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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  awesome SUV - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By jim g - November 30 - 10:00 am

  Love this truck. Im a previous X5 owner and the performance and steering are the best of any SUV I test drove.

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  What a blast to own and drive - 2005 Porsche Boxster
  By Terry - November 29 - 9:20 am

  My wife and I purchased this car for her recently from a friend of ours who collects sports cars. Its "her" car but I just cant seem to keep my hands off of it. Its so much fun to drive Im looking at buying another one just so I dont have to beg her for the keys. Its cool looking, sounds great, handles like its on rails and is like riding a bolt of lightening when you push it hard through the gears. Just plain love it. Thanks Porsche!

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  If you like raw speed and handling - 2005 Porsche 911
  By Bruce - November 28 - 9:00 pm

  This is the essence of sports car driving. A little rough as a daily driver but if you like track events you shouldnt buy anything else. A true race bred street legal piece of machinery. Youll have tons of fun answering silly questios from the kids in the tricked out Civics! If you can afford it....buy it!

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  Porsche Cayenne: Best SUV - 2006 Porsche Cayenne
  By phil - November 28 - 4:50 pm

  The Porshe Cayenne is by far the best SUV made on this planet. Not only is the SUV fun to drive but it is also a very safe car. The four wheel drive is AWESOME. My family and I were driving to the airport in HEAVY SNOW. WE went in our Range Rover and I was driving but it was nearly impossible to stay on the road it was the worst snow storm i have ever been in. So, I turned around to go back home, and we switched to the Cayenne......when i got back on the road with it i was able to pass people go in the upper 80s without any trouble.(no joke)Now moving on to the fun part of driving it. This SUV is VERY FAST AND GREAT HANDLING GREAT BREAKS 0-62 in 5.2 sec. And i have had no problems.

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  More than I expected in a SUV - 2008 Porsche Cayenne
  By el415 - November 25 - 8:49 am

  You wonder how they do it, other than you being high off of the ground you hardly notice the weight and size of this car. No it doesnt have Porsche speed, but its plenty quick for any base luxury SUV. I had a Discovery 2 and a 540i. It really drives a like the 540i, but not as quick, its very similar to a 528i or an Audi A6 3.0. As to the Disco, the Cayenne is far more nimbler and much more responsive. Its a European sports sedan thats tall, big, and can go off-road (if thats important to you, check out videos on Youtube).

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  Love my Birthday Gift! - 2016 Porsche Cayenne
  By Genny - November 19 - 8:34 am

  Check out Edmunds price first!

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  One test drive - 2008 Porsche Boxster
  By RonB - November 12 - 12:36 am

  Experienced BMW owner including the Z-4. On a whim, test drove the S and could not rest comfortably until I bought it. Made the Z-4 feel like a go-cart. Gas prices or not, I make up reasons to drive somewhere.

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  my 911 coupe - 2003 Porsche 911
  By bayabas - November 10 - 10:00 am

  rough riding difficult to get in and out loud wind buffeting with sun roof open difficult to read oil gauge difficult to operate tape an cd,rsdio;one gets distracted when selecting favorite program

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  Go Baby Go! - 2003 Porsche 911
  By Victoria517 - November 10 - 10:00 am

  After driving a Merecedes, then a Corvette, my husband suprised me with a 1990 911 Cabriolet. That was three Porsches ago, and now my 2003 is my baby. My husband drives a 1996 993 Twin Turbo, so we are a Porsche family all the way! A benefit of this car that I would not tell my husband is that men check it out ALOT...which has made for some interesting conversations at red lights. ;)

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  A great ride - 2003 Porsche Boxster
  By ray daquilante - November 10 - 1:46 am

  Wow. Its the car Ive always wanted the style and character are there. Just hoping that the reliability is there cant comment too early. Will be a car that I will keep for years to come.