Porsche 911 Turbo (2013 spy shots

After years of looking at prototypes of the new 991-generation Porsche 911 with Turbo-style stickers plastered over its flanks, the real thing has finally broken cover. Read on for the full story on the new Porsche 911 Turbo.

Ah, I see this Porsche 911 has proper air intakes and a properly big wing…

Indeed it does. Those side intakes feed air to the hungry twin-turbocharged engine, and the big bi-plane rear wing will pop up to provide additional stability at high speeds. (Traditionally, the Turbo’s rear wing only tends to rise into place at speeds that are illegal in the UK, giving Plod the perfect telltale sign that you’re above the national limit).

All 991 911s will sport a longer wheelbase, and the extra length is perhaps most obvious on the Turbo, with the intakes and rear wing helping to expose the new car’s true proportions.

And the famous forced-induction engine?

Unbelievably, the latest 911 Turbo received the first entirely new engine in the famed model’s 35-year history, so don’t expect anything new between the back axles. The twin-turbo 3800cc flat six already features direct fuel injection, and together with the GT2’s expansion intake manifold, and diesel-style variable turbine geometry turbos (to up the engine’s outputs but cut its consumption and emissions) the current Turbo is around 17% cleaner and greener than its predecessor.

However, with stop/start tech, aluminium body parts and electro-mechanical steering, the next Turbo should drop down from the 268g/km of today’s PDK-equipped car to below 250g/km CO2.

As for the power outputs, reckon on the new Turbo having the same 523bhp as the current Turbo S (up from 493bhp); once again there should be a Turbo S version too, with nearly 550bhp. As previously reported, the new 911 will come with both a seven-speed PDK ‘box and a seven-speed manual transmission, and it’ll be the former you’ll want to pick to achieve a McLaren matching-3.3 second 0-62mph time.

And presumably all that turbocharged torque needs a four-wheel drive system to keep in check?

Indeed it does, and beneath the wider bodywork of the Turbo hides an updated four-wheel drive set-up, plus revised MacPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear tuned for both more compliance and more grip. Active engine mounts will also improve cornering and straight-line comfort.

20-inch wheels will be standard, and all manner of acronyms will be available to keep you on the road, including Porsche Traction Management (PTM), Porsche Stability Management (PSM), Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV).

Reckon on paying £110k for a 911 Turbo when UK sales start sometime in 2013.

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk

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Porsche Panamera V6 (2011)

Porsche's Panamera is the entry-level model in Porsche's five-door GT range. Fitted with a 3.6-litre V6 engine shared with the Porsche Cayenne, the basic Panamera begs a significant question: without the massive performance or four-wheel drive, does the Panamera's four-seater practicality overwhelm the controversial looks?

Read on for out test of the Porsche Panamera V6 to find out...

Porsche Panamera V6: the Porsche family car?

One week, two very different drives in the entry level Panamera V6. The first was a night away with the wife and two-year-old, the second a quick blast over a favourite road.

Load the family aboard and you’ll need to squeeze their belongings in the undersized boot like you’re overwhelming a sandwich toaster, and the rear seats – just the four seats total in a Panamera – are a little less spacious than you might expect. But the seats are comfortable, and the fit and finish impeccable. It’s a lovely place to be. Adopt a chauffeur-like attitude to family ferrying and the V6 works incredibly well. Road- and wind-noise is near non-existent, the ride firm if perfectly acceptable, the PDK gearbox (an option) incredibly smooth and the V6 refined, its 296bhp perfectly up to the job.

Driving the Panamera V6 without the wife and kids

Drive it harder and you notice the V6 becoming breathy and feeling overworked, while the dual-clutch gearbox’s façade occasionally falters – it can thunk when you floor it at very low speeds, and takes too long to jump from seventh to, say, third when you need to overtake. I remember the rear-drive V8’s auto feeling smoother, more decisive. But the steering is excellent, the body well controlled, the chassis agile – and, at 1730kg, it’s 240kg lighter than the all-paw Panamera Turbo, so a 200bhp deficit at the flywheel drops to 80bhp when you factor in power-to-weight.

Verdict

The Panamera V6 is a good car, but the problem comes when you look at your alternatives, cars that aren’t necessarily direct competitors but ones that will be on buyers’ radars nonetheless – an equivalent Cayenne is £20k less, more spacious and more practical; a long wheelbase diesel S-class the same money; a BMW 530d is faster and roomier, and £24k less.

Looked at like that, the Panamera becomes difficult to justify, but that doesn’t stop it being a satisfying piece of kit in isolation.

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/

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Porsche Boxster Mk3 - the 2012 roadster scooped

Porsche's upcoming Boxster Mk3 will be more strongly differentiated from twin-under-the-skin 911, with a flat-four powerplant and a raft of technical changes, say our sources in Zuffenhausen.

The replacements for Boxster (981) and 911 (991) were signed off by the old regime, so once again the two cars share elements of their platform and componentry. While the 911 remains the high-end model with a power output of up to 600bhp and a strong emphasis on new six-cylinder boxer engines, Boxster and Cayman will eventually also be available with downsized four-cylinder boxer units.

Project 981: the next Boxster in detail

The 981 is not an evolution of the current model but an all-new vehicle.  Its cab-forward design has much crisper and sportier proportions, but is still easily recognised as a Boxster. The new look is reflected by a shift in the Boxster's dimensions. The wheelbase grows 60mm, overall length is up 37mm, overall height drops by 10mm, and the front overhang is trimmed by 25mm. Inside the two-seater's cabin, legroom improves by 18mm. 

Although the new  model is slightly bigger and significantly better equipped, the weight will come down by 15kgs to 1320 kilos for the standard Boxster and to 1340 kilos for the Boxster S. Bespoke doors, tailormade lights, jazzier front and rear ends, restyled 18in wheels (19inchers for the S), a more steeply raked windscreen and a new version of the Boxster's distinctive side air intakes help differentiate the Boxster from its predecessor, and the 911.

The interior, too, has been redesigned from scratch, featuring a relatively wide, rising console and centre stack, higher-class surfaces and the large touchscreen monitor we know from Panamera and Cayenne.

Dynamic tweaks for the new Boxster

The longer wheelbase is said to improve the ride comfort as well as the directional stability. The McPherson strut front and the multilink rear suspension have been re-engineered for better handling and reduced noise. Also new are larger-diameter 330mm front and rear brakes borrowed from the next Carrera 2 and an electrically-operated parking brake. 

Among the most interesting options are the adaptive suspension management (PASM) which extends to the steering and the dual-clutch transmission, and torque vectoring (PTV) and radar cruise control which bode well for the Boxster retaining its dynamic edge whilst offering a level of comfortable cruising to match rivals like the BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK.

Powerplants for the next Boxster: 

While the output of the 2.7-litre engine goes up to 265bhp and 280Nm, the new 3.4-litre S version delivers 315bhp and 266 lb/ft. When fitted with PDK, the lesser model will accelerate in 5.7sec from 0-62mph and top an unchanged 164mph. The Boxster S does the sprint in 4.9sec; its maximum speed is 171mph, the same as before. 

When the first round of cosmetic and engineering modifications is due in 2015, Porsche will introduce a new four-cylinder boxer engine, sources claim. The Boxster/Cayman is believed to feature the bigger-bore 2.5-litre twin-turbo version which comes in various performance stages, delivering up to 360bhp and 347lb ft. If marketing agrees, the entire range could eventually switch to the new drivetrain. There is even room for a hybrid pack which will be incorprated in the PDK transmission housing. Although the customers may not yet be ready for a diesel-engined Boxster/Cayman, converting the new boxer to TDI technology is said to be difficult but feasible too.

When do we see the new Boxster?

While the new 911 is expected to debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Show, the next Boxster is scheduled to be unveiled in Detroit in January 2012.

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Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS (2011)

This is the new 911 Carrera 4 GTS. Offered in both coupe and cabriolet form, the Carrera 4 GTS takes Porsche's Carrera GTS, and adds four-wheel drive.

Hang on, wasn't the 911 Carrera GTS a 911 Carrera 4S without four-wheel drive?

Not exactly. The 911 Carrera GTS was a parts-bin special, taking the 911 Carrera S drivetrain, adding the optional Powerkit and tweaked bodykit to the wider Carrera 4S body shell. Now Porsche hasadded four-wheel drive. So the latest addition to the burgeoning 911 catalogue is effectively a Carrera 4S with additional performance parts.

So what does the 911 completist get when they but a 911 Carrera 4 GTS?

An extra 23bhp for starters, taking power up to 405bhp. 0-62mph nudges down to 4.6sec manual, 4.4sec for the optional PDK in the Carrera 4 GTS coupe. Similar 0.1 second trimming has taken place to the Cabriolet's 0-62 times. You get to keep the standard C4S's CO2 and MPG figures, as befits a Porsche special edition these days.

Outside, Porsche spotters will note the rear reflector strip which links the tail-lights, but are stymied in showing off their knowledge by the 'Carrera 4 GTS' logos on the bootlid and doors which give the game away for casual viewers. GTS-specific RS Syder wheels in black along with the two-wheel drive GTS's tweaked front bumper and aero parts finish the exterior differentiation.

Inside it's Carrera 4 GTS sill plates, alcantara trim and the PCM touchscreen infotainment screen in the centre console.

Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS: Prices and availability

You can buy a Carrera 4 GTS from July 2011. Prices start at £83,145 for the Coupé and £90,024 as a Cabriolet. If you prefer the feel of alcantara in your interior with the security of all-wheel drive then it offers a similar value-for-money proposition over the C4S that the GTS offers over the Carrera S. Resistance is futile...

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk

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Porsche Cayman S Black Edition (2011)

Worried that Porsche's stripped-out Cayman R is a little too hardcore, but still want its power increase and don't want to pay extra for air-con? Then you want the latest special edition Porsche, the Cayman S Black Edition.

Porsche Cayman S Black Edition: the performance mods

Limited to 500 copies worldwide, the Black Edition features a range of minor tweaks beyond its dark paint, and top of the list is a tiny 9bhp increase to a Cayman R-matching 326bhp. The torque figure remains unchanged (at 273lb ft), but the 0-62mph time improves one-tenth to 5.1 secs, to sit neatly between the 5.2secs of the Cayman S and the 5.0secs of the Cayman R. Spec the optional PDK dual-clutch transmission and that'll drop to five seconds dead, and the extra-cost PDK Sport Chrono Package takes a further 0.2secs off the total. Top speed raises by a sarcasm-inducing 1mph, to 173mph for the manual, and 172mph for the PDK edition. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures are unaffected by the Porsche Cayman S Black Edition's engine tweaks.

Porsche Cayman S Black Edition: the cosmetics

Boxster Spyder/Cayman R wheels don a brake dust-hiding black paintjob, and deliver an extra half-inch of extra tyre width to the road, and are an inch bigger than the 18s that come as standard on the Cayman S. Standard bi-xenon adaptive headlights complete the exterior transformation.

Inside, the Porsche Cayman S Black Edition gets sat-nav, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, and oddly, retains the standard partial-leather seats rather than a full helping of deceased bovine dermis. You do get Porsche crests embossed into the headrests though.

Porsche Cayman S Black Edition: the blackness

The Cayman R Black Edition is indeed black. The paint, wheels, dashboard and interior trim, seats, steering wheel, gearshift and dials are in the monochrome colour scheme, with an allowance for white lettering on the instruments and controls. The door sills carry stainless steel 'Black Edition' badging and there's a special Black Edition plaque on the glovebox lid to denote special edition status.

Porsche Cayman S Black Edition: the price

You can own a Porsche Cayman S Black Edition from September 2011, with prices starting at £50,420 for a manual model. Given the extras that Porsche includes, that price is less than if you attempt to specify a regular Cayman S to match the Black Edition (trust us, we've tried). So this car's saving grace is that it offers a bit of value for money if you're looking to pay homage to the Batmobile.

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/

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