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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  Not what I thought it would be - 2008 Porsche Cayenne
  By European Car Fan - March 29 - 8:16 pm

  Right off the bat the car had a puttering sound coming from the rear passenger side. Turns out that it is normal on the 2008 but not on previous models and is caused by the fuel pump. I had to have two areas of horrible paint runs wet sanded off of the back of the car. Also, had to have the entire roof wet sanded due to flaws left in the clear coat by the protective wrap. I get a great deal of road noise and in cabin noise caused by creaking back seats and various rattles. Excessive air noise coming in front passenger window as well. When you press against lower inside window it stops. Dealer says normal.

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  comfortable, but painfully slow - 2017 Porsche Cayenne
  By matt - January 22 - 11:00 am

  This is the base model. The interior build quality is very good but materials are plastic.

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  Feels Like an Audi S4 But Looks Better - 2016 Porsche 911
  By Mazzo Davjide - January 18 - 7:48 pm

  The power in the base engine is nothing special. The ride is terrific with sharp handling that is not too hard. The drive feels just like my 2015 Audi S4 with a manual transmission. Turn the stop start function off. It makes for a jerky ride. If you are already spending this kind of money on a Carrera, just spend the extra bucks for an S with a larger engine and more torque. In fact, the S pretty much drives the same as a GTS. I see no real advantage of the GTS except that it will probably maintain its value better. Technology is poor for these cars. Value is all in the engineering and the drive. It is not in the technology or the interior.

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  Broken Down - 2002 Porsche 911
  By NotRealHappy - December 24 - 10:00 am

  I love the look of the car and to drive it. However, build quality is very poor - from the cheap materials inside, to the rattles all over, and ultimately to the machanical breakdowns. My car has 2200 miles . . . it broke down on the highway this weekend and is in the the shop waiting for a "minor" part - a new engine. Seems mine developed a small block crack that requires a total replacement. Clearly, this is not the things of great cars! Porsche needs to focus on quality.

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  Very Disappointed - 2013 Porsche Cayenne
  By dante - November 14 - 1:34 am

  So, let me see, after less than six months of ownership and less than 3,000 miles of driving, this is what has gone wrong with my new 2013 Porsche Cayenne Turbo: after bringing in my car for loud clanging noises when I backed the car up, they replaced my entire catalytic converter. Ten days later, due to different clanging noises, they replaced all of my muffler tips and replaced my electronic key fobs as the car was not recognizing them. Are you kidding me? I should have bought the Range Rover Sport for $40,000 less from the dealer less than a mile from my home. My neighbors who have bought Range Rovers have reported no such major repairs and certainly not to a brand new vehicle.

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  Engine failure/balance shaft broke apart - 2005 Porsche Boxster
  By scott c. - October 4 - 2:40 pm

  Purchased 2005 Boxster S brand new. Never had any major issues until about 2 years with 20k miles. Thats when vehicle had complete engine failure/balance shaft broke apart. Since the car was still under warranty car was towed to my local dealer. I was told the balance shaft broke causing complete engine damage! The dealership service dept had no loaners and I was without the car for 3 weeks. When the car was given back to me interior and exterior was scratched up and steering wheel was off center. I did not want to keep the car and called/meet with Porsche rep to discuss. Porsche N.A. rep would not help at all! Due to poor reliability I traded to Mercedes.

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  an expensive lemon - 2002 Porsche 911
  By disappointed Porsche - October 1 - 2:00 am

  After 2 years with my 911, my previous awe of this car and company has been crushed. Although the car is fun to drive fast, quality is atrocious. Ive had the car in for 4 major engine repairs, including 3 repairs of the rear main seal. The car has now been at the shop over 2 weeks having its engine replaced. Porsche has made no efforts to replace car.

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  Transmission woes... - 1997 Porsche 911
  By CTarna - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I bought the car used with 9,500 miles on it. Thought buying through a dealer was the right thing to do. WRONG!!! At just over 15k miles, the shift fork for 1 and 2 gear cracked. Called Porsche, wrote letter. They said the original cast fork had a known weakness. They paid the $150 for replacement with a new, updated, forged piece- I got stuck with the $4600 labor and misc. parts bill. This dealer is horrible and I would never recommend them to anyone.

  BUYER BEWARE

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  Beware...no spare! - 2016 Porsche Cayenne
  By qnf - May 12 - 7:52 am

  After exhaustive research, I was very excited to buy my very first Porsche. Ordered exactly what I wanted and was able to track on the boat from the factory. The first 5 months of ownership was great. The lime green brakes were very eye-catching. The mileage was great.. Based on my driving pattern, was able to get about 50mpg. The only complaint was a noticeable lag on acceleration when going from electric to gas when the battery was drained but that was not a big deal. Then at about month 6, the engine light came on for no reason. All the other gauges were fine and the car ran well. Brought it into the dealership for servicing. They ran their diagnostics and said that there was a valve that had to be tightened. They did that and the car ran ok for about a week then the engine light went on again. Brought it back in and they had to change out the valve. Got it back and then a week later, same thing again. Brought it back in again. This time, they had to change out the whole system there. So far, no problem there. However, tire got slashed one day at office by bored high schoolers walking through parking lot on way home from school. Called AAA. Come to find out that the hybrid do not have spare tire because there is no space secondary to battery. Then had to wait for flat-bed tow truck in deserted parking lot at night. Just something to keep in mind if you are researching cars these days. Porsche hybrids and their sport cars will not have spare tires. I have owned lexus, audi, mercedes...never have had this much trouble with a new car!! After having the car for a year, I have had no further problems. I plug in pretty consistently and, based on my driving habits, still get about 45-50mpg. There is a definite lag going from electric to gas. Knowing that, I turn off the electric mode purposefully when I know that I have to accelerate fast. It does not accelerate like my husbands Tesla but overall nice ride.

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  911 Turbo - 2009 Porsche 911
  By Turbo - April 16 - 12:06 pm

  Right now i have a Ferrari F430 and Im leasing this 911 turbo (after Vette Z06 leased over) when I was Young my dream car was 911 turbo. So here it is 911 turbo. There was NO "WOW". Its ok to me. I think Porsche needs new revolution. It seems to me they have not changed any big past 7-8 yrs. Come on, Nissan Skyline beats 911 turbo with half of the price . I know what everybody think "what about quality of the car" well, its not that great for THIS PRICE RANGE, maybe if $40k (with opt.) less... Handling is outstanding (much better than Z06). Acceleration, brake, and quality of car are ok (based on the price).