Panamera Sport Turismo

[fflump]

A bit of a long shot but does anyone have any experience of owning/using one of these cars?
I've a got a few questions I'd love to ask but a bit pointless if no one has one!
cheers

[456mgt]

I had the turbo for 3 years, and moved it on last month. Anything specific you wanted to know?

[fflump]

456mgt said:

I had the turbo for 3 years, and moved it on last month. Anything specific you wanted to know?

Thanks-I'd love to know how you found theTurbo. Fast obviously but involving or sterile? How did the V8 sound?
How 'big' did the car feel both round town and on the B-roads?
What was your perception of the interior? They never look particularly special for a £100k+ car, though I'm sure build quality is high
Any key options to aim for when buying used? e.g. rear wheel steering?
Also what is the middle seat like? We have 14,12,10 yr olds.

Finally-it seems to command a premium over the equivalent Cayenne. I presume it is worth it?

Thanks for any advice or other impressions you have!

[The Merovingian]

Sorry cannot help but interested in responses as currently considering a sport turismo

[456mgt]

fflump said:

Thanks-I'd love to know how you found theTurbo. Fast obviously but involving or sterile? How did the V8 sound?
How 'big' did the car feel both round town and on the B-roads?
What was your perception of the interior? They never look particularly special for a £100k+ car, though I'm sure build quality is high
Any key options to aim for when buying used? e.g. rear wheel steering?
Also what is the middle seat like? We have 14,12,10 yr olds.

Finally-it seems to command a premium over the equivalent Cayenne. I presume it is worth it?

Thanks for any advice or other impressions you have!

It's a mighty impressive machine, but I do think it needs to be the turbo to feel brisk; I drove a version with a 3.0 NA engine and it felt gutless. This is a properly quick car and it handles incredibly well, very 911-like. I had the RWS option and it genuinely shrinks the car through the corners. You can use it for a B road blast with ease, and it's surprisingly fun for a family wagon. You also have the overboost button for overtakes, and it's properly ballistic in that setting.

It is a big car, but not huge by today's standards. We've been looking for a daily mini-SUV for my wife and surprisingly, most of them are a bit wider than the Panamera and it's only width I really worry about with respect to parking etc. We had the option where it stitches together images from multiple cameras to provide an overhead view and that really is excellent when it comes to placing the corners.

I'm surprised at the comments about interior quality since I think it's excellent; I've now 'downsized' to an RS4 and the cabin feels a real step down in quality and comfort. The Panamera cabin really is a comfortable place to be. I can't really comment on the middle seat since it was only ever used for short journeys. It's more like a half-seat than a proper chair.

I only sold it because I wanted something different and got fed up of dealing with Porsche servicing. Porsche also love their recalls, and did three on the Pan during my ownership. I've attached the options I chose, but the ones that punched above their weight were the heated steering wheel, RWS and surround view. The rest is just fruit.

[J1990]

Seeing some of the spec sheets on cars like this make me wince. From the manufacturer's perspective it's an amazing way to advertise a nice entry level price for the car and then claw back a huge amount of money, after all who is going to spend £110k on a GTS Sport Turismo and then not pay the extra £3k for the colour they want or the extra £2.5k for the decent sounding exhaust etc. That modest looking spec sheet added £30k on and I can't imagine it adds a material amount to the manufacturing cost of the car.

One day I will be a powerfully built director and I shall too be able to bring myself to spec up the car exactly how I want, no compromise. Until then I'll stick to moaning about adaptive cruise not being standard on £60k+ cars

[fflump]

456mgt said:

fflump said:

Thanks-I'd love to know how you found theTurbo. Fast obviously but involving or sterile? How did the V8 sound?
How 'big' did the car feel both round town and on the B-roads?
What was your perception of the interior? They never look particularly special for a £100k+ car, though I'm sure build quality is high
Any key options to aim for when buying used? e.g. rear wheel steering?
Also what is the middle seat like? We have 14,12,10 yr olds.

Finally-it seems to command a premium over the equivalent Cayenne. I presume it is worth it?

Thanks for any advice or other impressions you have!

It's a mighty impressive machine, but I do think it needs to be the turbo to feel brisk; I drove a version with a 3.0 NA engine and it felt gutless. This is a properly quick car and it handles incredibly well, very 911-like. I had the RWS option and it genuinely shrinks the car through the corners. You can use it for a B road blast with ease, and it's surprisingly fun for a family wagon. You also have the overboost button for overtakes, and it's properly ballistic in that setting.

It is a big car, but not huge by today's standards. We've been looking for a daily mini-SUV for my wife and surprisingly, most of them are a bit wider than the Panamera and it's only width I really worry about with respect to parking etc. We had the option where it stitches together images from multiple cameras to provide an overhead view and that really is excellent when it comes to placing the corners.

I'm surprised at the comments about interior quality since I think it's excellent; I've now 'downsized' to an RS4 and the cabin feels a real step down in quality and comfort. The Panamera cabin really is a comfortable place to be. I can't really comment on the middle seat since it was only ever used for short journeys. It's more like a half-seat than a proper chair.

I only sold it because I wanted something different and got fed up of dealing with Porsche servicing. Porsche also love their recalls, and did three on the Pan during my ownership. I've attached the options I chose, but the ones that punched above their weight were the heated steering wheel, RWS and surround view. The rest is just fruit.

Cheers pal that's very helpful. I think the 4S 'might' do me but like you say the 330hp base model would be v. underpowered, and the e-hybrid probably equally bad once you've drained the tiny battery.
Interior I was not questioning quality, just sense of occasion IYSWIM. As for options, a pan roof for sure is a good call in a black cabin, can't believe heated wheel is an option though! RWS sounds like it has a big impact on dynamics!

Is your Turbo on Autotrader yet?

[456mgt]

fflump said:

Is your Turbo on Autotrader yet?

Sold privately to one of my closest friends so I hope to hell he has no issue with it!

[fflump]

Sure it will be fine. Prices on any model struggling to break below 60k, but little turnover, so we'll see in a few months time. Strangely Turbos look the best value ATM

[stub101]

456mgt said:

I only sold it because I wanted something different and got fed up of dealing with Porsche servicing. Porsche also love their recalls, and did three on the Pan during my ownership.

Interested in this thread as I’ve been looking at Sport Turismo’s but have to admit the constant hassles my father has with OPC’s on his Macan regarding poor service, astronomic prices, and lack of parts availability is shocking for what ‘was’ a high-end car manufacturer.

It’s like they’re stuck in no-mans-land of trying to still be high-end but purely chasing volume. From our limited experience, but of 3 different OPC’s they certainly don’t have that balance right.

That’s why BMW keep getting my money. The service is ok but is acceptable for the modest price.

[fflump]

stub101 said:

Interested in this thread as I’ve been looking at Sport Turismo’s but have to admit the constant hassles my father has with OPC’s on his Macan regarding poor service, astronomic prices, and lack of parts availability is shocking for what ‘was’ a high-end car manufacturer.

It’s like they’re stuck in no-mans-land of trying to still be high-end but purely chasing volume. From our limited experience, but of 3 different OPC’s they certainly don’t have that balance right.

That’s why BMW keep getting my money. The service is ok but is acceptable for the modest price.

You should try official Maserati dealers. I needed a new side window and given the time it took to arrive can only assume they sent a man on horseback to Modena to put in a request whereupon it was strapped to a donkey and walked back up to the UK.

[Dohnut]

OP... looking at pics on AT I’d say “middle seat” is being generous. More a soft divider for two individual seats. Also, with the rear centre console/transmission tunnel almost at seat height, I’d imagine three in the back would be unpleasant at best for the unlucky one and not much better for the other two either.

Shame as they look stonkingly good motors.

[Paulduckworth]

After driving family diesel estates for a very long time as I was doing 30k+ miles a year, I did some hefty man maths in December (working from home) and bought a 2018 4S Sport Turismo. It’s my first Porsche and I really love it.



Had it ceramic coated in February for an eye watering amount of money but I think it was worth it!

[Paulduckworth]

Just to add a bit more detail and hopefully answer your questions...

It is a big car but the only place I really feel the size is in a car park - having said that, I always park well away from anyone else and look for the "wide" spaces! Around town and on B roads it seems OK

The interior is very well put together, very solid and feels premium (at least to me - I came from a 2019 A6 Avant)

In terms of options, mine was an AUC so didn't get to choose but it has some things I probably wouldn't have ordered but are either very handy or even essential, IMHO. The major ones I have are - Sport Chrono, sports exhaust, soft close, pan roof, air suspension, 21" exclusive design wheels.

I suspect you're right on the RWS

I think the pan roof and air suspension were enforced options when they first came out. Air is possibly standard now.

The middle seat isn't a long journey option for adults. Might be OK for younger ones though.

Not driven a Cayenne, but that wasn't what I was after - have had a couple of SUVs and although I really liked them (Q5s) I prefer the estate.

I bought it unseen and undriven from an OPC in Stockport which was a worry but they were great and even when I turned up they were saying that it could all be undone if I hated it or there were any major problems. All went well.

My local OPC - South London has been great as I wanted to activate the tracker and get it's first MOT. They are very helpful and I had two minor issues (Google Earth overlay and a dodgy speaker) all resolved very quickly without chasing them and I get loan cars too.

Overall, very happy with my purchase. It was the most expensive car I bought by a long stretch. I only really thought about changing my A6 as my wife got herself a new M135i and I liked the idea of something quicker now that I'm working from home and don't need to worry about mileage. I seriously considered a new M340i Touring but then remembered that I loved the look of the Sport Turismo - very different cars!

[fflump]

Paulduckworth said:

Just to add a bit more detail and hopefully answer your questions...

It is a big car but the only place I really feel the size is in a car park - having said that, I always park well away from anyone else and look for the "wide" spaces! Around town and on B roads it seems OK

The interior is very well put together, very solid and feels premium (at least to me - I came from a 2019 A6 Avant)

In terms of options, mine was an AUC so didn't get to choose but it has some things I probably wouldn't have ordered but are either very handy or even essential, IMHO. The major ones I have are - Sport Chrono, sports exhaust, soft close, pan roof, air suspension, 21" exclusive design wheels.

I suspect you're right on the RWS

I think the pan roof and air suspension were enforced options when they first came out. Air is possibly standard now.

The middle seat isn't a long journey option for adults. Might be OK for younger ones though.

Not driven a Cayenne, but that wasn't what I was after - have had a couple of SUVs and although I really liked them (Q5s) I prefer the estate.

I bought it unseen and undriven from an OPC in Stockport which was a worry but they were great and even when I turned up they were saying that it could all be undone if I hated it or there were any major problems. All went well.

My local OPC - South London has been great as I wanted to activate the tracker and get it's first MOT. They are very helpful and I had two minor issues (Google Earth overlay and a dodgy speaker) all resolved very quickly without chasing them and I get loan cars too.

Overall, very happy with my purchase. It was the most expensive car I bought by a long stretch. I only really thought about changing my A6 as my wife got herself a new M135i and I liked the idea of something quicker now that I'm working from home and don't need to worry about mileage. I seriously considered a new M340i Touring but then remembered that I loved the look of the Sport Turismo - very different cars!

Thanks for your insight. And lovely ceramic coating!
I guess the 4S is brisk enough? I'm only coming from a Ghibli V6 S only 400 bhp not a supercar. Not too worried about the size as the Ghibli body is even wider (although Panamera door mirrors stick out a bit further). I don't do car parks if I can help it (and never multi stories!) and rarely park off street.

I'd have a 25 kg 10 year old in the centre seat so should be OK. TBH the number of times all 3 kids are in the back is so seldom.
Like you I am not a fan of SUVs, but want AWD and 5 seats, I guess the compromise is a centre seat with a large tunnel to straddle!
I've mainly had AWD estates before the Ghibli-159 Q4 and 330d xDrive, but can't get excited about BMWs or Audis anymore.

E-Class is an option and I love the interior but I sit in them so much going to/from airports in the UK and Germany it would not feel special enough-silly but I always buy with heart not head (with exception of the 330d!)

Basically I want fast, AWD, 5/4+1 seats and a top notch interior. Nothing too mad performance wise, or at least only mad when you want it to be. Gran Turismo 4S or Turbo seems to fit the bill-looking at 2017/18 models. Only other thing on my mind is a Flying Spur, maybe a year older. All from used approved schemes for a modicum of piece of mind!

[Paulduckworth]

Thanks!

It feels quick to me - 4.1 to 60 if you launch it. There's quite a difference in urgency between normal, sport and sport+ so I would say that Sport Chrono is a good option to look for.

Sports exhaust is also important IMO - when I collected it the sales guys commented on the sound - apparently it's very different and they hadn't heard a 4S with one for a while. Maybe some compensation for not having a V8!

Sounds like you'll be fine with the middle seat. Mine are 17 and 19 so they're normally in their own cars!

Good luck with your search if that's the route you decide to go.

[fflump]

Paulduckworth said:

Thanks!

It feels quick to me - 4.1 to 60 if you launch it. There's quite a difference in urgency between normal, sport and sport+ so I would say that Sport Chrono is a good option to look for.

Sports exhaust is also important IMO - when I collected it the sales guys commented on the sound - apparently it's very different and they hadn't heard a 4S with one for a while. Maybe some compensation for not having a V8!

Sounds like you'll be fine with the middle seat. Mine are 17 and 19 so they're normally in their own cars!

Good luck with your search if that's the route you decide to go.

Cheers pal I will look out for those options. I had heard that the Porsche V6s can sound rather muted!