2011 Porsche Panamera Review

The 2011 Porsche Panamera. "Controversial" doesn't begin to describe the styling.

The Nissan Juke. The Scion xB. Those are the two cars that have gotten the most negative comments about their styling while we were driving them. And by the most, I mean a 50/50 split on the xB, 60/40 negative/positive on the Juke.

The Porsche Panamera? 100% thumbs down.

Now, this is rare. Normally, when I roll up in a Porsche...any Porsche...even the Cayenne and especially the 911...there's a lot of oohing and aahing and "omigodiwantone" going on.

Not with the Panamera. "Looks like someone dropped a boulder on a 911" was the frequent review.

Approach the 2011 Porsche Panamera from the front the first few times. It'll help.

The good news is that, especially from the front, there is some family resemblance to the cars we've come to know and love from Porsche. And, while not blindingly fast, at least not in Panamera 4 all-wheel-drive form like our tester, it still is a very quick big sedan...0-60 in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 159 miles per hour.

That performance is from the 3.6 liter V6, which cooks up 300 horsepower and 295 pounds per foot of torque. With a 7-speed automatic, the Panamera gets an EPA estimated 18 city/26 highway miles per gallon. Which, again, is very good for a big sedan. And it handles very, very well.

The four-seat interior of the 2011 Porsche Panamera.

Inside the car, you can't see what the car looks like on the outside, and you are in a very Porsche environment...at least a Porsche environment as defined by the Cayenne SUV. There's room for four, it's all very plush...but the Teutonic simplicity of the marque's best sports cars? No. Of course, you probably couldn't sell a luxury sedan equipped like that, but the Panamera went the exact opposite direction. There are forty-four buttons on the center console alone. Factor in window switches, audio system stuff and the rest, and the count throughout the cabin gets stratospheric.

The list of what comes with the car as standard equipment and what's optional is very long and highly dependent on whether you order the Panamera, Panamera S, Panamera 4, Panamera 4S, Panamera S Hybrid, Panamera Turbo or Panamera Turbo S, so we'll just let you surf over to Porsche's website to check it out for yourself.

As noted above, ours was the Panamera 4. Base price $79,800. And Porsche's press fleet folks added Basalt Black Metallic paint ($790), a ski bag ($405), auto dimming interior and exterior mirrors ($420), front heated seats ($525), heated steering wheel ($250), 19" Panamera Turbo wheels ($1,950), a Bose surround sound system ($1,440), SiriusXM radio ($750) and Porsche crest front headrests ($285). Bottom line including $975 destination charge: $87,590.

The only thing missing...at least to this Porschephile who's never met a 911 he didn't like? The roar of the engine. Porsche's sixes give off this wonderful wail when you tromp on the accelerator, but the Panamera V6 just gathers up speed silently. I wonder if the faster Panameras (the S hybrid makes 60 in 5.7 seconds with a top speed of 167, the S 5.2 and 175, the 4S 4.8 and 175, the Turbo 4.0 and 188 and the Turbo S 3.6 and 190) have any of that snarl or if it's all speed.  Hopefully Porsche will allow us to find out first-hand.

Again, you have to remember that the Panamera is new territory...Porsche's response to swoopy luxury sedans like the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Audi A7, Maserati Quattroporte and the Jaguar XJ. And by any objective measure, they've hit the target. 

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2011 Nissan Juke SL FWD Review



The 2011 Nissan Juke. Beauty is as....um....

So, if a Pontiac Aztek mated with a....

Let's just deal with the appearance issues surrounding the Nissan Juke right away, shall we?

It's an acquired taste. And I haven't acquired it yet. It looks to me like maybe Nissan's styling department has decided to pay tribute to the 1977 Datsun F-10. Don't remember that one? Here ya go:

The 1977 Datsun F-10. No, kids, this isn't the Onion. It's real.

But while the F-10 had virtually nothing to recommend it 35 years ago, the Juke is a surprisingly entertaining drive.

Sitting where you can't see the styling, you press the gas pedal and a 188-horsepower 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (with 177 pounds per foot of torque) takes off rightnow. You can shift it yourself, or as in the case of our tester, opt for the Continuously Variable Transmission, and, as we've noted before, Nissan makes the best CVTs on the market today.

The Juke backs up the go power with stopping power...vented front disc brakes and solid rear disc brakes. And for in between launch and landing, the handling is remarkably good too..with front wheel drive, speed-sensitive electric power steering, an independent front suspension, torsion beam rear suspension and front and rear stabilizer bars.

The 2011 Nissan Juke's rear hints at the amount of junk that will fit in the trunk.

The tall and wide styling makes the Juke spacious for people and their things...and it's loaded with safety features like a full complement of air bags, active head restraints, seat belt pretensioners, anti-lock brakes, vehicle dynamic control with traction control system, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist.

And the inside...well, stuff gets stylish (in a funky kind of way). The color accents brighten up what could be a drab cabin, and in SL trim, the Juke is very well-equipped with leather-appointed seats, steering wheel and shift knob, steering wheel controls for audio and cruise, a 6-speaker (plus Rockford Fosgate subwoofer and amplifier) AM/FM/Sirius XM/CD/mp3 audio system with USB connection and Bluetooth, navigation including XM NavTraffic with a 5-inch color screen, pushbutton start, power locks, windows and a power sliding moonroof. That's all standard for $23,050.

The test car we had for a week had only three options...stainless steel exhaust finish for $95, carpeted floormats and cargo mat for $175 and the rear roof spoiler for $390. Tack on the $750 destination charge and the bottom line is $24,455...which is a bargain for the fun-to-drive quotient. And it gets good mileage (EPA estimate 27 city/32 highway).

The question: Can you get past the looks long enough for a test drive? And if you agreed with my assessment of the car's capabilities, would you overlook its styling and buy it?  Click the comment button and let's discuss.

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2011 Nissan Juke

The smaller-than-a-Rogue Nissan Juke crossover got its official auto show introduction in Geneva a few weeks ago, but Nissan put on on display in New York Tuesday night ahead of the Wednesday opening of the New York International Auto Show.

Automotive News was there.

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