Porsche Part II: The Panamera

The second car that I was put into was the Panamera 4S: Porsche's new four-door sedan.  For those of you who have never seen the Pananmera, imagine a 911 that has been cut in half and lengthened in the same way that a Lincoln Towncar is cut in half and lengthened to be turned into a limo.

After stepping out of the Cayenne and into the Panamera I found myself in familiar surroundings.  The Cayenne and Panamera share almost identical interiors.  At first I thought that the seats in the Panamera were too hard and wouldn't be comfortable on long journeys, but after a few minutes and few curves I appreciated the the stability they provide and couldn't notice any discomfort.

The Panamera that I was driving had air-conditioned seats.  Like heated seats, when you only read about the feature, it is easy to imaging that you could do without it and would be happier not having spent the $500 they cost; after all you have gone your whole life with regular seats, how great could seat heating really be?  But as anyone who has actually experienced heated seats will attest to, they are far better than you could ever imagine.  The same experience applies to air-conditioned seats.  Just as nobody today would buy a car without air conditioning, in the future, nobody will buy a car without air conditioned seats. Since driving the Panamera, I have promised myself that I will not buy any car that does not have air conditioned seats.  In the summer, they are a godsend.  

I have always hated going to malls or big-box stores in the summer because I know that by the time I get back to my car the seats will be hot enough to melt boron.  But, no more.  With air conditioned seats we will all be more civilized and drive more safely.  Suffering second degree burns is distracting, especially while driving and if car seats are no longer searing us, then we can focus on the actual business of driving.

One disappointing thing about the Panamera is the steering.  It isn't that the car doesn't handle, like all Porsches it handles brilliantly; it is the feel of the steering.  When driving the 911, Boxster, and Cayman you can feel every detail of the road through the steering wheel and you know, just from the wheel, exactly how much grip the tires have.  The steering on the Panamera, like the Cayenne, is much more numb.  The car will still do everything that you ask of it, but because the steering is much less informative, it doesn't give you the same confidence in the car's abilities.

Overall, the Panamera is a great car.  I can see why Porsche built it.  For all its brilliance, the 911, even with the tiny back seats, just doesn't work as a family car.  But, I don't have children, therefore  I would still pick the 911.