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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  price - 2004 Porsche CARRERA GT
  By billansam - February 18 - 10:00 am

  fun but over priced

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  Power for the family - 2009 Porsche Cayenne
  By Charly - January 28 - 3:30 pm

  Although the interiors are not great at all, once you drive the SUV it feels like a true sports car, the power on the road is amazing and the stability & brakes are fantastic. Its a solid sports car for taking the whole family for a ride (100 mph feels like 60 mph). I can not imagine the turbo version or the GTS performance since I drive the base entry level and love it! Solid powerful German car great for a weekend ride!! Pets included.

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  Amazing SUV! - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By surfer92037 - January 11 - 2:00 am

  This is an amazing SUV with outstanding performance and great comfort.

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  NEED TO IMPROVE THE INTERIOR - 2004 Porsche 911
  By rick lim - December 31 - 10:00 am

  for the of the car the interior should be lot more luxious. there is no wood trim unless you pay extra for it. compare to MB OR LEXSUD.

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  Looks and feels like a million bucks. - 2013 Porsche Boxster
  By foxster - December 29 - 6:59 pm

  Just took delivery of my first Boxster, (and first Porsche), which is unlikely to be my last. Mostly very happy with it thus far, not least because I took delivery of a car which Id ordered to my own specification, that included "only" about $7K in options.

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  Great Handling, Great Mileage, Obsolete Navigation, Insufficient PDLS range - 2014 Porsche Cayenne
  By 2kbusa - November 25 - 7:17 pm

  Ive done a lot of research before purchasing this vehicle. Dealer was quite helpful in research. Custom ordered with Premium+ pkg, pan roof, tow pkg etc on 08/22/2013. It was built, shipped and reach at dealership on 10/31. Impressive! Im quite pleased with what this vehicle offers. Below are a few details: * Handling is awesome with quick acceleration and solid stopping power - its cornering ability is impressive. * Impressive Mileage: I get 30+ mpg driving conservatively in mixed city/hwy mode. * Aggressive driving in sport mode gets me 22+ mpg in combined * Highway driving alone 32+ mpg @ 50-55mph, best keeping it under 2000RPM. goes under 30mpg @ 70+mph,

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  Best car you can buy! - 2005 Porsche Boxster
  By Ginzaman - November 15 - 2:10 am

  I had my own problem. Starting with Engine failure due to broken intermediate shaft. Dealer took it for few weeks and put a new engine after 21k. I had few other things going bad but still love my Porsche. Went to dealer probably about 10 times for minor things after that. I will probably get something like GT3 or 997S model next time. I think they could have done a better interior job but you get what you pay for. Love my car top down and still able to beat many cars like G35, 350Z, BMW 335ci and many many more. Can keep up with old M5 and Vantage. Its pretty impress for the money. Need grippier tires, like Vredstein.

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  Unbeatable - 2004 Porsche 911
  By sixstrand - October 18 - 2:00 am

  Although I have driven Porsche 911 coupes before, this is my first Cab. The difference is well worth the extra money, as is the four wheel drive. It is really hard to explain the feeling of travelling Pacific Coast Highway going through the curves at speeds I wont mention with the top down! In the past, Ive always opted for the tiptronic transmission, but I went for the 6 speed manuel on this car. It is incredibly easy to use and enables you to get performance that you just cant get from an automatic. For performance and sheer driving fun, this is the best vehicle I have ever driven!

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  Low ratio Quality/Cost - 2002 Porsche 911
  By Broken - September 13 - 11:40 pm

  Car just lost power and stopped downtown with no warning, engine is broken, waiting for repair appointment and estimates. I am disappointed with quality, On- board computer has no diagnostic message to display.

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  1999 Carrera - 1999 Porsche 911
  By David - September 13 - 4:36 pm

  I have owned many Porsches, including a factory Slant-nose turbo and a 930. I have also owned 3 Ferraris (a 250 GT, a Lusso, a 330GTC). I have driven many other fine and classic sports cars including XK-Es, Alfas,Maseratis. I have owned my 1999 Carrera convertible since new. For many years it was a third car, but since the kids are older and I dont need to drive them all over town as much any more it has been my daily driver for the last two years. While newer Carreras are prettier and slightly faster, this Porsche has been the best and most reliable sports car that Ive ever owned. While Ferraris are great, they are a maintenance headache; they break! (dont let anybody tell you differently