{"id":37047,"date":"2018-10-08T06:00:21","date_gmt":"2018-10-07T21:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=37047"},"modified":"2021-01-05T15:54:06","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T06:54:06","slug":"panamera-feel-small","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/en\/entry\/panamera-feel-small\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Driving a Large Car Difficult for Women? \u2013 My Thoughts After Driving a Porsche Panamera for Two and a Half Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two Years and Eight Months with the Panamera<\/h3>\n

Many people think, “Large sedans are hard for women to drive.”<\/strong> But what is it really like? Today, I want to share my thoughts after driving a Panamera for about two and a half years.<\/p>\n

\u2026But before that, let me introduce a bit about my driving history.<\/strong> Readers of this blog might assume I\u2019ve always loved Porsches and driving, but it\u2019s quite the opposite. I only started driving about five years ago, and I only began liking Porsche around three years ago.<\/strong> It\u2019s actually a very recent story.<\/p>\n

I got my driver\u2019s license at 18, but between then and when I turned 31, I drove only about five times in 13 years, making me a \u201cpaper driver with a gold license\u201d for a long time. Why I was so eager to get my license at 18 despite not driving at all (and even paid for it all myself)<\/span> remains a mystery to me (-_-).<\/p>\n

Driving a Mercedes-Benz SLK350<\/h3>\n

I married my husband when I was 30. At that time, he was driving a Mercedes-Benz SLK350.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Whenever we went for a drive, my husband would ask, “Want to drive?”<\/strong> But back then, I stubbornly refused, saying, \u201cNo, absolutely not.\u201d We lived in a hilly town where a car was essential for everything, yet I used buses and trains daily, didn\u2019t go to the local supermarket on weekdays, and relied on my husband to drive me there on weekends for bulk shopping.<\/p>\n

However, when our eldest daughter became pregnant, I started thinking, “I really need to be able to drive in case the child gets a fever or something happens.”<\/strong> My husband also said, “You absolutely have to be able to drive before the baby is born.”<\/strong> So, I finally got motivated and managed to drive back and forth to the nearby supermarket.<\/p>\n

Still, I wasn\u2019t keen on driving more than that. Even when my husband said, “Want to drive? Actually, you should drive more!”<\/strong> I insisted, \u201cI\u2019m tired, the supermarket run is enough,\u201d (I was really exhausted even after 10 minutes of driving back then)<\/span> and stayed firmly in the passenger seat.<\/p>\n

One day, when I got home early from work, I found an email from my husband:<\/p>\n

Could you come pick me up by car tonight in Umeda?<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026\u2026Huh? (*_*)<\/span><\/p>\n

The pickup spot was around Hilton Plaza in Umeda (only people from the Keihanshin area would know)<\/span>, right in the heart of the city with heavy traffic. I thought, \u201cNo way!\u201d but for some reason, I felt “I can\u2019t keep avoiding this. Tonight\u2019s the night!”<\/strong> So I got ready, got in the SLK, and took the wheel. Motherhood really makes women strong, huh? lol<\/p>\n

It takes about 40 minutes from home to Osaka by highway. I managed to get there safely. It was scary, but surprisingly, I was able to drive well even in busy Osaka (maybe because I forced my way in with the SLK and everyone gave way)<\/span> and gained confidence thinking, “I can drive too!”<\/strong> From then on, I was able to drive anywhere.<\/p>\n

Looking back, maybe my husband\u2019s tough love was a bit harsh\u2026 but in the end, it was good.<\/p>\n

From Audi A3 to Panamera Test Drive<\/h3>\n

After our child was born, obviously, “a two-seater SLK for a family of three” <\/strong>wasn\u2019t practical, so we bought an Audi A3 as the family car. I mainly drove the A3 but initially kept bumping and scraping it, sending it to the shop repeatedly.<\/p>\n

A few months after my husband ordered a Boxster, I went with him to the Porsche Center for the first time to “try out the Panamera.”<\/strong> Seeing the Panamera\u2019s massive size\u2014about 20 cm wider than the Audi A3\u2019s width of 1785 mm and over 5 meters long<\/strong>\u2014I assumed only my husband would test drive it. But midway through, the dealer\u2019s representative, Mr. H, asked, “Since you\u2019re here, would you like to drive it too?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

I said, \u201cNo way, it\u2019s too big! And it\u2019s left-hand drive!\u201d but after some persuasion from my husband and Mr. H, I gave it a try. And how was it? I was incredibly, incredibly impressed.<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course, I was deeply impressed by the Panamera\u2019s driving performance, but what surprised me even more was “how easy it was to drive such a huge car.”<\/strong> Sitting in the driver\u2019s seat, you feel the size, but once you start driving, it feels like you\u2019re in a much smaller car. When taking curves, there was no feeling of being pushed outward by centrifugal force.<\/p>\n

Because the car is so well engineered, I felt a sense of protection and was able to handle the steering exactly as I wanted, without feeling overwhelmed by the size. I thought, “This is a car even women can drive easily.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the conclusion?<\/h3>\n

After two and a half years with the Panamera, I think:<\/p>\n

\u201cWives who feel \u2018I\u2019m not good at driving\u2019 or \u2018I lack confidence\u2019 should actually drive a Panamera.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s my conclusion. The Panamera is easy to drive, has park assist, and alerts you with sounds about obstacles, so as long as you pay attention, you won\u2019t scratch or bump into anything.<\/p>\n

What I want to emphasize most is “the Panamera doesn\u2019t get tailgated or cut off.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether on highways or regular roads, other drivers keep a reasonable distance, and if you signal early, they\u2019re very likely to let you merge safely. You can drive with peace of mind and safety. If you were in a kei car or compact car, that wouldn\u2019t be the case, and you\u2019d need more driving skill.<\/p>\n

\u2026Though the Panamera is meant to be enjoyed for its driving performance, so using it just for that purpose might miss the point. But for women who think, \u201cIt\u2019s too big, I can\u2019t drive a Panamera,\u201d I sincerely hope you\u2019ll try a test drive at least once\u2014you might be surprised.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two Years and Eight Months with the Panamera Many people think, “Large sedans are hard for women to drive.” But what is it really like? Today, I want to share my thoughts after driving a Panamera for about two and a half years. \u2026But before that, let me introduce a bit about my driving history. Readers of this blog might assume I\u2019ve always loved Porsches and driving, but it\u2019s quite the opposite. I only started...","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=5471"},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"Is Driving a Large Car Difficult for Women? \u2013 My Thoughts After Driving a Porsche Panamera for Two and a Half Years - \u30dd\u30eb\u30b7\u30a7\u304c\u308f\u304c\u5bb6\u306b\u3084\u3063\u3066\u304d\u305f - \u30aa\u30fc\u30ca\u30fc\u30ba\u30d6\u30ed\u30b0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After driving a Porsche Panamera for over two years, I share my honest experience about how even women who lack confidence in driving can handle this large sedan with ease, thanks to its excellent handling and safety features.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/en\/entry\/panamera-feel-small\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Driving a Large Car Difficult for Women? 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