Langley S

Reviewed a 2011 Porsche Turbo AWD on Aug 11, 2011

Wanted to find a sporty drive that I can also use to take kids to school, throw my bike in for trips, has good handling in the snow and is a ton of fun to drive... viola... First off this car is quite expensive so that has to be taken into consideration right off the bat. But, having said that this is the most amazing car I've ever driven. The truly amazing thing about this car is the handling. This is a fairly heavy SUV, but it handles like a small sports car. yes it is very fast in a straight line but what is bizarre is how tight and stable it is going into turns. It is like it is a small 911 or other sports car. This is achieved with quite a bit of technology - namely PDCC. Porsche uses special software and shocks to manage body roll in the car so the car is absolutely flat going into turns. it is strange how nimble this car feels in hard cornering. The interior of this car is simply amazing. The seats are sports seats and hold you in tight, vs. sloppy bucket seats. The interior has tons of wonderful leather. The back seats are plenty large for 2 adults or 3 kids. Cargo space is pretty decent and you can put the back seats down for a very large cargo space. I used to own the 2005 cayenne turbo and my biggest complaint about that car was the transmission. It was a 6 speed transmission but the software for the shifting was horrible. The car was always in the wrong gear, resulting in hesitation on acceleration or bad handling in turns. This car has a wonderful 8 speed transmission that seems to know exactly what gear to be in. You can switch to manual shifting but in this car you won't need to as the transmission is perfect. Always in the right gear. Iphone integration is wonderful. You songs and phone book map beautifully with the display in the car so you have access to all that information in the car via a great touch screen display. The gas mileage in this car is not great, it is greatly improved over previous versions 18 city, 24 highway but the mileage is not great. Overall, this is an expensive car.... let's get that on the table first off. But.... if you want a sports car feel for a wonderful "sports sedan" that can haul your 3 kids to school, handle your ski or biking gear and is a ton of fun to drive (including the winter snow weather), this is an amazing car. but.. it is expensive.... Update 2 years later - I've now owned this car for 2 years and I actually love it more than the day I bought it. Continue to be amazed at the handling of this car. Despite it being an SUV, it handles like a sports sedan. The car is very tight and handles curves like a 911 - goes into and stays flat in turns with no sway. The only downside to this car is the mileage, the price and the fact that you have to pay attention when on highways. This car is so stable and quiet that if you do not pay attention you will be going 90 MPH before you now it.