Porsche Panamera: Instant Classic?
Edmunds (who else?) has pricing info on Porsche's Panamera sedan, under the guise "leaked document." If you read Edmunds (or any other car website), you know this already. You know there will be V6, V8, and twin-turbo V8 versions (the latter north of 500 horsepower). You know there will be a hybrid version, and that transmission options will include Porsche's new seven-speed dual clutch automatic. It's the sticker that's the kicker. For the Volkswagen-sourced 300 horsepower 3.6-liter V6 Panamera, we're talking $127k. If true, Porsche has priced the base Panamera straight into instant classic territory. Before you jump in and say "people said the Cayenne wouldn't sell and they made enough money on that porker to buy Lower Saxony," the Cayenne is very, very different. Porsche's so-not-a-sports-car wasn't $50k more expensive than its competition. And when you drop $130k+ on a Porsche sedan, you don't want to get smoked by an Infiniti G37 coupe at stoplights– let alone a 380 horsepower Mercedes S550. I give it an F-. But it's an epic car of legend and history. Thank you, Porsche.
Immensely bored law student. I've also got 3 dogs.
More by Justin Berkowitz
Comments
Join the conversation
Proving yet again that Porsche has the laziest design staff in the world. Out of the entire Porsche family this looks like the inbred child they hide in the basement.
It is pleasant a enough looking modern sedan with Porsche styling elements. One fun thing living at 9000Ft in Colorado is the frequent prototype sightings up here. An undisguised Panamera was out front of my workplace at the gas pumps next door a couple of months ago. It attracted no undue attention, although my 30 year old boss got genuinely excited when I told him what it was. Personlly, I think it will just blend in with the other sleek 4-door sedans out there, and to my eye the most recent Dodge Intrepid has more distinctive and attractive styling.
there is simply no way that a V6 base model will be $127,000. Isn't that about what a 911 Turbo costs these days? There is just no way they're going to try to sell an ugly sedan powered by a VW VR6 for 127,000. I could see 127,000 for the Turbo S model with all the options, maybe. I just don't believe edmunds, at all.
re: Stein X Leikanger Says: From the moment I saw the first concept versions of this I thought it was going to be a gruesome mistake. July 24th, 2008 at 5:52 pm except for the initial artist's sketch depicting the car's general theme, in profile, [which i did find attractive] i gotta agree with stein x, as far as aesthetics are concerned. however, it seems to me that if it drives right - if it performs like a porsche - it will be a success. and if it does not, it won't. i am still looking forward to its arrival next spring.