by John Glynn | Oct 12, 2012 | New Models, Porsche Cayenne, Porsche News
Porsche announces the 2013 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S: 550 horsepower in 2,250 kg/5,000 lbs, give or take some man maths. Germany says it’s “the top athlete in SUV clothing: all of the basic Cayenne properties such as versatile offroad capabilities, high ride comfort and superior towing power have been preserved.” 0-60 is now 4.5 seconds and the top speed is 283 kmh/175 mph.
A 3 year-old, £25,000 used Porsche Cayenne diesel does “all of the basic Cayenne properties” Porsche mentions more than well enough, and proves that you don’t need 550 hp in a keep-it-for-years Porsche utility. Keen as it looks, what does a Cayenne Turbo S add to the best execution of a Stuttgart SUV?
It comes with active suspension management, dynamic chassis control, torque vectoring and standard Sports Chrono. It’s got glossy exterior trims, specially designed 21-inch rims, and bi-colour leather inside. It costs €150,000 in standard form, but does no practical SUV job better than the oil-burning benchmark. It’s shinier, but horses don’t care about that when they’re standing in a box, bolted to the back.
Ferry Porsche’s favourite cars always encapsulated a sweet-spot of engineering, performance and common sense: bling was not Ferry’s thing. China is currently awash with people who buy stuff because it’s the dearest, but will China buy enough of this to make it worth bothering with? What about Europe? The prestige market here is struggling, and Porsche has already cut production in response. Its hard not to feel that more power means more irrelevance out west, as luxury Europe contracts and California fuel prices hit an all-time high.
Cayenne Diesel has many of the qualities held in high regard by Porsche’s founders, but the Cayenne Turbo S is not Porsche as many know and love it. Stuttgart better hope that China stays rich: let’s hope it has plans for smaller, lighter modes of transport to support the founder’s vision.
by John Glynn | Sep 27, 2012 | New Models, Porsche News
“The future of Porsche” was how Porsche President, Matthias Müller, described the Panamera Sport Turismo concept, just unveiled at the Paris motor show. Turismo features what Stuttgart calls e-hybrid: plug-in hybrid with a petrol engine.
“Today we’re taking a look at Porsche’s future,” said the President. “We’ve developed an entirely new vehicle concept, which did not exist so far. A very special sports car, which is perfectly in line and a perfect fit with our customers and the future of Porsche.
Transport Bulky Sports Equipment
“It’s become an uncompromising Porsche for active people who not only want to experience the fascination of power and dynamics on the road. This innovative vehicle design is tailored to our customers’ needs, like a bespoke suit. Customers who want very good everyday usability and flexibility, without renouncing the Porsche typical performance, who occasionally need sufficiently large luggage space to transport bulky sports equipment, however still appreciate the elegance of an exclusive Gran Turismo.
“Innovative: that is also the drivetrain. It’s a highly efficient plug-in hybrid system. Looking at our concept car is, at the same time, a look at the future of Porsche. Not just in terms of the drive; the design anticipates many of the things that our customers will find with Porsche in the future.”
Muller repeated his assertion of this as the future later in his presentation, so it’s clearly more than fantasy. How will Porsche fans greet the news that a five-door estate with a silent electric motor is the future? Or are shareholders’ reactions more important?
What do you think? Is it a sports car, or a big, fast Prius? Note: I am pro-Prius.
Visit the Panamera Turismo Microsite
The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo microsite is here, including a 360-degree rotator and video of the unveil. These screen grabs are from the site.
If you watch the English version, your sound will take until Müller exits the car to come on, so do not adjust your set. Note that the pop-up window for video is also titled “direction future”.
by John Glynn | Sep 19, 2012 | Market & Prices, Porsche News
A press release came through from Porsche this morning, announcing the partial relocation of Boxster production to Volkswagen Osnabrück. This potentially creates a gap in residual value between Porsche-built and VW-built Boxster models.
Stuttgart has shifted as the home plant allegedly does not have sufficient capacity to cope with demand, which sounds slightly dubious to me. Perhaps it is more important to keep 911 production in Stuttgart from a heritage point of view, while the less historic Boxster and Cayman ranges can be built anywhere. I might be wrong.
The first vehicle to roll off the line was an Indian Red Porsche Boxster S. This classic Porsche colour is known as Guards Red in the UK market, but the colour code (80K) is called Indischrot/Indian Red in German.
Car manufacturers don’t think much beyond typical model change cycles when it comes to used cars, so I doubt there’s been great consideration of the effect of this change on residual value. I wonder if, in years to come, fully Porsche-built Boxsters will fetch slightly more than the part-VW ones? You can guarantee some anorak will have that in an Autotrader ad, five years from now.
by John Glynn | Aug 27, 2012 | New Models, Porsche News
Porsche has announced the new 911 Carrera 4 and C4s, due to be launched in Paris next month. I’ve read claims that the widebody looks lumpy from some angles, but I wouldn’t kick it out of bed.
The first thing we bobble hats want to know about any new Porsche is the weight. You can whack in tons of power but, if the weight is OTT, that power is soaked up just hauling it around.
The standard body 991 C2 tops the scales at 1380 kgs DIN curb weight. That is the basic car on a full tank with no options: no sunroof, small wheels etc. DIN also includes a spare wheel, but the spare wheel in a new 911 is a Triple-A card in your wallet.
There’s no tech datasheet for the C4 as yet. Porsche says it’s ‘up to 65 kilos lighter’, which I presume means the basic manual car in lightest guise is 65 kilos lighter than the 997 C4.
Sixty-five kilos is slightly heavier than Allan McNish, so a nice saving, but few people would run a ‘basic’ 991. With some weight added for the front diff, shafts and prop, a bit more wiring and another chunk for that sunroof, an average C4 should weigh circa 1530-ish kilos DIN. That’s not too shabby for what most air-cooled 911 guys would assume was much more of a luxo-barge (edit Dec 2012: in fact UK C4 weighs just 1430 kg DIN).
If you’re in the UK and fancy one of these, they launch at Christmas: just in time for skiing. You’ll need 77 grand for the C4 Coupe; ten more for the widebody. Add nine grand to either for a droptop, so £96k plus options for a C4S Cabriolet.
I dunno what extra options you will want, though. Standard equipment includes full leather, a colour touchscreen PCM with sat nav, auto climate, Bi-Xenons, Thatcham Cat 5 tracker and iPod hook up. Order it in Blue like this Cabriolet and job done.
Used 997 C4 GTS Coupes currently (August 2012) start at £68k in the franchised network for a year-old PDK Coupe with 4k miles. As a long-time used car values specialist, I suspect the arrival of the 991 C4S will have an effect on 997 C4 GTS residuals. Could be good news if you’re planning some GTS shopping in early 2013.
by John Glynn | Jul 31, 2012 | New Models, Porsche News
Porsche have sent out some pics of the Martini-painted 918 Spyder, currently lapping at the Nürburgring. One target for the car is a 7:22 lap at the bankrupt race track, so Nürburg snappers have had a field day with the 918 going around in development.
Personally, I wasn’t sure about the Martini stripes to start with. That’s the blog I just wrote but deleted after adding the pictures. Have a look at them yourself and consider your reaction.
Silver-painted Porsches never do much for me, but I loved the shade on the 918 when the Preserve launch pics shot by Marc Urbano were released a few years back. This latest 918 livery reminded me of the Cayman race at Rennsport, where the cars were wrapped in classic colours.
I know the intention was fun, and I did shoot some track runs where the cars looked pretty hot but, when the Caymans all trailed silently back to the pits together, wearing fake paint schemes from historic cars with multiples more aural drama, it smacked of nerd poseurs with freshly-ironed Porsche shirts.
I’m sure most others loved it but, as a diehard classic fan, pimping out the heritage to sell what is a very pretty car in its own right seemed like desperate measures by the marketing team. Instant deathly turn-off.
The Martini-painted Cayman was perhaps the best of all those Rennsport cars, but I think the 918 looks better as Batman. Bad-ass Porsches have always been black and I see this as the baddest of the lot. Bring back Matt Black and the evil of the 918: playing the good guy with the white hat does not seem to suit it.
I’m sure I’m in the minority here: fan boys will love it and no doubt the 918 looks killer at speed in this livery. I wish Porsche had sent some riskier pics: inches-from-death at high speed, scraping the rock face as it chased a fast lap. Badass is as badass does.
What do you reckon: is it off the pace or not?
