About the Panamera

The other day, I wrote an article saying that I feel at ease when driving the Panamera and that I really like it,

妻をクルマ好きにしたいなら、ポルシェ パナメーラ – 私のクルマ人生はここから始まった。

and around the same time, my husband, who hadn’t driven the Panamera in a while, said this to me:

The Panamera has gotten so much better. It’s become more supple and even smoother; it’s completely different from right after delivery. I guess the suspension and engine really loosen up and settle in after you’ve put some miles on it. I drove it again today after a while and thought, “I always knew it was a great car, but was it really this great…?“

he said.

Right? (￣ー￣)(Who even says that? lol)

Right after delivery, the Panamera’s ride was smooth but the suspension felt firmer. It gave a stronger impression of being a sports car rather than a luxury sedan.

But lately, on top of the sports car elements, it’s gained even more smoothness and suppleness, making it a deeply satisfying car to drive in a wider variety of situations than ever before.

My husband also said this:

I used to think, “I don’t need turbo power. There’s no road on Japan’s public streets where you can really use that power, so if I buy next time, the base model is more than enough.” But now, I’ve come to think that it’s not bad at all to drive using this incredible power as a kind of reserve, able to accelerate insanely at any time.

That’s certainly true. Of course, even the base Panamera never felt underpowered; it’s more than enough. But I’ve come to really appreciate how it hides that rocket-like explosive acceleration power beneath a gentlemanly driving style that rarely shows it off in everyday use.

The More You Drive, The More Porsche It Becomes

Since driving a Porsche, I’ve been amazed at how it “changes and becomes more deeply satisfying the more you drive it.” I used to think cars were just industrial products, just lumps of metal, but that’s definitely not the case.

They change almost like living creatures.

Every time my husband drives the Porsche to work and back, even after years, he’s still moved, saying “It’s really great, truly great.” I think part of that is because the car changes and deepens in character with every drive.

In our case, we drive quite a lot every year, not just around town but also long distances on highways, on circuits, and even attending Porsche driving schools. It’s probably because of these varied driving experiences that the car evolves in such interesting ways.

I think the amount of insight you get from a single test drive is very limited. There are so many things you notice only by driving every day, and as you get more familiar with the car, you catch glimpses of different charms.

That said, since you can only own so many cars, most people end up just test-driving and moving on.

I’ve also heard that the personality of a car changes depending on how the owner drives it. Whether they run it at high or low RPMs, even cars that were identical when purchased will subtly change their engines and other parts over time.

In that way, a car you keep driving and that becomes familiar to your hands will probably become your one-of-a-kind, ultimate partner in the world.

Kind of like a Tamagotchi, huh? (Old school lol)

Lately, the Panamera has been so good that my husband and I have started saying, “Do we really need to replace it?” But of course, circumstances change, so I think we’ll end up switching to a different car at some point… For now, I want to carefully watch how the Panamera continues to deepen in character during the rest of our time with it.