Driving the Panamera with Paddle Shifters

Lately, whenever I take the Panamera out, I’ve been driving it with the paddle shifters, wherever I’m headed. Every now and then, I forget I’m in manual mode while waiting at a traffic light, then pull away in first gear and rev it way too high when the light turns green (oops!). I’m gradually getting used to the paddle shifters and starting to understand some of the fun they offer, so yesterday I decided to take the Panamera to Royu Driveway.

My husband suggested, “Since we’re going all that way, let’s take some photos of you driving it with the DSLR.” So the four of us set off, with me at the wheel.

No More Easy Way Out!

As soon as we left home and I started using the paddle shifters, my husband said,

“There’s no point using the paddle shifters in town, with all these traffic lights and cars around. Why not just leave it in automatic for now?”

I replied, “I mean, you told me I need to stop defaulting to automatic just because it’s a PDK. So I’m trying to use the paddles all the time and leave myself no way out (-_-).” He came back with,

“If you really want to leave yourself no way out, you need to drive a manual Boxster. With a PDK, there’s still plenty of room to take the easy way out.”

“Fair point,” I thought as I kept driving. Before long, we arrived at Royu.

Hitting the Road at Royu Driveway

Royu Driveway is very quiet on Saturdays. I dropped my husband off at a photo spot near the Higashi Rokko Observatory, then planned to drive back and forth between Okukike and the observatory while he took pictures.

I’d assumed I’d need to drive fast to get photos that captured a sense of speed, but my husband made sure to tell me, “Slow down when you get to the photo spot! If you’re going too fast, I won’t be able to get the shot!” So I drove at around 40 km/h past the spot, while using the paddle shifters on the rest of the road.

It really is a completely different experience from driving in automatic. There’s a slight delay when changing gears, but I got to enjoy the satisfaction of shifting when I wanted, slowing down and downshifting before a corner, then upshifting and accelerating as I came out of it.

That said, I’m a cautious driver. I’d brake well before the corners and struggle to get it right, and I couldn’t hold third gear for long unless the road was practically straight.

After several runs up and down Royu, though, our one-year-old, who was sitting in the back, started making unhappy little noises—“Ugh…” and “Awww…” When I looked back, she was pale and teary-eyed (while her big sister was fast asleep, lol). “Oh no, I’m sorry!” I said, and we quickly called off the photo session.

We stopped at the observatory to enjoy the fresh air, then drove home at a leisurely pace.

I Want to Learn to Drive a Manual

As for the photos…my speed wasn’t quite right, and I was pulling over with my hazard lights on too soon, so we didn’t get any good shots. We decided to try again another time, when the kids could stay with someone else, and coordinate using hands-free calling on our phones.

It got me thinking again: driving a manual must be hundreds of times more fun than using paddle shifters. My husband and I are going to Fuji Speedway in June to watch a race, and we’re planning to take the Boxster. I’d love to get in some practice before then!