Awsome Day yesterday. Panamera content.

[ZippyVR6 0]

Please excuse the gratuitious post, I dont come on here that often, but have met a good few of you over the years so thought some of you guys and gals might appreciate this.

 

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I am lucky enough to work for a pretty cool car manufacturer and with the UK launch of the Panamera imminent we were sent up to Silverstone to get a feel of the car on the roads around Silverstone and on the track.

 

Other vehicle manufacturers had agreed to loan Porsche some competitor luxury cars to compare and contrast, so yesterday was spent jumping in and out of the following:

 

Jag XKR, Merc CL 500, Merc 63 AMG, BMW M5, Merc CLS 500, Jag XFR, Audi RS6, Audi S8, Range Rover V8 Supercharged, BMW 750, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, and of course a Panamera 2S, 4S and Turbo.

 

Maserati would not lend us a Quattroporte incase we broke it!

 

The day was amazing and whilst I tried to be as objective as possible (caus it is easy to get swept up in Propaganda at work, after all the Germans are brilliant at it) the Panamera came out on top all day long.

 

RS6 was incredible, the turn in was a bit scrabbly but you soon forgave that as the power and sound of a booming V10 filled the cabin. the S8 was great on the road but left behind on the track as it was rolling into corners and the traction control would not let you get the beans on as much as you needed.

 

Merc, good toys, but the auto box lets it down. The power delivery came in to abruptly making the car lurch out of corners and again the traction control put an end to the fun. a lap without the traction control helped demonstrate there is too much power for the chassis.

 

Jag XKR had an amazing noise and the charger was toecurlingly cool, but the car was uncontrollable around corners. Dead level in and out, even during under steer, of which there was plenty. But the oomph was curtailed by the bloody control systems, there was no opportunity for progressive power delivery as it was either on or off.

 

BMW was to heavy, amazing as a point to point, squirt and hang on, but show it a corner at any sort of pace and they chew up tyres and got a bit uncomfortable. I was hugely disappointed as the M5 has long been an idol of mine. Magic inside, and the toys, were endless. Bottom massager to stop you getting a sore back on long journeys, and the infra red camera,. Also, head-up display which also included the legal limit of whatever road you were on.

 

The Bentley was only allowed on the road, as I think it was a bit fish out of water on the track. Just the start up noise of the W12 powering into action was enough to forgive its massive arse and toff connotations. On road it was awesome and the power was endless without giving a feeling of speed to the passenger in the back. However, maybe it was because it was a left hooker, but the steering felt twitchy and disconnected from the road. Something the big Mercs also suffered with.

 

On the kick plate ( which is designed to force a rear end spin in slippy conditions), the RWD cars had their a$$es kicked by 4WD but once you took the traction control systems off the Audi's and Porsche were controllable even with an aggressive slide, whilst the Mercs and Jag left you spinning out of control. Great fun but not much fun in reality.

 

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Now, Porsche.

 

Well it was heads and shoulders above the rest. Yes it is big, and Yes it is designed as a luxury people mover, but Fruck me did it handle.

 

The only car in reality I felt confident in pushing through the corners, I had a 4 wheel power drift out of the final corner in the 4S which was allowed by the intelligent PSM(Porsche Stability Management{allows the car to drift a bit but not to much to encourage a sporty drive}).

 

The chassis of the 4S was more than capable of hustling 400 brake about and hardly a PSM light was illuminated, despite really trying.

 

The Turbo had power in spades as 500 horses slammed you to the next corner, but the Carbon brakes dispatched with that and again I had touched the apex and powered towards the next corner.

 

In short. It is perfect for transporting people in comfort. But when the driver wants to give it some you forget there is 3 metres of car behind you and just focus on the racing line. the weight distribution seemed perfect, with not a touch of under steer unless you went barrelling into a corner like a d1ckwad, but the feel of the car was tight and not a touch wallowy like I expected.

 

Feel free to think I was biased, (You might even be partly right) but as a petrolhead it was a wetdream of a day.

[Andy665 0]

I'm sure the Panemera is a great drivers car but reviews to date have been extremely mixed, moreover I could not own a car that weas so lazily styled, the thing is so ill proportioned its untrue

 

As someone that has been involved in new vehicle launches its also fair to say that you never select your strongest competitors in each of the activities - you can control how your product comes out in comparison to the compettition

[Jim 2]

Not much I can say mate - looks like an absolutely wonderful experience and I'm hugely jelous :) Would you pick the Panamera over all of them? I'm sure it drives well but I just can't get over the AWFUL styling! :(

[MonkeyVR6 0]

Good reviews dude. I'd do horrible disgusting things to be able to own most of those cars. :D

[ZippyVR6 0]

You are right the looks are a bit odd, Fugly even. When we first saw pics a year or so ago we were all thinking, Bugger, how are we gonna sell these, but in the metal the car looks a load better.

 

Personal choice is just that, so I’m not on a mission to persuade people that it is pretty car, That would be an exercise in futility.

 

What I can say, is the footprint sits well inside the S8, as you can see from the pics. Also head on the car looks more refined and sporting than the competitors. The back end does bother me if I’m honest, but the drive more than makes up for it.

 

Andy, I’m sure you are right, manufacturers won’t pick a car that can outshine their one. but a car that can transport people like that, that shames even the mighty RS6 and M5 on both road and track???? from £75K up to a fully Specced Turbo at £126K I cant think of any other competition for eash in its class.

 

Jim. Yes, id chop a bollock off to own a car like this. and in all honesty it is a fantastic machine.

 

Its no 911 for the sheer electric thrill of driving a classic, but it is seriously bloody good.

[scarlet_vr6 0]

why did I leave?!! Sounds like it was an amazing day :D Reminds me of the fun I had on track when the Cayman was launched. Thanks for the write up Roger - interesting to hear it all. And I'm jealous too... :)

[Ugly Bloke 0]

Great write up. I'd love to be in the market for cars of that value. I couldn't chose a Panamera purely because of the woeful (IMHO) styling. Seen a few and they looks crass and heavy handed. I'd take the Maser Quattroporte, travel much slower, forsake some of the handling, just to look better. :)

[drewiee99 0]

im hopefully going detail one of the first in the UK one of my customers went to this day and he has ordered black turbo i think he has parted with 93k :shock: ive seen some reviews on it just got the record back round the ring for the fastest 4 door beating the cadilac cts-v.