My $918 rental car bill for one day use of a Panamera 4S experience

In February, my 911 will be 11 years old. That's a lot of years in my books to be carrying the same transmission and differential fluid. Recently there was a slight whine in the drive train and some clunkier shifting in the Tiptronic, so I asked the dealer to change both the transmission and differential fluid. It was really dark and for peace of mind I'm glad I did it. The final tab was $918 for both items but changing the fluid on the 722.6 Mercedes transmission that comes on the MK2 Tiptronic is such a difficult procedure I really didn't want to chance it doing it myself or going to an Indy that didn't have all the right tools. The transmission shifts smoother and the whine is gone. Anyway I usually get a base Cayenne or base Cayman to drive around so I was really pleased to get a brand new Panamera 4S. Some impressions of the car: 1. It feels like you're driving a M1 Abrams Tank. It feels more solid than any S class Mercedes or BMW 7'er I've ever been in. 2. The automatic 'stop start' feature is really irritating and unnerving. I don't know if I could really trust it. (this feature stops the car at red lights/intersections and restarts engine when you move the steering wheel or press the gas pedal) 3. The parking assist is amazing. It actually brakes for you when you're about to hit something 4. DRIVING IMPRESSION - whomever said that this is like a 4 door 911 sedan obviously never drove a 911. I had it on firm and sports setting the whole time - I can tell you it feels like 3 911's stacked on top of each other and two more front and back connected together. It is HEAVY and ponderous. The BMW feels much more razor sharp in my opinion. 5. Navigation on both the gauge cluster and center console is handy. 6. Stereo sucks. 7. Steering wheel IS AMAZING. OMG how do I get this steering wheel on my car. Some pics" And this morning I was so glad to get my favorite car back

I read that the 991 does the engine shut off and restart at full stops as well.

Ha that's definitely the best line I've read about panamera.

They charged you $918 for a trans and dif fluid change? They should have gave you the loaner for a week.

The wife really wants a Panamera but I've never even sat in one. I know this might be a dumb question but is there much storage/luggage space?

The Panamera is so ugly it's beautiful. Despite it's many shortcomings I can't help but want one. LOL

The new M3's have the stop/start as well. You can disable it pretty easily in the settings options, so I'm assuming you can as well with the Panamera. Lol Capt., I still think of Jeremy Clarkson's description of it ... "this car is so ugly it makes genital warts look good." I have yet to turn the corner and want one...still too bleh in my opinion.

For the money (actually, about half the money), I'd rather have an Audi A7. It's what the Panamera SHOULD have looked like. Also, the new 3.0T engine is proving to be an absolute monster with simple bolt-ons and ECU tuning.

My chiropractor had a Panamera when his 997S was in the shop. He told me basically the same thing...its like driving a tank. He didn't think the car offered any kind of Porsche experience.

From the ones that I have driven, your review is pretty spot on. Personally, I wouldn't want one but my wife is seriously considering one and we are in the hunt for the right one. Perhaps as a long term owner I will come to like it.

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No kidding, for a $918 ATF change, I would have expected a 918 Spyder rental. It probably took them about an hour to do the service, plus the cost of the fluid. What could be so difficult about the procedure to justify that cost?

Thanks for the observations. I am curious what the comparison would be between driving a Cayenne Turbo and a Panamera. I have heard great things about the CT. Has anyone driven both? I know it is blasphemy to make the comparison, but Porsche started it by adding an SUV to their line...

Thanks for the review, perhaps the "S" 2 wheel drive is more impressive to drive. I have driven the MBZ S63 AMG & the new BMW 7 series and although the technalogy in both are very impressive I would not buy either for driving feel especially the 7 series as my review would seem a copy of the negative comments about the Panamera. I feel the true competiter to the Panamera is the AstonMartin Rapide which I had the pleasure of driving for a day. This drives very much like a sport car should although obviously on the heavy side. Handling & acceleration is very satisfying & the exhaust note is intoxicating. The sensous styling with rear headroom be damned mission statement is undeniably beautifull. The tradeoff comes with the implied insult to anyone over 5'6" sentenced to the rear seat. It is so small that the rear door window lowers to half mast when the rear door is opened to aid climing in or out.

Aston Martin....still one of the sexiest cars ever designed.

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THE Sexiest IMHO. The 1st time I drove one for AMNA (DB7) they had a loop of the James Bond theme music playing. I was astonished at the way it made me feel!

Road, did they change the rear dif, tip, and front dif fluid? Either way, beautiful car but make sure about the front dif too.

S7 looks nice .. I drove an rs5 around the track .. Not even close to 911 feel ..I'm sure s7 is even heavier. Top gear preferred panamerra over 4dr comp ...I'd probably get jag xf for daily use and keep the 911 for real fun .. My indie charged $150 or so for mt fluid change ...not sure why people are hesitant to go to indie with 10 y/o car .. ESP for simple job ..my experience is that a good one is much better than the dealer ...and it is easy to get recommendation from rennlist or Pca member ..

nice so can I ask, did your 996 feel dated and sort of vanilla when you got back in it (not the driving but all the trim and details, features)

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You know...ivangene - I was thinking to myself - wow, this is what the new 991 cockpit is like....and then I got back in my car and thought to myself - the panamera/991 cockpit is like a fancy new Hugo Boss suit. My 996 cockpit is like my favorite jeans and bomber jacket - well worn, comfy, and just my everyday style..

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yes - on AWD models the std procedure apparently at the dealership is to change all diff fluids.... and thanks!

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on the Mk2 996, the automatic transmission is derived from the Mercedes 722.6 - what they use on the AMG cars to handle the torque of the 3.6 and Turbo engines. The fill procedure is incredibly complex - you need to measure fluid at two different temperature intervals to do it right. Then while in the air you need to run through each gear to ensure the fluid is distributed properly throughout the transmission. Even 5ml off and the transmission won't function right. Definitely more than an hour of service.... And yes a 918 spyder would have been nice but it has no backseat for my son....

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Yes, in a good way! Every thing you need & nothing you don't need! That's the way uhuh uhuh, I like it!

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+1

I drove on the autobhan last May for five days using a 991S and had the chance to swap for an hour and drive a Panamera S. The stop/start can be defeated with a push of the button - same as on the 991. I agree it does feel heavy around town but the car comes alive when your WFO at speeds above 200kph. I realize you'll never or (rarely officer) do these speeds in NA but (and not defending four doors or it's looks) it really is a fine motorcar for it's intended purposes. The new station wagon version IMHO is a much better looking car. I only scared myself once in the Panamera when someone with Dutch plates cut straight across into the fast lane (on a two lane section) from an on ramp to get around a truck and I found out quickly that as spectacular as the brakes are on this car - the weight compared to the 911 really affects the braking distances. I swapped back at the next coffee break.

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That's my formula. I've had my XF Premium (5.0) for 3 years now and I enjoy it every time I get in. I think of it as a more attractive half-price Panamera S.

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Just curious - but why is the resale value of a Jag XF so low? I just scoped out a one year old XF Premium at my local dealer (2011 Dec inservice date) and he is offering it for $36K. That's what a 3.5 year old BMW 535 costs....what's with that?

I was not impressed the last 2 times I have been in one. Just my personal experience. I do like the room though.

I was pretty taken by my drive of a panamera GTS at the road show this year. With all the performance options, it was just as sporty as my smaller e90 M3 sedan.

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It's probably a combination of BMWs holding their value better overall than Jaguar's and good price on the Jaguar but a bad price on the BMW. Did you ask whether the Jaguar was a service loaner? The 3.5 year old BMW is the the previous generation, so it looks dated already (not to mention unattractive even when it was new due to Chris Bangle styling), whereas the Jaguar would look virtually identical to a 2013 model.

FWIW I've been driving a Panamera S (2WD) since July and I love it. No it's not a 911 but neither does a 911 portend to be a luxury car. It's comfortable, very quiet, fast, handles great in sport mode (if equipped with PASM) and has lots of room inside. The V6 version isn't as fast or sophisticated and I've not driven a 4S so I can't comment on the difference there. I also have a 997 for when I want to drive a sports car.

I should add that it handles "well" in comfort mode, but there is some body lean. Put it in sport or sport+ and it will pleasantly surprise you.

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MJBird - I didn't start this post as a knock on the Panamera. It's a wonderful sporty sedan. I was just ridiculing the marketing BS that came with the Panamera spread by advertorial posts in magazines that touted the Panamera as a "4 door 911" That's all.

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Maybe that's a typo ? I see '09's here for ~$36K ... but I think a '11 would be more ? The new 2.0 turbo starts at $46K list - and the supercharged V6 @ $50 .. bargain versus Panamera - and looks better inside & out. I guess used jag values plunge due to historical reliability issues/costs - after '09 the XF seems to be average reliability (i.e. good for a jag) on true delta and other sites.