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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  Best of all - 2005 Porsche 911
  By JD - October 25 - 3:10 pm

  I own different cars, SL500 / 750LI .., this is best of all. You really feel a sport car from inside out. Not like other, change their style completely every 4 to 8 years, this sport can says out loud "Porsche". Its acceleration is excellent. The Tiptronic transmission can be enjoyed in both auto/manual shift. My only complaints are the vehicle is too low to the ground, hard to get in or out from parking lot and the Bose stereo system is not great.. It needs more space for the backseat.

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  Like driving a High Tech Video Game - 2008 Porsche Boxster
  By James - October 17 - 1:33 am

  This car is so fun to drive. It handles likes its on rails and sounds so good that Im always turning down the $1000 upgraded Bose stereo down so I can hear the 3.4 growl. I love going anywhere now. Havent said that in a while. This is my daily driver and with the traffic here in town chose the triptronic. I never thought that I would be saying this but I am so glad I went with the Auto. Its like driving a high tech video game. Flying around corners and shifting is a blast. I can also be holding hands with my date and still drive the car like it should be driven.

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  Great car - like a big 911 - 2008 Porsche Cayenne
  By Mark Serjak - September 29 - 10:23 am

  This is my 2nd Porsche, have a 997 C4S. What surprised me the most was how close a 5000 pound vehicle can come to it. Great handling, engine, performance. Also it is a beast off-road. Dont expect much with MPG - the more fun the driving, the worse it gets. Ive averaged 14mpg +/- since owning. Fit and finish are excellent, dealer as always has been exceptional.

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  Great overall car with minor flaws - 1998 Porsche Boxster
  By in2deep - July 17 - 10:00 am

  Pros: Great looking car. Drives well. Tons of storage space. Cons: Thank God for the warranty. I couldnt afford the car without it. Ergonomics need improvement. Why even have a mechanical speedometer when its unusable. Replace with oil and battery gauge. For a high end car, the radio is mediocre at best. Clutch is clunky.

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  Long term observations - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By Peter Pivko - July 2 - 7:53 pm

  Mileage is 18 highway at best due to the excessive weight of the car and the big V-8. Overall driving impressions over the past 4 years rate this SUV as med-high. It has a stiff/harsher ride for the rear passengers as the seats do not cushion as well and are over the rear tires.

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  2005 Boxer S Problems - 2005 Porsche Boxster
  By Smiles - June 25 - 1:33 am

  I bought the car one week ago and I have about 650 miles on it. The problems that I have encountered in the first week are: the car was delivered low on oil so I had to go out and purchase oil to put in it two days after the purchase, the paint is already coming off the front intake next to the bumper, the convertable roof broke on decline and now no longer works, and the brake warning light has already come on. Truth be told is I get a new car every two years and this will be my first and last Porsche. This is a fun car to drive, but I am questioning build intergrity and quality of craftsmanship. Make sure you research the car well before you buy it and good luck.

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  Not Mom friendly - 2006 Porsche Cayenne
  By Karina - June 11 - 1:00 pm

  I really dont like this car. When we went to look at it I thought it was great because it had style, class and super comfortable seats. The more I drive it though, the less I enjoy it. The GPS system is terrible. The seats are nearly impossible for me to maneuver (cant get the head-rests on and off by myself, really hard to fold and lift the rear seats) and the rear storage is totally inadequate. I had my daughter a year after I bought this car and it is so difficult to put the car seat in and out of too! On the other hand, we were rear eneded when she was a newborn and barely felt the impact which was nice.

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  High Performance, Low Quality - 2006 Porsche Cayenne
  By bill sun - May 20 - 5:20 am

  I bought my Cayenne six months ago. Its fun to drive and I really enjoyed it until I had to send it back to the dealership for repair recently. I test-drove BMW X5 V8, Range Rover, Lexus GS470, Acura MDX and Volvo XC90 V8 before I bought the Cayenne S, which gave me the best road experience among all. The only one I didnt test was Mercedes GL450. The reliability was fair, or even poor. The plastic trim beneath the rear door broke in two month and I had to get it repaired at the dealership. The cup holder was broken two month later. One day I found the control panel was not working, and the the 4 wheel drive was not functioning. I scheduled a service appointment on the next day, but my Cayenne wouldnt start. Before I could drop the car at the dealership. Porsche sent a service guy help me to jump start my vehicle. Now the car is in the autoshop. I guess its a circuit and/or battery problem.

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  WOW, now this is a sports car! - 2001 Porsche 911
  By spamjuice - May 19 - 9:06 am

  After sending away my 2004 M3, I bought my 2001 911 Turbo and what a difference that was. This car will give you goose bumps in the turns, acceleration, the roar of the rear engine and in braking. It even looks fast at the stop light! I have to admit, it took me a little time to adjust to the rear weight bias, but overall, the car is very manageable. I only dared to switch the PSM off every now and then. Everything is fantastic in the car, the interior with the curves look more Italian than German. Never had a problem with it so far, built like a tank.

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  If you like to be different from the crowd - 2015 Porsche Macan
  By adm77450 - May 11 - 10:31 pm

  For the most part I love my new Macan. It was what I was looking for in the way of sportiness and practicality after having a Mercedes CLS that couldnt handle the bad roads of Houston. In sport mode it is engaging and quick but in traffic I just drive in comfort mode. Perfect size and easy to park. Only problem so far is my Sat radio function stopped working after 4 days and I have been waiting over 2 months for a replacement. Pretty disappointed that Porsche has not fixed this yet but hopefully soon. Getting about 21MPG combined so far.