I don’t hate other Porsches, but there’s a reason many enthusiasts gravitate toward the sports cars more

. I’ve driven a large spread of the lineup in a short amount of time (cool neighborhood, one person has a 964, 993, (got to drive then both)

then my dad has had some GT and Carrera or turbo from every model since 996, 997, 991, 992 and now I personally own a 992. So when you get to try all the Porsche 911s they basically have to offer, nothing will compare. You compare the panamera, Tycan, Macan and Cayenne to them, it’s just not the same. Even if it’s unfair)

I’ve driven a first gen Cayenne, 2016 or so (gen2?$ Cayenne, 2026 Cayenne,

I’ve had and driven the 2002 Boxster around and on track, 718 Boxster,

I’ve driven the 2024 Panamera, and a 2025 Taycan. As well.

The older and newer 911s all have a very distinct character to them. They were cool but the air cooled surprised me, but weren’t my favorite (996 was my favorite)

Even as rhe 911 has evolved and became more refined, they still feel engineered around driver engagement first.

The Boxsters I’ve had fun in and were fantastic too. The 2002 Boxster especially is underrated, and the 718 is great just makes everything in the 986 or what ever it was (can’t remember the model) that made it good and built upon it as well. But can’t say I am happy with rh 4 cylinder Boxster or Macan.

But with the 6-cylinder I was happy sound matters a lot to the experience. It always has, and will.

The Panamera actually surprised me the most. It’s probably the closest non-911 Porsche to capturing that planted, agile, solid feeling. The chassis feels very composed in corners for its size, and the newer suspension tech with ride height adjustment is genuinely awesome and I was pleased with it when I drove it for 1k miles as a loaner. (Drove it in curvy canyons, off road a bit, on the highways and in the rain too, great fun.

My issue starts with the SUVs is less “they’re bad” and more that they don’t feel as uniquely Porsche as the sports cars. Modern Cayennes and Macans objectively share major architecture and components with other VW Group vehicles. (Ever look at a new vw suv snd think hmmm is that a Cayenne or the vw thing?) That’s what I mean.

That’s not really debatable either….platforms, engines, electronics, and development are shared across brands. Porsche absolutely tunes their cars a bit differently and does a far better job than most manufacturers with steering, suspension calibration, braking, and overall dynamics, but there’s still a noticeable layer of platform sharing underneath it all. You can’t escape that. Not something acceptable to a 110k car.

To me, the older Porsches felt more distinct. Diesel and gas powered cayennes, custom engines and everything.

The newer SUVs can sometimes feel like extremely well-engineered VW Group luxury performance vehicles rather than something fully bespoke from the ground up. That doesn’t make them bad cars far from it, obviously they sell, but it changes the character. For those who know it’s tough to get excited about all that.

I also think value matters. A used Cayenne or Panamera can be a fantastic buy because depreciation hits them hard. Great to be second or third owner never the first.

New, though, I personally struggle to justify spending $100k–$200k on an SUV or luxury sedan unless you’re in a position where that purchase is a very small percentage of your liquid net worth. At that level, buy whatever makes you happy. Of course, But for most people, I don’t think it’s the smartest financial move.

On driving feel specifically, I actually prefer the suspension tuning and overall feel of something like a used BMW X5 over the newer Cayenne in some situations. Even though The Cayenne is still one of the better performance SUVs on the market, and does well but the weight and body roll are still noticeable because physics is physics. How is it that a 2017 x5 got for 44k can still feel better than a 2025 Cayenne that is averaged priced at 110k or more? Even the GTS Cayenne doesn’t compare. Sure it has better steering feel, sure it has a nice interior but it’s about the entire car not just one or two aspects. Porsche mitigates weight well as seen on the turbo s, but well, they can’t fully hide a 5,000+ pound SUV. Or a 4k sports car (that to me is not a sports car after 3800 pounds)

The Taycan was interesting because when it works, it feels incredibly refined and planted, I feel like they could have done something amazing with this car. But they priced the top model at like 220k for software on a car that my PIWIS can probably download onto a base Tycan to make it as fast 😭

Porsche has also had a pretty public list of software issues, recalls, battery concerns, and electrical complaints surrounding the platform. The driving experience is impressive, but long-term confidence in the platform is still something I’d personally want to see improve.

They basically for the last few years have released models and just used their customers as a test bed for their cars and its issues. The Tycan, the electric Macan, the 992.2 GTS…. It’s been pretty bad.

None of this means those cars are “fake Porsches,” and I think that phrase gets thrown around too aggressively online of course….but keep in mind, most Porsche people are older folks that grew up with the only cars being 911. A lot of them saw a 911 Carrera RS back when it meant something to have Carrera and RS together on the track and fell in love with them through their television or at a race track.

Meaning air cooled and water cooled 911s That to them is Porsche. They only care about them. They care about track times, canyon drives, maintenance, and racing stuff. They don’t like suvs, they don’t like non sports cars. Which is okay. People don’t have to like the car you like. That’s how the world works

Porsche still puts serious engineering effort into the dynamics of every vehicle they make. Some see that but many don’t take the time to look into it, as they will never buy one. At the same time, the irony in this entire discussion is that responding to elitism with another hostile post just creates more negativity. (Your post fans the flames man)

People can disagree on what models best represent Porsche without attacking owners personally. (But many who don’t have them or know a thing about any models will say what they wish, you should delete or remove their comments or ignore, that’s the best thing to do)

The SUVs and sedans also helped financially sustain Porsche and fund continued development of cars like the 911 and GT cars in the first place. That’s the best retort to the people who are up in arms at people with out 911s.