Porsche is a luxury car brand originating from Germany. On June 8, 1948, the first car bearing the now iconic Porsche badge, the Type 356, was unveiled. This sports car was built by Ferdinand Porsche and his son, and it featured a modified Volkswagen drive train and a mid-chassis engine. The success of this car boosted Ferdinand Porsche to make over 78,000 vehicles over the next two decades. Since then, Porsche has continued to shape the future of sports cars and currently makes compelling luxury sports cars.
Price/Value
Depending on the trim level, Porsches can vary greatly in price, with the Turbo S usually the highest spec and trim option. Porsche offers a variety of vehicle models that start at different price points, but all are still luxury vehicles. You can expect the Porsche Panamera to start at $87,200, the Porsche 911 Carrera to start at $99,200, and the Porsche Cayenne at $67,500. Porsche cars are built as luxury sports cars and are designed to be both fast and comfortable.
Depreciation
Porsches will, on average, usually hold their value quite well. The 911 holds its value the best out of all the Porsche models. The Macan and Cayenne SUVs hold their values decently compared to the competition, but the Panamera lags behind in this regard. These models depreciate on average about 22.56% over the first year of ownership.
Reliability
Porsche makes some of the most reliable cars in the world. In a study done by J.D. Power, Porsche ranked as one of the most reliable cars and received the J.D. Power Dependability Award for the 2017 Porsche Macan. This study was conducted by asking individuals who owned the car for over three years whether they had experienced any faults and whether they had made any repairs within the past 12 months. This data was then converted to faults per 100 cars.
Porsche Models
1. Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is one of the most iconic sports cars in history. It starts at $99,200 for the 911 Carrera and goes up to $203,500 for the fully loaded 911 Turbo S. The 911 models have an economy of 18 miles per gallon and all come with a 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six engine producing 379 horsepower. The model also features an eight-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission.
2. Porsche 718
The Porsche 718 is a light and fast coupe. It starts at $59,900 for the 718 Cayman and runs up to $100,200 for the fully loaded 718 Cayman GT4. The 718 models will usually have an economy of between 21 to 25 miles per gallon during combined city/highway driving, depending on the engine configuration selected. These vehicles all come standard with a six-speed manual transmission. The Cayman GT4 comes with a 4.0-liter, naturally aspirated engine that produces 414 horsepower, the Cayman S a 2.5-liter turbocharged engine that produces 350 horsepower, and the Cayman and Cayman T 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that produces 300 horsepower.
3. Porsche Panamera
The Panamera is a four-door car that comes as either a sedan, a wagon, or a hybrid. The Panamera starts at $87,200 for the base variant and $198,100 for the top level Panamera Turbo S E-hybrid Executive. It has an economy of 21 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving, and the Turbo S Panamera can produce 677 horsepower through its 4.0-liter, eight-cylinder turbocharged hybrid engine.
4. Porsche Taycan
The Porsche Taycan is one of the newest models. It is a fully electric, four-door sedan that starts at $79,900 for the regular Taycan and costs up to $185,000 for the fully loaded Taycan Turbo S. The Taycan has an estimated range of approximately 200 miles as tested by the EPA and a top speed of 260 kilometers per hour for the premium trim Turbo S. It features a two-speed automatic transmission. The Taycan supports Porsche’s Turbo Charging, thus allowing the vehicle to get 62 miles of range after a five-minute charge. The Taycan also supports 400 Volt charging stations.
5. Porsche Macan
The Porsche Macan is a compact SUV that starts at $52,100 for the base model and goes up to $84,600 for the fully loaded Macan Turbo. The Macan has an economy of 21 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving. All Macan models feature an all-wheel drive system and a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission.
6. Porsche Cayenne
The Cayenne is a luxury SUV built to rival smaller sports cars. It starts at $67,500 for the regular Cayenne and runs up to $166,200 for the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe. The Cayenne averages an economy of 21 miles per gallon in city/highway driving, and models usually feature a 3.0-liter turbocharged engine, except the e-Hybrid that has an electric hybrid turbocharged engine.
Maintenance
Porsche Scheduled Maintenance Plans range from two years/20,000 miles up to five years/50,000 miles. These plans are enticing because they have fixed pre-determined prices for the consumer, meaning that, even as the vehicle ages and the risk of faults arising are raised, the price remains the same. For used cars, Porsche Certified Pre-owned vehicles can be purchased for two years/100,000 miles once the original warranty has expired.
Features
Porsche usually affords many indulgent features because they are luxury vehicles. These include heated leather seats, heated steering wheels, power seats, panoramic glass roofs, advanced climate control, large infotainment screens that support Apple CarPlay, advanced sound systems, voice commands, and navigation.
They usually also feature a sports button that re-configures the car to give it a sporty, more responsive feel. Modern Porsches may even feature larger wheels and brakes for higher trim levels. They will also usually feature some sort of launch control system.
Safety
Porsches are very safe vehicles. In the Euro NCAP tests, the Macan, Taycan, and Cayenne all received perfect five-star ratings. These ratings mean that the car is able to actively protect the occupants from a variety of collisions.
Modern Porsches feature many safety features, such as anti-lock brakes, stability control, front-impact airbags, side-impact airbags, belt pretensioners, and belt load limiters as standard. These factors play the biggest role in occupant safety in a crash. Porsche also offers parking sensors, lane-keeping assist, collision and brake assist, Porsche Stability Management, a rearview camera, and more.
What’s Next?/Future Products
Porsche seems to be moving towards an electric future where most, if not all, of their models will have fully electric variants. Following the release and success of the Taycan, the manufacturer is reportedly working on an electric Macan with an all-electric Boxster and Cayman rumored to follow at some point. The electric Macan is planned to be launched sometime in 2023.
