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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  My Cayman S experience - 2008 Porsche Cayman
  By dhsieh - April 15 - 1:13 am

  I bought a Cayman S on Jan. 2008 and have put in 1700 miles since. Overall I am happy with the performance and driving experience. In the past, I have owned Bimmer, Mercedes, Lexus & Infiniti in the past. By far, Cayman gives the most exhilaration and fun. Above all, it returns 19.7 mpg in average and this is simply incredible for a pure sports car.

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  Best Car Ive owned - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By Lori - February 12 - 4:40 pm

  My Porsche Cayeene Turbo provides great power and handling. It is terrific in the snow (with the correct tires). Service has been excellent at my local dealer. I just drove through a blizzard with no skidding and great control.

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  Porsche Carrera S Convertible - 2006 Porsche 911
  By RT - February 6 - 11:06 am

  I traded in my my hard top for a convettible. Believe it or not, the inside is as quiet as the hard tops was. The interior should be more luxurious since the car costs $100,000+. I have a 325W Bose stereo but am not too impressed. It still sounds FLAT when the top is down. Last week I up grade the Amp to 600W. Now the car is awesome. NOTE TO EVERYONE: Remember every Porsche is different from others. For example, one cars crutch feels different from others. From my experience, all 3 Porsches I have owned, everything is perfect except one minor defect. My first one had loose inside door handles. With my second one, the car vibrated hard when the AC was on. Now in my third one, there is a rattling noise from the drivers side door while crusing. My dealer could not repaid any of these issues.

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  A Drivers SUV - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By cayennes - January 30 - 10:50 am

  I got my Porsche Cayenne S over the BMW X5 4.4i. In addition to all the precision in handling and world class performance - this SUV is very quiet to cruise around in. The revised 0-60 mph figure of 6.8 seconds is very conservative IMHO. It probably can out run 70% of the sports car on the road and at the same time, I have carried 8 tires (255/55 18) with the rear seats folded down. I have had no problems at all with the snow tires and winter driving / skiing trips, etc. Theh Cayenne is the king of SUV hands down! If you get the Turbo or the Turbo S, you can probably outrun 90-99% of the sports car out there.

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  Quick with no slip - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By Ben F Grudzien - January 28 - 7:00 am

  My 2004 Porsche Cayenne S is fast, quiet, noticed, great in the snow, has a great sound system, and gets decent gas mileage when driven reasonably.

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  2005 Porsche Cayenne - 2005 Porsche Cayenne
  By M - January 24 - 11:06 pm

  The Porsche Cayenne is the best of all the SUVs. It has decent off road performance combined with smooth on road performance. If you will do most of your driving on road, get performance tires (not off road or M&S). The ride will be much better, and the cornering performance is on par with many sport sedans.

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  Wondering if I made the right decision - 1998 Porsche Boxster
  By SADinGermany - January 10 - 10:00 am

  Yeah a Porsche, I thought I was getting a great deal with a 98 and less then 25k miles. Thank goodness I didnt pay that much, because the first trip to the dealer for a tuneup set me back $1500 and was told that I would need a new starter soon. Then a week later, I was putting the roof down and the back window split down the middle. The Porsche dealer said it was my fault for putting down the roof in cold weather- it was 10C. This is a great little car really fun to drive! But had I known that the quality of the parts were that crappy I never would have bought it. I would have gone for the BMWZ3.

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  911 coupe s (991 version with PDK) - 2012 Porsche 911
  By rad97 - December 16 - 9:48 am

  What a nice car! I have had the previous version with both cabriolet and coupe s and this version is significantly better than both. Its like having 2 cars in one. If you want to push it, its a Porsche and responds instantly. If you want to drive sedately, then it can be comfortable and composed. The new steering and suspension are top notch; not too stiff, but keeps the car flat when pushed. The PDK is the best; forget about the manual. Only downsides are the price and no place for your sunglasses or phone. User interface is also not the easiest with the touchscreen, but thats just nitpicking. If you can afford it get it.

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  Porsche Cayenne - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By KiltyM - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Much better than I thought it would be.

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  attitude in a convertible - 2004 Porsche Boxster
  By ocedavid - November 29 - 10:00 am

  The S Boxster is fun and a real attention getter. the torque is amazing and the acceleration will keep you in your seat. Tight cornering and braking are enequaled. I have had Porsches for 30 years and this is the best.