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 Rules - 2007 Porsche Cayman
  By Dr. Philip DeVore - September 8 - 7:26 pm

  I have driven over 40 autos since the age of 16. 6 Corvettes, 3 BMWs, 3 Mazdas, 3 Mercedes, Talons (Junk), Buicks, 442s, and countless others, but this is the best thing since sliced manifolds. The Cayman is far, above, and beyond any other autos out there. Although it has more horsepower than my Boxster, and less torque, it is the quickest thing I have driven since my 427 vette fitted with tripower (69). The mid range power is fun, and truly sends me and passengers into the seats.

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  Shame of German Engineering! - 2006 Porsche Cayenne
  By A Porsche Lover - September 8 - 5:46 am

  This is by far the WORST SUV, or for that matter car, any company has ever made. I had a Toyota 4Runner that had better performance, acceleration, power, and gas millage than this piece of crap! Let me tell you. before this, I had the Cayenne S, and thats a completely different car than the 6-cylinder! This car has absolutely no juice! It is supposed to have 240 HP, but the acceleration and the power as worse than a 4-cylinder Ford Ranger truck! And the gas millage is about 12.8 mpg on average! Do not buy or lease this vehicle! Pay a little more, and get the Cayenne S. I am returning mine back to the dealer at whatever cost! I can;t stand it, for shame Porsche!

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  Smilin and Drivin - 2009 Porsche 911
  By sd - September 7 - 8:23 am

  Awesome vehicle! Just got it and still breaking it in. Got a great deal on a new 09c2s 6-sp. As opposed to many exotics, it is fairly low maintenance (annual or 12k), good on gas (~20-25 mpg), can hold 2 small kids in the rear fairly comfortably for short trips (?family car, ha ha ha..), and reliability.

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  Great car, but problems - 2007 Porsche Boxster
  By aa - September 7 - 4:26 am

  I am now on my second Boxster S. I traded in my 2001 for this current model. I love driving the car, I like the exhaust note a lot more than my previous one, it handles great etc. Funny thing just happened, I started to notice a clanking sound from the front left. I took it to the dealer twice and apparently there is a problem with some sort of pressure line in the power steering system. It apparently is a problem that Porsche has been aware of on these new models as well as the Caymans, but there is no repair solution. Because it is apparently not a safety concern I cant lemon the car. So now I have a car that is fun to drive except for that hideous noise from the front... go figure.

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  New one - 2006 Porsche Boxster
  By db65 - September 5 - 11:23 am

  I previously owned a 99 blk on blk Boxster in 04. That car blew an engine at 72k miles that cost me $12k to replace. Due to my passion (possible stupidity) I traded in for a 06 Arctic Silver Boxster fully loaded. So far, I have finally had the Porsche experience but miss some of the 986 raw elements. The new 06 is more refined and had the gadgets but lacks some of the 986 prowlness and agility. Overall, the Boxster cant be beat. Buy one and see for yourself what fun you can have.

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  Boxster 03 - 2003 Porsche Boxster
  By Meridian - September 4 - 10:00 am

  Excellent torque. Drives effortlessy and has very comfortable seats, even after several hours. Brakes are the best Ive ever experienced. The total package is a great confidence builder. My car is still new but if it continues to perform as it does now Ill be one happy camper.

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  A Beast Like No Other - 2003 Porsche 911
  By BWJaster - September 4 - 10:00 am

  Theres good reason for Porsche to hold icon status. Everything about these cars puts them in a category above all else. Ive never before had so much fun driving, nor felt so challenged by a vehicle, than I do with my 911. This car requires your complete attention at all times. And you must give it everything youve got, because you know that it will give you everything its got with just a simple request and no backtalk. Im not sure I could ever be happy again driving anything else.

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  TIMELESS - 2003 Porsche 911
  By Don R. - September 4 - 10:00 am

  This is my 3rd Porsche,,,,,and the best of them all.....the design is "timeless" and the car is completely up to date.....nothing even comes close....this is an "exotic" for everyday use.....the only "problem" I find is that I hate the factory radios....changed mine for an Alpine with cd changer (6 disc).....

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  Love my 911 - 2003 Porsche 911
  By giambra - September 4 - 10:00 am

  This is the an awesome vehicle. Much better than the Mercedes sport car.

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  Great - 2009 Porsche 911
  By chet - August 28 - 9:40 am

  This is my 3rd Porsche. The first one I "totaled" in an accident with a van. I walked away from the accident unhurt. The van pulled out of me and I slammed into its side at 40 mph. The safety features built into the car are functional. My current Porsche is their new 2009 with their automatic transmission. Its great. The power is there when you want it. This transmission allows my wife to drive. She was intimidated with the older manual transmission. One can manually shift with the steering wheel paddles, but the cars computer can handle the shifting requirements better than the driver. And besides, with the auto trans. you get better performance.