Do You Need to Break In a New Porsche? In a recent article, a reader asked, “Do you break in your car? Opinions seem to differ, so it would be helpful to hear what your husband thinks.” My husband mentioned that our drive to the WEC race last weekend was partly intended as a break-in drive. Since I didn’t know much about the subject myself, I asked him to explain his approach. My Husband’s Take...
Counting Down to Panamera Turbo Delivery Day… Our Panamera is due to arrive on Thursday, October 12. How do you count down to a day like that? Is it three days away if you count today, or two days away because the day after tomorrow is the big day? …Well, never mind. Yesterday, my husband and H, a friend who’s been kind to both of us, headed out to the Royu Driveway. H’s pride and...
When Will My Panamera Arrive? I still haven’t heard from the dealer that the ship carrying my Panamera has arrived in Japan. Delivery is just a week away, on October 12—but has the car made it safely? What if it was involved in an accident along the way, or arrived in the wrong color? I can’t help worrying. The Porsche Panamera is often compared with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, given their similar standing in the luxury-car...
The Panamera Sport Turismo Is Announced A few days ago, Porsche announced the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo. Intrigued, I checked the Porsche Japan website, but it hadn’t yet been added to the Panamera Sport Turismo lineup. Meanwhile, my husband was making a big fuss about the “911 GT3 Touring Package (no large rear wing, six-speed manual only)” being announced! Later that day, we happened to get a call from Mr. H, our Porsche...
Saying Goodbye to the Panamera Edition Yesterday, our Panamera finally left home. The dealership representative, Mr. H, was due to pick it up at 1 p.m. At around 12:45, I went out to the garage to retrieve something I’d left in my pocket, only to find him already waiting. He’d arrived early and had kindly waited in front of the house. “Sorry to keep you waiting!” I said, hurrying off to get my husband. Then...
Test-Driving the New Panamera I test-drove the new Panamera 4S and Panamera Turbo a while back. I wrote about the experience on the blog, but the Turbo’s acceleration and high-speed stability were so extraordinary that I was completely intimidated—and ended up writing a test-drive review that probably didn’t make much sense… →Test-driving the new Panamera Turbo—and feeling utterly outclassed. To make matters worse, that post became the most-read article on the blog and started climbing...
The Prius at My Parents’ Home Yesterday, I got the chance to drive my parents’ Prius for the first time. I only took the wheel for about 20 minutes, after swapping with my father at a highway service area and driving until we exited the expressway. Their Prius is around 10 years old, so it’s getting on a bit. And based purely on its image, I’d always assumed: Maybe a Prius feels so light that...
I Love the Panamera On this blog, I’ve shared my personal take on what a wonderful car the Panamera is. But when people ask, “Why do you love the Panamera so much?” I find it surprisingly hard to put into words. I tried to explain it in an earlier post: Its commanding presence in a parking lot, the confidence of a true heavyweight, its acceleration as it merges onto the highway, the sound of the...
The Best and Worst Real-World Fuel Economy in a Porsche Panamera The Panamera isn’t exactly a fuel-sipper—and that’s understandable when it has nearly two tons to move. Maybe I’m just not the best at driving efficiently, but lots of city driving, red lights, and traffic only make fuel economy worse. I can’t speak for the latest Panamera, but in my 2016 Panamera Edition, I usually see around 7–8 km/L. Every now and then, it drops...
Not Sold on a Minivan? Here’s Another Option… When kids come along or the family grows, plenty of people decide it’s time for a different car. Someone who used to talk about how much they loved “the way it drives” or “the sound of the engine” can seem like a different person just a few years later, enthusing, “Minivans have so much room for luggage! They’re incredibly convenient!” If a minivan or a van is...
