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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  Surprising - 2009 Porsche Cayenne
  By malcum1 - September 10 - 10:54 pm

  We bought a new Cayenne Turbo S back in 08 for a vacation driver and something to get the groceries with, I was expecting a modest speed, unreliable car and was against buying it but my wife insisted. This car has speed the rivals my 2012 Jaguar and we havent had any issues with it breaking down despite having driven it over 40k miles.

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  Perfect Sports Car - 2007 Porsche Boxster
  By Porsche Nut - September 5 - 11:00 am

  My bride and I ordered this car in June of 2006 as our wedding gift to each other. Even though we bought the "base" Boxster, we optioned it up with all the goodies including the hardtop to a list of $67000! We got the base as it has plenty of power, great performance and really does get over 30 mpg on the highway. It is great for tooling around the backroads of Pennsylvania, Virginia, West (by God) Virginia and Maryland and can hold enough luggage for a week and still have room left for making frequent stops at the wineries! The overall performance is superb. I have owned Alfas, Fiats, Lancias, Triumphs and nothing compares to the Porsche. Expensive yes, but well worth it.

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  Porsche for Boomers - 2003 Porsche Cayenne
  By Porsche for Boomers - September 1 - 10:00 am

  The Cayenne S is more sports car than SUV. Space is not abundant, but the trade off is performance and handling. Not may creature comforts, save that for Lexus!. The Cayenne handles like a 3000 lb coupe and not a 5000 lb truck. The 6-speed tip is fun, but in automatic mode, the shift points are at lower RPMs and you can easily lose torque. The 6-speed auto doesnt really save on gas either. At highway speeds the Cayenne S is rock solid and cruises easily over 100 mph with room to spare. X-5 has more refined ride, but more sway as well. The Cayenne S is the sports version of the VW Toureg which is $15K less for the V-8 version with air suspension

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  C4S, the Turbo without the 400 HP engine - 1996 Porsche 911
  By Duane C. - August 24 - 10:00 am

  The 993 is the last of the air-cooled, handmade Porsches. Not only a beautiful car to look at, but with all-wheel drive and "big red" brakes, it goes like stink at the track. Dont buy this car if all you want to do is parade down main street. Youll regret it and sell it within a year. Its primitive, noisy, has a lousy stereo. Like an F-16 fighter, its designed to do one thing and do it better than any thing else and that is to get from point A to point B fast. With the 993 series, the 15K manual valve adjustment requirement is gone and they have no bad habits. If you want a REAL sports car, this is one of the top contenders. And if it rains, youll look like Micheal Schumacher.

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  Porsche there is no subsitute - 2001 Porsche Boxster
  By Tesqua - August 21 - 11:13 am

  The Porsche Boxster is an extension of the driver. The steering is precise, the brakes are right there, the midship mounted engine is very responsive, and the car is well balanced. Mine is a daily driver that handles driving slowly in town and at speed on country roads equally well.

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  Worst exotic imitation ever! - 2008 Porsche 911
  By Bill Scallia - August 19 - 8:30 pm

  This car is not an exotic at all! It is not worth the price. I own several other exotic cars, and this is the worst! I enjoy my BMW M Roadster better. Heres why. I am not a huge fan of the design. I was hoping to do a longer road test, since I "heard" that the performance was "good". But, the dealer would only let me try it on traffic laden streets for around 2.5 miles. I THOUGHT it might do better, and so I enthusiastically bought it. Now, I regret it. I sold the car around 5 months after I purchased it for around 65% of the original value. I bought a Mercedes Benz AMG, and it is 500% better. Do not get this exotic want-to-be!

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  Fix the tranny - 2006 Porsche Cayenne
  By NABMAN - August 19 - 2:43 pm

  The Cayenne is great. High performance, fast, corners well, luxurious and well built. Excellent performance on the highway but this vehicle has one major problem- the tranny. In the city, it is not nimble enough to weave in and out of traffic. It is hard to control. Too fast or your punching it to switch gears. The acceleration is inconsistent. (I understand they changed this in the 08) The tranny takes forever to decide which gear it should go into and this creates lag. If you are accustomed to high performance cars in the city, you will feel this. Likely to save gas, the tranny shifts up too quickly and down late in normal slow city driving. I have had this reset and am told thats it

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  Great Car - 2004 Porsche 911
  By Brian Newmark - August 17 - 10:36 am

  Great car.

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  Great Ride - 2007 Porsche 911
  By blueGT3 - August 9 - 4:03 pm

  GT3 is a one of the all time great rides. Drove 16 hrs down the east coast as snow was soon arriving, got 26 mpg, no tickets, its 70 degrees. GT3 is built like a vault. Everything works flawlessly. Exhaust note is exceptional when you want it, and quiet when you dont. The least conspicuous supercar made but still gets tons of looks and comments, along with cell phone picture taking. The ceramic brakes are remarkable often the standard in braking comparisons. 3000 perfect miles since August.

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  It makes me smile - 2004 Porsche Boxster
  By sam wilson - August 9 - 10:00 am

  We do not drive it unless we can put the top down. It is a great joy to drive, strong acceleration, smooth gearbox that I enjoy double clutching, and incredible grip. We seek out roads with curves just to feel the lateral force when it is accelerated out of curves. Dealer has been very good, although parts are pricey. I had to replace an ignition cylinder and it was $400.00. Two of us who do not pack very well can fit enough luggage for a long weekend, including carrying the car cover. Exceptionally strong air conditioner allows top down driving on hot summer days. This is my first Porsche but I know now why Porsche owners are so fanatical.