kobanna

I was intrgued by the Panamera until I went to a dealership to get a good walk around and got some time in the driver seat. When I got back in my A8 I knew I had made the right decision.

Yesterday I was next to a Panamera at a red light and we both looked at each other. I was thinking "He really should have test driven an A8 before buying that thing", and I am pretty sure he was thinking "Man, I really should have checked out the A8 before buying this thing".

Pratfall

Especially the engines. The base Panamera V6 is gutless compared to the A8 3.0T, the old S V8 has little low end punch compared to the 4.0T, and both do more damage to your bank account than the equivalent A8. The Pana GTS and Turbo may be better -- in fact I'm sure they're great -- but you're rocketing past $120k before you get in either. And the Pana has no diesel option in the U.S., though it could really use one.

I usually love Porsches even when I'd rather not -- e.g. I wanted to hate the Cayenne diesel but it's really magnificent -- but the Panameras underwhelmed me, especially at their exorbitant prices. I'd take an A8 or BMW 6 GC before a Pana.

Jack88

Anybody have seat time in a Quattroporte? I love the newer one's styling and an engine blessed by Ferrari, but I was too nervous about their expected reliability to even consider one.

HouTexAudi

I had an '08 QP for a couple of years and would never own another one--had to work with the Ferrari dealership and they had absolutely no sense of urgency when it came to repairs, and there were several. Also, even though it had a Ferrari built engine, the performance was no where near that of the '11 Jaguar XJ Supercharged I traded it for or my current '14 S8 but the handling was superb. Actually I like that original Pininfarina designed body style much better than the new ones that were designed in house.

SWelsch

Funny, I took the Pana for a ride before buying the A8L and couldn't wait to get out of it. Maybe I'm too old but the 8 will play when you want to, not Porsche like of course, and when you tell it to chill, it is, very. Not so with the Pana, wants to be on edge all the time. I don't. There was no doubt for me about which car to get.

Puzz1

Interesting thread. I'm agonizing between the S6 and an A8 SWB 3.0T and potentially a Cayenne S. Toughest car decision I've ever made. Truly don't know what to do. Love the S6 but concerned a bit about interior space.

Jack88

Bring someone to put in the back during the test drives.

VentsiBeast

Between the S6 and the new facelifted Cayenne S, I'd take the Cayenne S.

Cabin quality is on par, but you got a lot more room in the Cayenne. Sure, it's a tad slower than the S6, but I'm generally hearing good things about the new 3.6 bi-turbo engine.

Actually considering the regular A8, I'd choose the Cayenne S too. The S8 looks okay, but the A8 looks a bit dull.

Jack88

I'm not a fan of the facelift they gave the A8, I think it makes it look more like a plus sized Passat with a big grill. When are they going to class up the A7 interior to match it's exterior? It should be notched between the A6 and A8, but it's simply not.

VentsiBeast

Yes I agree the A7 should be upper class than the A6.
However A7 styling is a matter of personal taste. I've heard opinions from "most beautiful car ever" to "I hate that back". I suspect the next generation would be a killer.