Hello everyone. This is Mina, the administrator of “Welcome Home, PORSCHE.” This project, Porsche Owners File, was born from readers’ requests to share the authentic voices of various Porsche owners. The 11th installment features a purchase, options, and driving review of the “971 Panamera 4S” from “Manma-san,” who lives in Hokkaido.
This blog contains a wealth of information about the Panamera, but the driving experience and feel differ significantly between the standard, 4, 4S, Turbo, and Hybrid models. So, how does the Panamera 4S fare in this review? Please enjoy reading.
〘Owner Information〙
・Featured car: 971 Panamera 4S (MY2018)
・Pen name: Manma
・Residence: Hokkaido / Condominium
・Family: Four members — wife (paper driver), middle schooler, elementary schooler
・Previous cars:
Honda Prelude (BB4) → Honda Integra Type R (DB8) → Honda Odyssey (RB1) + NSX (NA1)
→ Audi A6 Avant (C6) → Audi S4 (B8)
→ BMW M3 Sedan (E90) → and finally, the first Porsche, the Panamera 4S, came to our home.
・Message to readers: I hope this helps those considering purchasing a Panamera.
Looking back on my car history, I recalled that in the first half of my car life, I was particularly obsessed with Honda and especially VTEC engines.
After moving away from Honda, I happened to switch to German cars. I was attracted to Audi for its dazzling interior and exterior lighting, and I remember buying the BMW M3 Sedan because I fell for its muscular design with blister fenders and power dome.
Over time, as more acquaintances drove German cars, my interest naturally shifted there, but my criteria for choosing a car—fast, cool, and with a beautiful dashboard—have remained unchanged since my Honda Prelude days.
One evening, I spotted a sleek 991-generation 911 Carrera 4 speeding by. The beauty of the 911’s styling and the elegance of its taillights struck me like lightning, and I began to seriously think, “How can I bring a Porsche into our home?”
The 991 911 Carrera 4 sparked my strong interest in Porsche (its all-around stunning design, especially the breathtaking rear view), but buying a 911 meant needing another car for full four-passenger use.
Since maintaining two cars is difficult, I was about to give up on Porsche until I read in a magazine that the 971 Panamera’s design resembles the 991 911.
“Isn’t the 971 Panamera incredibly cool? No, it’s insanely cool! And it seats four!”
That’s when I started seriously considering buying one.
Switching from the BMW M3 Sedan, I considered the power balance and looked at three models: Panamera, Panamera 4, and Panamera 4S.
Living in snowy Hokkaido, I didn’t think all-wheel drive was essential (even the FR M3 Sedan handled snow well).
When I tried to get a quote for the cheapest FR Panamera, the dealer said, “Almost no one buys this (FR Panamera) (smile)”, implying FR models aren’t popular (laughs). I thought, “No need to insist on FR then.” So I compared the Panamera 4 and 4S.
The Panamera 4 and 4S have different standard equipment, but with extra cost, you can add options to make them nearly identical.
However, the “High Gloss Black Interior Package” is selectable on the Panamera 4 but not on the Panamera 4S. (Though the catalog shows it’s available for 4S, the configurator doesn’t list it, and the dealer confirmed it’s unavailable. It is available on the Turbo model.) Since I was considering either black or carbon interiors,
“Why can the Panamera 4 and Turbo choose the High Gloss Black Interior Package, but the 4S can’t? Is the 4S being left out?”
I was a bit bothered by this, but since the limiting factor would be the powertrain performance anyway, I decided, “If I pick Panamera 4, I’ll go black; if 4S, then carbon.”
Ultimately, I chose the Panamera 4S because I thought, “If I pick a Panamera with less horsepower and torque than my BMW M3 Sedan, I might feel it’s lacking.”
The Panamera 4’s power and torque are sufficient, and I never felt underpowered during test drives, but emotionally, I was drawn to the “S” badge.
■ Exterior color: Carrara White Metallic
■ Wheels: 20-inch Panamera Turbo wheels
■ Wheel accessories: Porsche Crest wheel center caps
■ Interior color: Saddle Brown / Luxor Beige
■ Seats: 8-way electric comfort seats (standard)
■ Exterior: LED matrix headlights (including PDLS plus), tinted LED taillights, comfort access, park assist with surround view, privacy glass, soft-close doors, air outlet grille (body color finish), exterior mirrors (painted)
■ Transmission / chassis: PDK (standard), Sport Chrono Package
■ Interior: 4-zone automatic climate control, adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, floor mats, cup holder cover, white dial meter panel, white stopwatch dial
Carbon interior: Carbon interior package, illuminated carbon door sill guards
■ Others: Leather key pouch, 19-inch aftermarket aluminum wheels & studless tires
Initially, I planned to order a 4S, but I was offered a nearly identical vehicle stored by Porsche Japan, so I ended up purchasing that one.
It wasn’t a perfect match to my order, but it included all the key options I cared about, and missing features could mostly be added later. Plus, delivery was possible within weeks, so I decided to go for it. My key preferences were:
“Carrara White Metallic,” “Saddle Brown / Luxor Beige,” “LED matrix headlights (including PDLS plus),” “comfort access,” “Sport Chrono Package,” “4-zone automatic climate control,” and “carbon interior package.”
I had planned to add ambient lighting, but the stored Panamera didn’t have it, and it couldn’t be retrofitted, so I gave up on that.
The stored Panamera also had many unexpected options. While some might consider them unnecessary extras, I thought, “If it’s included, it might come in handy.” I was satisfied with my purchase. I will discuss the actual evaluation of these options after delivery.
In the end, I bought the stored vehicle minus ambient lighting plus some extras (quite a few, actually (^_^;)), predicting little difference between MY2018 and MY2019.
Order: late September 2018 → Delivery: mid-October 2018
Next page → Panamera 4S engine, acceleration, and additional impressions after six months
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