Panamera, with Love.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you probably know how much I love the Panamera.

That said, after I learned to drive a manual, there was honestly a time when I found the Panamera a bit underwhelming. It’s just that the Panamera is so perfectly engineered that there’s hardly any room for the driver to intervene… no matter how you drive it, it just runs smoothly, and I found that a little less exciting.

But now, after some reflection, I’ve come back around to thinking, I really do love the Panamera.

The manual Boxster is incredibly fun, driving with the top down moves me to tears, the manual GT3 is thrilling with its wolf in sheep’s clothing vibe, and air-cooled Porsches are deep and fascinating.

Still, these days I find myself quietly appreciating the Panamera the most. (Grateful for the chance to drive so many cars, thank you!)

The Charm of the Panamera

When I think about why I love the Panamera so much, there are many reasons, but the biggest might be the sense of security it gives me.

Opening the Panamera’s door, sitting in the seat, gripping the steering wheel—it just feels reassuring. Once you start driving, you think, “Ah… this is it, this feeling…” and you feel happy, thinking “If I leave it to this car, everything will be absolutely fine.”

On the other hand, the manual Boxster or GT3 demand your full focus when you’re behind the wheel, and their lack of escape routes for the driver is part of their appeal. But the Panamera is the opposite—it’s comforting and reassuring.

Why do I feel so safe in the Panamera? It’s a mix of its solid presence, its size, its precise handling—but more than anything, it’s because I’ve had so many experiences with the Panamera over time.

Driving nearly 1,000 km round-trip from home to Mt. Fuji on the highway, driving solo for the first time, attending Porsche’s driving school and experiencing full acceleration and braking, driving on mountain roads in sleet, and even my first time on a race circuit…

I’ve experienced all these things with the Panamera, and it has opened many first doors for me.

Even after 1,000 km, it doesn’t tire you out; the stability on the highway is impressive. The acceleration that gets you where you want to go before you even realize it. The feeling when you apply full acceleration then full braking in heavy rain, and that giant body stops perfectly.

When unexpected spring snow turned mountain roads into sleet, my husband driving the Boxster ahead said, “It’s slippery and scary.” But the four-wheel-drive Panamera Turbo didn’t budge, showing outstanding stability without any fear.

Even accelerating on the home straight at Fuji Speedway, I felt that bottomless power that says, “I can still go further.”

With every experience like this, my trust in the Panamera’s performance and driving grew immensely.

And I realized that this “sense of security” is crucial to truly enjoying driving. When you know how your car behaves in every situation, and you have that “this far, it’s absolutely safe” feeling, you can fully enjoy driving without worry.

If you can’t trust your car 100%, you can never enjoy driving 100%. Because I trust the Panamera completely, driving it is fun. That’s something I’ve come to realize again and again.