WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
This month: Porsche’s invisible glossy ‘buttons’
Ollie Kew:
I’d noticed this in Charlie’s Panamera, but driving a new Cayenne the other day confirmed my suspicions. Porsche fits the same glossy haptic feedback control panel console to all its Panameras and Cayennes, and then, depending on what options you’ve ticked, certain areas become clickable, for ventilated seats or sporty exhaust and the like. However, in very bright sunlight, you can see the shaded options you didn’t spec lurking there, mocking you for not working harder at school. It also means the boss’s Panam got very fingerprinty as I prodded in vain at the mystery Easter eggs. Whoops.
AS THE LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS EASED AND HAVING BEEN RECENTLY reunited with the Panamera following its time with Tom Harrison, I took the opportunity to stretch its legs in the name of team morale. An editorial team thrives off creativity and we have many of our best ideas in the pub, but with current restrictions preventing that I decided it was high time I took the pub to the team.
Loaded with a suitable amount of creative juice supplies in the form of Camden Hells and Curious Brew I set off on my socially distanced delivery round. The joy of going for a properly long drive following months of abstinence was something I savoured. Even planning the route brought with it a greater appreciation of value of the freedom we had been deprived of. My route was going to take me north initially to Stamford, then across to Luton, Aylesbury, then into west London, then south over the river, before heading all the way back across to Olympic Park, then Hertford, then back home to just south of Cambridge. Some 280 miles and time enough to get fully reacquainted with the Panamera.
The first hour was spent appreciating the big Porsche’s build quality, one of its key attributes, every button and touchpoint oozing Germanic solidity. Not having driven big distances for a while, the Panamera’s scale needed reacclimatising to – at 2m wide and 5m long it’s BIG. As the miles accumulated, the beer depleted and life as a multi-drop delivery driver was punctuated by the genuine joy of seeing the team face to face for the first time in months. I revelled in every mile. Eight and a half hours, 280 miles at an average speed of 34mph and 27.6mpg, and I was back in love with driving and ever more appreciative of the freedom our cars provide. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, it’s great to be driving again.