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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  Yippee Cayenne! - 2005 Porsche Cayenne
  By DArt - December 7 - 9:06 am

  Came out of an LX470 and was reborn again to my sports car roots but with utilitarian value. Drives better than most sports cars, but I can put the tennis ball machine, 2 buckets and equipment bag in back no problem! I can load the kids on weekends now when the wife has something else to do. Have had it in deep water up to lights and gone over the side of freeway to get out of a jam.

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  Almost Perfect - 2004 Porsche 911
  By Paul Fiala - December 6 - 10:00 am

  Daily driver, gets respect, quick, expensive, tight, makes mid life crisis something to look forward to.

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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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  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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  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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  Great automobile, lousy customer support - 2012 Porsche Cayenne
  By pablo3031 - November 6 - 6:30 am

  I purchased a new 2012 Cayenne turbo, wonderful piece of machinery. Design, looks, ride and engine all great. Brakes have been an issue, 4 visits to dealer resulted in new rotors and pads at roughly 15,000 miles due to unbearable squeaking noise, still persists. Dealer has confirmed, Porsche rep confirmed and has said that thats the way it is. I have been waiting for a call back from dealer for 4 weeks now, nothing. For a purchase of $130K I expect more from a customer service standpoint.

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  1996 Carrera 2 Coupe - 1996 Porsche 911
  By jtrane - October 15 - 12:39 pm

  Ive had several sports cars but this one was my dream from the age of 16. No car I can afford is as fun to drive and look at as a typee 993 coupe in silver finish. Fast, great handling and pretty trouble free to operate, though there are a few issues with these cars. To my eye, the 95-98 coke bottle shaped car is better looking than anything earlier and later, and the engine is fairly bullet-proof, with correct maintenance. Buy one of these if you can!

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  Took the Plunge - 2000 Porsche Boxster
  By GuyC - October 5 - 10:00 am

  After a Merc, BMW, Corvette an S4 I was fed up with high cost motors. I waited for the Crossfire, although it looked great, the cost was high the dealer wanted 10k over MSRP not to mention resale value. Here I am a proud owner of a 2nd hand Boxster. The car has legs, an amazing ammount of room, feels solid and the fuel economy is a dream. This is a safe buy, good resale value, high performance, low insurance commuter vehicle. Why risk it, get a second hand porsche and live the life !

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  An honest review - 2010 Porsche Cayenne
  By Don - September 28 - 11:16 am

  We saw it, loved the look/style, we got it, and we enjoy it. Driving is exactly what you would expect from a Porsche SUV - exciting and fun (not a soft ride, its a sports SUV). Behind the wheel is FUN and EXCITING - the car responds so well anywhere and it sounds like a powerful car should. Utilitarian also: it has lots of room in the rear end for gold clubs and much more. 4 People ride ok, no more! The large Porsche wheels stand out so nice in their design. Unfortunately, like German lux cars, they need to be cleaned regularly - they get black brake dust on them way too fast. Expect about 14 MPG (if you drive regular + some fun driving).

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  Porsche pride - 2001 Porsche 911
  By RYANDOUGLAS.CA - September 20 - 9:10 am

  Few products will ever be as iconic as this car. Nothing else is a 911. Period. The styling is classic and timeless. I suppose thats attributed to the rules and principles of aerodynamics, they wont change either.