Porsche Pulls Off the Sports Car Version of Bigfoot

The Fastest, Biggest Thing You Never Thought You’d See

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The Porsche Panamera is a sedan that drives like a sports car. No really, this time.

Car manufacturers routinely claim to have created a sedan that drives like a sleek sports car. It’s as promised as often as “no new taxes” and actually seen as frequently as Bigfoot. But Porsche actually pulled it off with the revamped 2017 Porsche Panamera Turbo.

This is a big car (16-feet long) that corners like it’s being driven by one of the Fast & Furious guys. It almost does not seem possible that a car this bulky can move this quickly (0-62 MPH in 3.6 seconds). It comes across as a little unnatural — like seeing Nicole Kidman in a TV show.

No wonder why it’s brought a whole different kind of attention to the iconic brand behind the Porsche 911.

“The big buzz is the new Panamera,” says Billy Bennett of Porsche of North Houston. “It’s a completely new body.” The once-ridiculed Panamera is finally cool, like a Porsche is supposed to be.

Brand new interiors complete the transformation with a sleek black look and an infotainment screen in back that’s almost big enough to watch the Super Bowl on. Of course, with the massage seats your mind might be a million miles away from that screen. With only four seats, the Porsche Panamera might not be a true family car, but continues Porsche’s push to capture more than its diehard fanboys.

It follows the introduction of Macan in 2015, the most alien Porsche of all — one with a less than $50,000 base price.

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“It’s a new era for Porsche,” Bennett says. “We’re seeing a lot of people come in who never thought they could afford a Porsche. It’s really been a game changer for us. Not everyone can afford an $80,000 car, but $50,000 for a Porsche… that opens it up.”

Porsche of North Houston is doing well enough to be building a new, state-of-the-art showcase dealership about six miles from its current digs. The new building is much larger than the old digs — measuring in at whopping 64,000 square feet. There will be room for more than 400 cars.

Yes, it’s new world for an iconic brand that dates back to 1931 and truly burst onto the scene with the introduction of the still legendary 911 in 1963.

One thing that hasn’t changed? That Porsche speed.

Porsche of North Houston, 18111 North Freeway, 281.206.0300, porscheofnorthhouston.com; Porsche of West Houston, 11890 Katy Freeway, 855.774.6351, porschewesthouston.com; Park Place Porsche Dallas, 6113 Lemmon Ave., parkplace.com, 214.525.5400.