Overview & Reviews

Porsche cars have a virtually untarnished reputation and are considered among the finest performance vehicles in the world. It's a reputation that's well-deserved. With razor-sharp handling and power aplenty, Porsche vehicles offer a driving experience like no other. It's little wonder that, for many, the marque has come to define the sports car category. For years, the only Porsches available were sleek sports cars, but the manufacturer recently expanded its lineup to include other types of vehicles.

The brand has its roots in the Porsche Engineering Office, founded in Stuttgart, Germany, by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931. Porsche brought with him years of experience as an automotive engineer; in the '20s, while employed with Daimler, his skill was tapped to create Mercedes' iconic SS and SSK sports cars. Porsche has long had close ties with Volkswagen, and the first Porsche vehicles were small two-seat sports cars that were largely based on VW chassis. From 1948-'50, most of these early Porsche cars (the brainchild of Porsche and his son Ferry) were actually built in Austria before production was switched to Zuffenhausen, Germany. Ferdinand's first real production car was the VW Beetle, so it was no surprise that his sports cars used those components and had their air-cooled engine mounted in the rear.

The 1950s saw the birth of two icons, the 356 Speedster with its low-cut windshield and the lightweight, midengined 550 Spyder. Both cars helped Porsche rack up a multitude of wins on the racetrack. In the mid-'60s, the 356 made way for the revered 911. Powered by an all-new six-cylinder engine, the coupe scored two consecutive wins at Monte Carlo. Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, the 911's air-cooled flat-six engine was located in the rear of the vehicle.

By the time the '70s rolled around, Porsche had introduced the 914 (the "affordable" Porsche with a midengine design and a targa top), the mighty 911 turbo, the disrespected 924 (powered by a weak front-mounted, water-cooled inline four) and the flagship 928 (front-mounted V8, four-seat coupe). The '80s saw the birth of the 956, a car that went on to become the most successful racecar of all time. The twin-turbo, all-wheel-drive 959 was also launched; it became the first sports car to win the Paris-Dakar Rally and the street version could hit nearly 200 mph. The athletic 944 debuted in 1983, as did a convertible version of the 911, something that had been missing for some years. The '80s also saw the rebirth of the 924, now with some muscle courtesy of the 944's strong-for-the-time (147-horsepower) inline four.

By the early 1990s the 928 had been discontinued and the 944 was replaced by the similar 968. Because of a lack of dynamic product and a tough market climate, Porsche was suffering financially. The company's savior, the Boxster roadster, debuted in 1997 and brought back the spirit of the old 550 Spyder. In 2003, Porsche committed what purists considered a sin as the company brought the Cayenne SUV to the market. However, once those enthusiasts discovered the Cayenne's sporting performance (especially in 450-hp turbo form) all was forgiven. The following year, Porsche brought out the ferocious (605-hp) Carrera GT supercar.

Today, Porsche's lineup is quite broad for a specialty automaker and now even includes a luxury super sport sedan, the Panamera. Throughout its history, Porsche has exhibited amazing resilience, weathering changes in consumer tastes and the economic climate. As such, it's safe to assume that this ever-robust company will continue to be known for making vehicles that excel at performance, luxury and usability.

User Reviews:

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  Great Buy - 2005 Porsche Boxster
  By A.H. - December 30 - 1:40 am

  I just got my 2005 Porsche Boxster S three days ago. Im very impressed with the handling, design, and quality. Im glad I made the right choice!

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  I hate my Cayenne - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By drbob - December 18 - 10:00 am

  Seat comfort is terrible and sitting in them becomes somewhat painful after long trips. Every small road variation is felt as a hard sharp bump; my teeth are getting loose! Fourtunately,my SUV has sept many nights and weeks in the shop tso I can experience a pleasant ride with the Ford loaner.

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  Good Car - 2000 Porsche Boxster
  By Dwight - December 8 - 6:30 pm

  The Porsche Boxster is a good automobile. It is fun to drive, easy to maintain, gets great gas mileage, has a good design, and it has plenty of room for two + luggage.

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  04 Cayenne - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By Porsche - December 5 - 10:40 am

  I have Owned many SUVs over the years and this is by far the most enjoyable ride.

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  Very good, but had too high expectations - 2006 Porsche Cayenne
  By MYCAY - November 18 - 5:20 am

  I agree with the previous posts about light bulbs and transmission, and would add that the V6 is terribly underpowered esp. for the fuel economy. I just had one blinker bulb changed at the dealer at a cost of $80. Its not something I want to play around with myself in this car... the entire headlight assembly has to be removed to change any bulb. The engine is sadly underpowered but the transmission itself is enough to almost ruin the driving experience. I completely agree with the other reviewer who said this Japanese-made tranny does not do the job. I often wonder how Porsche engineers ever thought this engine/tranny combo was worthy of the Porsche badge because, in my opinion, its not.

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  Great Fun Car - 1999 Porsche Boxster
  By Ski - November 16 - 2:00 am

  What a great car! It makes my day each time I drive it. Handles well out of the box, but 1999 could use more power (more fun). Excellent service and NO PROBLEMS.

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  All of these posts are BS - 2004 Porsche CARRERA GT
  By dc325ix - November 5 - 10:00 am

  As I read thru the 36 posts I have never seen such BS- none of you have driven the car nor do any of you own one- All I see is great car, very fast etc., gee no kidding-it has a V10 and 600+ hp- what did you think it was going to go 0-60 in 12 seconds. Can someone please post who actually owns one- talk about the color, interior, and if they got a chance to drive on a track or on the road. Then we might actually have honest feedback on the car etc., thanks.

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  My Third Porsche - 2006 Porsche 911
  By RYT - November 3 - 7:56 pm

  This is my third Porsche. I have had hard tops previously, but convertib les are the best. It is pretty quiet compared to the hard top. I got all options. I am not too happy with the Bose high end stereo though. It sounds flat. The exterior needs some changes. LED will be nice. This car is fun to drive. Its a real head turner. For daily use it is OK. It needs more luxury inside for $110,000.

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  Loved this car for 4 years and then... - 2005 Porsche Cayenne
  By roy_taylor - October 22 - 2:16 pm

  I absolutely loved everything about my Cayenne GTS and have been thrilled with it, until this weekend. On a ski trip to Mammoth from LA the transmission has gotten stuck in low range. It wont move up to give me a limited differential and it wont move down to road mode. If I try the 307 mile journey home I have to do it at 50mph. I googled the issue and now find that its a common problem. Porsche roadside assistance is coming tomorrow to get it but wont tow it back to LA only to Fresno. Porsche have totally let ,me down.

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  Engine Failure - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By biodev - October 17 - 11:42 am

  I am / was the original owner of a 2004 Cayenne S. I carefully maintained the car with oil changes every 7 to 10K miles, transmission fluid at 80K and the car was not driven hard. Overall the Cayenne was great to drive but extremely expensive to maintain, numerous brake jobs and sets of tires. The real disappointment was this past week after 9 years and 121K miles the engine failed. The issue was a cylinder scoring leading to failure of cylinder one. The Cayenne engine can not be rebuilt and a replacement engine is about $22K installed, used engines are about $8k installed. Upon searching the web the engine failure is not unique and it seems like it is a major issue with old Cayennes.