Sasha says...

                                                 Motoring memoirs: Blog 31

The first time I saw the Porsche Panamera was in a photograph and I honestly thought it was the most ghastly-looking car ever built. Then last year I was in Abu Dhabi and I saw it for the first time in the flesh. It was a brown one and I had to do a double take to try and figure out what the designers were thinking – or smoking – when they configured it. So, not a great start. But just the other day I was driving around Joburg and a grey/silver Panamera drove past me. Again I did a double take but this time, I was surprised at how good the car looked. I really liked it! Perhaps that colour suits it, but I was thinking to myself that I wouldn’t mind being seen in a Panamera. I’m not saying I want one but I think the car has grown on me.

Being a Porsche you know that the car is going to be strong, reliable and fast. Porsche have that incredible reputation that most other supercar makers envy. Granted, Porsche don’t make the most beautiful cars in the world, but they do make damn fine vehicles in their range.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a massive Porsche fan but I do know a good car from a bad one, and Porsche don’t make many bad ones.

Back to Panamera… When I first saw and heard about the Porsche 2+2 luxury car, I wondered why they would do that. I mean, they have the 911 Turbo which is a four-seater (in a way). Then it got me thinking – Aston, Maserati and Ferrari all have GT cars, yet Porsche hadn’t really focussed on that market as yet. They preferred to go the SUV route with their Cayenne range, which has proven to be very successful despite its strange looks. People love owning a Porsche; it is that simple.

The Panamera now tackles the Aston Martin and the Maserati head-on, and has an established pedigree. I’m not saying that AM or Mazza don’t, but those two are re-building their brands after going through many difficult years. If you are looking to buy a GT four-seater, you would undoubtedly look at those three marques, and perhaps even the new BMW 5 series GT – although that would be a mad decision. The Panamera’s looks make the Beemer appear to be an ugly duckling, and that’s saying something.

Having not driven the Porsche, I can only pass on what I’ve read and heard. It’s a Porsche so you know exactly what you are getting. Being a longer Porsche, it might have different handling characteristics but I am sure the car is superbly balanced.

I really think this Panamera will do very well despite my initial reservations about its appearance.

Just can’t wait for Porsche to put an engine in the right place...

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