Had a look at the Panamera in person today - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

There was a Panamera at the stealership today. Black on cream leather. The car really does look different in person than in pictures, which I think all Porsches do. To me it looked like a 911 with 4 doors, the back isn't any more awkward looking than it is on a 911 (which, funny enough I find ugly anyway). In the pictures I thought the Panamera would look flashy but in person I think it actually looked quite understated and conservative. Would love to test drive one to see how it feels, but of course being 17 doesn't work to my advantage at convincing the salespeople that I'm about to purchase a 100 grand car. =(

Does it look anything like the new Mercedes four door coupes?

im a fan of the panamera i sat in one at laguna seca thoroughly pleased... every seat feels like a porsche and very comfy

Late this fall, Porsche had a media gathering in Elkhart Lake WI for the Panamera (just after the SCCA Runoffs). They had twenty of them under a big tent with a half dozen Cayennes thrown in. I do admit, it looks quite different in person and actually better than I expected. A friend has one on order, so it will be interesting to gather first hand. SPEED had a pretty good show last week with test drives and commentary from Laguna Seca. http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/driven-panamera-proves-its-porsche-creds/

As far as I've heard they are first class in terms of driving, as a Porsche should be. I do like the current CLS better in terms of styling though, but if the new CLS is anything like the spy shots suggest then I'd prefer the Panamera

I just, in the last half hour, returned from the Grand Unveiling of a Panamera, sponsored by Cascade (a local dealership). It was quite the affair: people in sports jackets, hors d’oeuvres, OPEN BAR. Not too shabby. Anyway, not having been too terribly impressed with photos I had seen, in person I thought it looked very good. Plush, comfy (including the back seats), all kinds of wonderful amenities. Should scoot nicely with the 4.8L, and the brakes are humongous. Pilot sports all around. I might give it a drive, though can't afford it by any stretch of the imagination. (Never stopped me from a test drive before--why stop now?)

of the new Porsche showroom is next week so I will get a chance to check it out as well. It will be interesting to see what type of market develops for the car. I remember 20 years ago when I got picked up at the airport in Germany by Siemens in a VW bus. They threw the bags in the back and everything was normal until they hit the autobahn...and then swoosh. They started passing everything in sight...seems like the little VW bus have been tricked up and they had dropped a porsche engine in. As an American, I tend to think of fast cars as drivers cars - not as something to transport passengers. I wonder if they will be able to change perceptions?

While I would never wish bad luck upon a fellow Porsche owner, my suspicion is that Panameras are going to plummet* in value... like Cayennes. That's the only way I'll EVER get my paws on a turbo Panamera... *I'll probably take some heat for my use of the word "plummet" - so please just substitute a synonym for "drop" in place of "plummet", choosing one that suggests a degree of devaluation that you find appropriate. If you're still irritated, you chose the wrong word, so don't blame me.

Of course, the class leading CLS and Maserati Quattroporte both dropped like a rock from the heavens, so why not the Porsche? I'd still put my money down for a CLS over this though, I am not too concerned about the driving experience in a comfy four door sedan. These things are meant to cruise on a highway and still have some talent once you get to mountain roads, but comfort on the highway being the focus. I think the CLS is more focused there than the Porsche (maybe the ClS55 is a bit different).