I'm in Wisconsin today to drive the Panamera, Porsche's new 4-door sport sedan. I took my first brief spin in the car yesterday and I already have some pretty strong opinions about it, but before I tell you what I think, I wanted to know what you think. What do you expect from a 4-door Porsche? Will it sell? And should Porsche even be offering a 4-door sedan in the first place? Click the "comments" link below to share your thoughts, and if you need a better look at the car, check out my 2010 Porsche Panamera photo gallery. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Porsche
It’s homely, but if Porsche needs it to survive, it’s worth it.
The first thing that comes to mind is that if Porsche can make a successful selling SUV, then it stands to reason that they would enter the sedan market with similar results.
Many I’ve spoken with have traded 911’s in for the powerful and smooth riding Cayanne SUV’s with no regrets. Sure, it’s a different animal, but a low to the ground aerodynamic 4 door sedan with some muscle might just take on the 911 and the Cayanne crowd in one fell swoop. Go Porsche….
This trend started by Fisker of taking a sports car and slapping on a couple extra doors and a usable back seat is a welcome one in my opinion. Take the new Aston Martin Rapide for instance. What a beautiful piece of work, all the flare and passion of a DB9 with function of a sedan. I only wish I could afford one!
While I think Porsche’s approach is somewhat less attractive than Aston’s or Fisker’s, I’m sure it will be successful in the end. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Porsche fans will find the Panamera quite nice, personally I think it’s a bit ugly but then again I feel the same way about the Cayanne. It’s way over priced and one of the ugliest SUVs on the road. But I suppose it doesn’t matter what the outside looks like to the one behind the wheel as long as the performance and comfort are present in spades.
Do I think it will sell? – Yes
Would I buy one if I had the money? – Nope
I feel confident in Porshe’s engineering, So I am certain that this car will drive well. But… Don’t really care for the looks. Maybe just too condtioned to the 911 looks.
Would I buy one if financially capable ? No. I can think of many 4 door sedans that I think are much more appealing
Jag, BMW M series, just to name a few.
Probably a very nice car but fails in the looks dept. all other 4-door coupes on the market or coming to market are more attractive. I’m not crazy about the CLS but i think it beats the Panamera. the Rapide looks great and the upcoming Audi A7 will likely look much nicer. I still don’t see why any of these cars are necessary. A 4-door coupe = a 2-door Ford Explorer = El Camino/Subaru Baja. These are cars to fill gaps where no real gaps existed..
Welcome to Wisconsin, that car looks very nice. If you’re near Milwaukee, stay off of 894 anytime during the day.
This is a much better looking car in person. I drove on at Pocono Raceway and came away very impressed. It’s way more car than any American will ever need, but it’s going to catch on big time. As much as I dislike most of the Porsche PR team, I’m glad to see Porsche with a winner like this that isn’t a Cayenne.
In my best Planktin voice: She sure is purty, Sheldon.
I agree it’s a great looking car and I’m sure it handles better than most 4 seaters.
However, I don’t think I could justify dropping that kind of coin to haul the little groms to soccer practice. Say, I’ll bet that sucker’s got 5-point harnesses in the back, right?
I have to agree with some of the other comments regarding the cars looks. I wouldn’t be able to distinguish it from the new Jag XJ, BMW 5 Series or an Acura if all four were lined up side by side. And its price tag would have us look at a Jag first.
At last! A Porsche for all of the older, class-action lawyers who made billions suing the drug and tobacco industries.
Actually, I think this car is kind of neat. Classy looking, but in a very Porsche kind of way.
Some car brands, e.g. Ferrari, are almost universally considered beautiful. Italian cars may not be the world’s most reliable, but almost all Ferraris look like rolling automotive art. But Porsche, on the other hand, travels a different road when it comes to styling.
Styling has always seemed like something of an afterthought at Porsche; first comes function, and then a body seems to be designed to fit around all those parts that make the car a comfortable runner and handler.
That may never appeal to some, but others see Porsche as a manufacturer who believes form should follow function. A Porsche, including the Panamera, can be considered beautiful in the same way that a well-designed knife or lamp or doorknob can be beautiful: it does its job gracefully, and in an efficient manner.
I love it…
I think it is clearly a Porsche that we are looking it.
The performance numbers sound fantastic.
This car will sell in greater numbers than the 911, and help Porsche build more great cars.
Nice Buick
Whereabouts were you driving Aaron? I live in WI and actually saw two Panameras this morning – surely they must be related to the event you are at?
I would have preferred a Porsche sedan to be lighter and smaller. Something more like 3,500 lbs – about the size of the CTS and 5-series. Porsche could still charge a healthy premium over those cars. Starting price in the upper $50K range. And the base engine should be the flat six from the base 911/Boxster S/Cayman S.
You certainly wouldn’t mistake this car for anything other than a Porsche. The looks might grow on people who think it’s ugly, but I think to truly love it people will have to drive it and get a taste of that legendary Porsche performance before it really comes across as a car they would own.
Several manufacturers are discovering that there is a market for a $100K-$150K sports car with 4 doors and 4 usable seats. I am not sure if the market is large enough for all (BMW, MB, Audi, Maserati, Bentley, etc.) and the timing is really bad as most of those people don’t want to be seen in a non-eco-conscious car. The Maserati Quattroporte found an audience but it is very narrow. It is possible that Porsche’s reliability and everyday driveability image will broaden it. If it does not catch on fast, then it will go the way of the great but ill-timed 928 introduced just as the 2nd oil shock hit in 1979. I guess what I am saying is that it may not matter how well it drives in that market segment.
No comment
The magic of Porche its the handling, the back side engine makes any ride (even to the drug store) a trill. I’m not sure they can accomplish that in a sedan but if they did, well, then they will bit BMW M5 for a couple of years. Jag is not as fun and CTS is not as well build.
Interiors look porchess, thell call for action plus is a Porche that your wife will go “mmm… O.K.”.
PS. Thnx Aaron for your insights….
It’s all about the driving experience. If it drives like a 911 and offers the practicality and luxury of an up-market sedan, they will be extremely popular.
No, Neh, Nein! Es ist ein grossen (big) Putz.
Have you people not read the fable ” The Emperor’s New Clothes ” ? If GM or Ford produced this ugly mess the auto press would crucify them . Hideous !
But Tim! It is carved in stone that Por SHUH shall always be the object of devotion for the automotive press!
Wait, the engine is in the rear?
Alas, as previously mentioned, it’s not beautiful like a Ferrari; but it is growing on me. Currently, I’m one those people driving a Cayenne S. Sure, it not beautiful either, but it fit my needs and drives like no other SUV. I’m sure the driving experience will be excellent. My 6 year old won’t fit it the back “seat” of a 911, we tried last week. Certainly, he’ll fit in the back seat of the Panamera, hence why I’m going back to look at it next weekend. Just not sure it’s worth that much more than other fantastic sedans already mentioned by others.
Yeah, I’ll take it. I sure wouldn’t kick out of my garage for poor gas mileage.
It’s an Old Man’s Porsche. Is there anything wrong with that? Absolutely not!
Designers and engineers should design. Not marketing. The design is doomed from the start. Pretty and functional and fun-to-drive or not, it ain’t no Porsche. Neither is the Cayenne.
The Car has a Porsche front .. side is ok until you get towards the back.. and I’m sorry to say it.. but it turns into a Chrysler Crossfire. I have to admit that I’m glad that the Design team finally had something to do. You don’t get too much groundbreaking designs from Porsche. The interior is Beautiful!!
Engine is V8 in front, exactly like the 928. It has more room in the back and four doors. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_Panamera and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_928 if you want to see the similarities.
With essence of Jaguar XF and Chrysler Crossfire, it does not exactly culminate into an example of a work of art deserving of that price tag! I’m fairly sure that the mechanics would have to be of Porsche standards, but you can certainly spend a lot less and achieve the same feel of performance from a four-door that looks a lot better. At least to the average driver, which makes up about 99.5% of the purchasing public.
That company has made a less than great decision in producing that vehicle. Especially in that under their corporate umbrella they already have much better alternatives in their Audi line-up. I guess they were looking for those few wealthy older ego driven maniacs that think having a unique 4-door with a Porsche nameplate on it would attract the older ladies and a couple of their friends.
What’s next, a 4-dr. Vette with rear-end styling reminiscent of the AMX? Even GM is way smarter than that!
I love it. Front looks great, and the rear is even better. Much more pretty than the Rapide, despite what anyone else says.
From what I recently read about the car, it sounds as though this is a moot topic. According to a recent article surrounding the merger/attempted takeover of VW by Porche, which fell through and has since done what looks like a total 180 turnaround
VW is now, or will soon be in charge, and they are currently saying that the Panamera will go through one cycle. It’s so far along in production that the company can’t afford to pull the plug now, otherwise, it wouldn’t even see the light of day. The Tuareg and Cayenne will probably go away too because they’re too big and thirsty, leaving the smaller SUV as the only choice.
To add to my previous comment, and answer one of the questions you posed Aaron, I don’t think that Porche should be building a 4-door sedan.
As part of the VW group, the sedan segment should remain firmly with VW. Porche should continue to do what it does best….building some of the worlds best and finest sports cars. That’s what they’re best known for, and where they have made and staked their reputation. Getting into all of these other segments is yet another example of a company trying to be all things to all people.
People who can afford to buy a new Porche sports car in the vast majority of cases are also rich enough to afford another car for their sedan or family car. Many of these people already have a small fleet to their name, which probably includes such cars as the big BMW, Audi, Mercedes, etc. A Porche sedan might sell to a few of these people, but enough for Porche to recover it’s investment? Visit probablynotgonnahappen.com.
In this economy, age of downsizing, and with our current manic attempt to “go green,” I don’t see this car selling well enough at its price point to be a profitable model.
I drive a 911S cab and laughed when Porsche introduced the Cayenne. Now I own one. Quite simply, the engineering and vehicle dynamics overcome the looks and perceptions. It’s such an amazingly capable vehicle. When the Panamera hit the press, again I laughed, but not quite as vocally. Yesterday, I drove one for the first time. Now, I’m not laughing at all, but did smile the entire drive. Panamera just made the short shopping list. As far as the looks – all I can say is, ‘Don’t care, I’ll only be looking across the bonnet, down the road, at the dash, and in the rearview mirror….”
I like what I see. Why shouldn’t Porsche broaden its product offering to have more practical appeal? Still, too pricey to buy or maintain on my budget. I’ll save my money and wait for the Tesla sedan in 2012.
the Cayenne is silly, but harmless. this Panamera dealio is the post-millenium Pacer. without the style.
I have owned many Porsches during the past 25 years and currently own 3 Turbos. My view of this “sedan” is that if one tried to design a uglier car it would take great effort. To me the car looks like it came from the spare parts bin of Porsche.
Comparing this car to the high performance BMW’s, Mercedes,Audi in fails terribly. If anyone actually buys this thing I will be amazed. Also it will depreciate between 15-20 K /year ……
My thought: UGLY ! Wait…let me be more clear…REALLY ugly !