Tonalers and the Panamera

Earlier this year, I wrote an article about “tonalers.” A tonaler is someone who, even when a parking lot is mostly empty, chooses to park right next to another car.

駐車場で遭遇するトナラーの心理や対策について考えてみた

That article was about my own car being “tonaled”, and it concluded with the wish to become a person with a big enough heart to let it roll off (yes, that was the conclusion (really?)w). But recently, I realized something surprising:

I myself have been “tonaling” others.

I usually drive a BMW 320i and occasionally the Panamera. The 320i is common enough around my neighborhood, but the Panamera is rare, so whenever I spot one at a supermarket or elsewhere, I get really excited—and end up “tonaling” it without thinking.

Just the other day, I parked at a supermarket, went shopping, and when I came back, there was a Panamera parked right next to mine! Normally, I might have thought, “Why would someone bother to tonaler me?” but this time I was thrilled:

“Wow, they went out of their way to park side by side! So cool!”

I got so excited I took tons of photos.

Later, when I went to park at another lot, I noticed a Panamera already there, so I instinctively parked right next to it. Well, it wasn’t a wide-open lot; there weren’t many spaces left.

Honestly, how many photos do I need to take lining them up? I’m such a tonaler (lol)!

Then on another day, I went shopping in the 320i and saw a Cayenne and a Panamera parked side by side. At that moment, I thought, “If only I’d come in the Panamera, I could have parked next to it!” but I just took a photo and left it at that.

The Sense of Camaraderie Among Panamera Owners

But when I think about it calmly, parking a Panamera next to another Panamera is actually riskier because both are large cars, increasing the chance of door dings or scratches. So logically, it shouldn’t be welcomed—but somehow, it feels completely fine, even joyful.

What’s going on here?

People say we tend to feel affection for those who share something in common or have similar circumstances. For example, when you meet someone who supports the same baseball team, you might say, “Really? You’re a fan of ___? We’re gonna get along great!” even without knowing much else about them.

I think that’s the same feeling that lets strangers bond on a Sunday morning on the Royu Driveway.

In other words, the urge to tonaler a Panamera when you spot one in a parking lot is like a budding sense of camaraderie. Among Porsches, Panameras are less common in town than Cayennes or 911s, so just seeing another Panamera makes you genuinely happy.

Thinking about it that way, it all comes down to:

“It’s not what you do, but who does it.”

The reaction to being “tonaled” depends greatly on what kind of car is doing the tonaling. Of course, parking so close that the door can’t open or causing a nuisance is unacceptable.

On the other hand, when car accident news breaks, if it’s a common domestic car, the report just says “a domestic car was involved in an accident.” But if it’s a luxury car like a Porsche, Ferrari, or Lamborghini, the headlines always call it out by name: “Porsche involved in accident!”

So it really is about who does it, not just what is done.

I’m drifting off-topic, but the tonaler issue (and tailgating, etc.) is something that can never be fully solved by thinking or arguing about it. Unless it’s truly outrageous behavior, the best approach is to not care and not fight back.

That’s exactly the kind of attitude befitting the Panamera, “a car worthy of a life’s champion” (the old 970 Panamera slogan), and that’s what I’ve been reflecting on lately.