like on my RS as its not that way on fuel. Minor quibble.
The car is currently on its winter rims and tires (20") rather than the summer 21"s, and I do expect handling to take a further advance on porformance tires.
A few Pics:
Rear is debadged and Porsche logo blacked out
Not everyone prefers it to the regular car but I prefer the look:
Luggage capacity is ok, but slope of roof means I can't carry my Great Dane so Cayenne stays:
Very clear dash:
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/Q6gHkj5N[/urlSuper comfortable seats
Panorama roof good:
Summer wheels are bigger:
Edited by RDMcG on Saturday 24th February 21:12
The summer rims are definitely not for everyone though they look a lot better in reality. I have a weakness for bright coloured cars and generally go for a few of the more outrageous ones, so have a Viper 997.1RS, a Lava 991RS and a Gecko green Jeep Wrangler among other stuff. This one is kinda tame
Seriously though, it has far exceeded my expectations on sheer drivability and I have not even stretched it yet. It just feels so utterly planted and solid.
Seriously though, it has far exceeded my expectations on sheer drivability and I have not even stretched it yet. It just feels so utterly planted and solid.
Finally getting to try a bit of performance. God it’s incandescently fast. The push to pass feature is quite cool and not a useless item like launch control.
They still need to hire someone from Nissan or Toyota to do the user interfaces but once you get the hang of them it all works fine.
They still need to hire someone from Nissan or Toyota to do the user interfaces but once you get the hang of them it all works fine.
hornbaek said:
Currently deciding between a Panamera Gran Tourismo or a Ferrari GTC4. I need the 4 wheel drive as I commute across the Alps every week but am undecided. They both depreciate like bricks but the Ferrari has the further to fall.
I agree completely on depreciation. Not having driven the Ferrari I am not in any position to give an opinion. No sense of reliability on the GTC4, though historically the Pana range has not been trouble free either . Again, the new model is a bit of an unknown.
I will be taking it on a Alpine trip when it gets to Europe in September so should have a sense of that. One thing I can say is that its good in snow with proper winter tires.
I am likely to hang onto this car for a fairly long period like my Cayenne, (now 10 years old with 230,000 km) so my financial view is that its basically a long term write-off. Definitely not a GT3 RS
. I am quite impressed by the quality of the interior..it is a very pleasant place to be for a long trip. I got the insulated glass which makes it very quiet fi you don't cane it, though as mentioned it stops a bunch of garage door openers and electronic toll passes here in North America.
DangerMonkey said:
how does that work?
There are three basic settings for suspension and shifty mapping normal., sport and sport plus on a small rotary on the steering wheel, plus a customixable setting. In the centre of the rotary is a button which give you 20 seconds when the whole thing is set up for most aggressive performance- basicallly hit the button and floor it.Requires that you include Sport Chrono on the options list or you do not get it
SkinnyPete said:
Nice car, glad you're happy with it.
I've been driving one for a few days and I wasn't really expecting to like it, but f
k me it's blown me away. Absolutely fell in love with the thing but simultaneously made me very upset at the same time, because I can't afford one and it's made my 981 Cayman feel more dull than it already is.
]My feelings exactly. Much better than I expectedI've been driving one for a few days and I wasn't really expecting to like it, but f
k me it's blown me away. Absolutely fell in love with the thing but simultaneously made me very upset at the same time, because I can't afford one and it's made my 981 Cayman feel more dull than it already is.My thinking on the version I chose (standard turbo) was that it had more than adequate power and I was not too crazy about the regenerative braking on the 680hp version.
Evidently fuel is cheaper over here but I still would have opted for the standard turbo.
Just occurred to me that the diesel version will be very rare indeed given the Porsche decision to exit diesel.
Evidently fuel is cheaper over here but I still would have opted for the standard turbo.
Just occurred to me that the diesel version will be very rare indeed given the Porsche decision to exit diesel.
hornbaek said:
I appreciate the tax incentive on the hybrid is a large factor when deciding what to get but it could be the right choice given, that municipalities are about to impliment "no drive" zones for polluting cars and then the e-hybrid would come in handy. Is it any fun to drive ?
Regarding the fuel bill on the GTC4, I drive a 5 litre SC Range Rover, so I believe I am hardened in terms of fuel consumption.
Ah. Makes sense. Am wondering if I will hit any restrictions in Europe this Autumn though the car will be on Canadian plates and there is typically some tolerance. Still , it’s not a diesell so I doubt if I will be mailed in the first wave of restrictions Regarding the fuel bill on the GTC4, I drive a 5 litre SC Range Rover, so I believe I am hardened in terms of fuel consumption.
MDL111 said:
for now I think only Diesels will be impacted and then only at certain times in certain cities - at least that is what I gathered from the announcement today. It is only a matter of time though - at minimum I expect some type of congestion charge ala London in the medium term / only called pollution charge or some such instead
Probably the only big cities I will hit will be in Germany, so should be OK. Looking forward to a 4am Sunday blat on the autobahnOf course there is always the Techart version
http://www.automobilemag.com/news/techarts-porsche...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHH08fDpRa0
Cheib said:
That wouldn’t be my choice ! Although I do like the dark green. Will PTS be available on a Penny ?
I have not seen it though I tried for coloured cross stitching and it was not available. Obviously there is the individual program which is very expensive. Someone just got a New GT3 here in Irish green with LWBs in houndstooth. For instance. MDL111 said:
Fully agree with you there, would not consider the standard one - the new one is ok, but the older models all look a bit like a melted piece of butter to me ....
More sensible people than I am have made the point that:-less performance than an AMG 63 estate car
-less luggage space than an E63
-definitely higher price
- not as versatile as a Cayenne Turbo.
There is in fact no good reason to buy one.
Except for one - : I just really liked it the minute I saw the concept car.
Edited by RDMcG on Friday 2nd March 12:02
Cheib said:
Here’s another reason! Like the Scandinavian flick in a Panny
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfxjcamHJkA/
Fun to see, and more importantly to hearhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BfxjcamHJkA/
. The grip on this car is dry conditions is just phenomenal - it is definitely much better than I was expecting. There is no logic to buying one of course, as the AMG can do as well or better with more luggage space and a lower price. It just seemed special to me, and it does feel superb to drive. I expect I will drive it until its pretty much worn out like the Cayenne. It will have some stories....Finally got the protection complete..wrap can full front clip up tp A pillars, rear flares., mirrors and back bumper.
The ceramic coat over the lot. My detailer whom I know very well was not too impressed with the dealer prep open the paint, and spent a fair bit of time on correction, so its good now......
The ceramic coat over the lot. My detailer whom I know very well was not too impressed with the dealer prep open the paint, and spent a fair bit of time on correction, so its good now......
Taffy66 said:
I have a new JB Panamera Sport Turismo and i love it..Can't think of a solitary reason why one would choose the saloon derivative over it unless the aesthetics don't appeal..I had a new Panamera saloon for about five months before it and they drive identically if the spec is similar.
Interestingly my saloon had RWS and my new one doesn't and i initially thought i'd miss it; however after some familiarisation i no longer feel its a 'must have' but more of a 'nice to have'..This is in complete contrast to various 991s i've either owned or driven where i feel RAS is transformative in its uncanny ability to banish understeer which afflicts all non RAS 991s.
Also 'Car and Driver's recent comparison test heavily criticised RAS on the Panamera saying it caused the steering to lack feel and basically ruined the car..!
I agree with your assessment and did not spec RWS on this car ( I have it on my 991RS where it is standard and works very well). Interestingly my saloon had RWS and my new one doesn't and i initially thought i'd miss it; however after some familiarisation i no longer feel its a 'must have' but more of a 'nice to have'..This is in complete contrast to various 991s i've either owned or driven where i feel RAS is transformative in its uncanny ability to banish understeer which afflicts all non RAS 991s.
Also 'Car and Driver's recent comparison test heavily criticised RAS on the Panamera saying it caused the steering to lack feel and basically ruined the car..!
I specced torque vectoring, sport chrono etc..mainly the performance stuff, but saw no reason to pay a fortune for ceramics on a road car. I also did not feel I needed the hugely expensive Burmeister sound system. Yes to full leather and CF trim, also the insulated glass. 18 way seats.
The car is a delight to drive and I much prefer it aesthetically to the saloon, and was unable to find any performance between the saloon and the wagon.
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