First Impression: Porsche Panamera

It is so hard to get a picture of the Panamera that won't break the camera

Porsche has been making cars since 1931. In its history, no Porsche had ever more than three doors, until now. The Porsche Panamera is the first and only Porsche sedan. It is a five-door, four-seat hatchback. It is a full size luxury car. It is big. There is debate whether the Panamera is worthy of the Porsche badge.

I first saw the Porsche Panamera in San Antonio. When I first saw it, I could not believe it was a Porsche. I think it is one of the ugliest cars ever made. The back of the car ruins the looks. The rear brake lights do not flush with the rear hatch, and it affects how the rear looks. Porsche sacrificed its exterior appearance to add extra head room for the back passengers. A person who is 6' 3" could sit comfortably in the back.

The Panamera comes with a variety of engines, 3.0L V6 diesel, 3.6L V6, 3.0L V6 hybrid, 4.8L V8, and 4.8L twin turbo V8, and comes with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The fastest version of the this model, the Panamera Turbo S, comes with the 4.8L twin turbo V8 that produces 550 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 190 mph. This is one of the fastest sedans on the market. Prices for the basic Panamera start at $74,400, and prices for the Panamera Turbo S start at $173,200. That is very high price for a car with looks only a mother could love. Then again, Porsche is more known for performance, not looks.

Top Gear featured the Panamera S during Series 13, Episode 4, where James May and Richard Hammond raced the Royal Mail Service from the most southern point in Britain to the most northern part in Britain. Top Gear featured the Panamera Turbo in Series 15, Episode 3, where the boys were comparing three four-door supercars. Top Gear USA featured the Panamera Turbo during Episode 8. It set the fourth fastest time on the Top Gear USA track. Motorweek also did a review of the Panamera. The Panamera is playable in Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, drivable for both the police and racer factions, and Forza Motorsport 3.

Final Thoughts: It is an ugly car. I see more and more Panameras on the road. People bring them to Houston Cars and Coffee. I also saw one in Tel Aviv, and got into a debate whether the Panamera is worthy of the badge or not. The other person says it is too ugly to be a Porsche. I think the Panamera is a stretched version of the Porsche 928 with two extra doors. The other difference between the 928 and the Panamera is that the 928 is easy on the eyes, where as the Panamera looks like it was beaten with the ugly stick. Even with its bad looks, the Panamera performs like a Porsche, and is, in my mind, worthy of being called a Porsche.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a digital camera