Features - page 180

It’s sad that Porsche’s best-selling model isn’t its halo sports car, the 911, but a couple of jacked-up SUVs. Both the Macan and the Cayenne are Porsche’s biggest cash cows, the sort of models that make cars like the Carrera GT and 918 Spyder possible. The compact Macan is available in two flavors; Gasoline: starting at $62,000, and Electric: starting at $75,300. The bigger facelifted Cayenne starts at $84,700.

The Porsche 911 Turbo S is at the top of the food chain when it comes to fast Porsche sports cars, suited for daily use. The 992 Turbo S is mind-bendingly fast and able to embarrass plenty of more expensive models. The rear-engine sports car has always had a reputation for being relatively lightweight, refined, and usable as far as sports cars go. While the company continues to adhere to the same philosophy (for the most part), there is one dreaded aspect of the Porsche experience – the Porsche tax.

Porsche’s sports cars are rich in heritage and go back in time even beyond the iconic 911. While models like the Porsche 911 have always had a multitude of variants, meaning there is a version of the car for everyone, depending on what power levels, drivetrain options, or body style that you are after. The rear-engine Porsche is not the only high-performance model. In more recent times, the entry-level Boxster and Cayman models have been the go-to Porsche sports car for everyone who isn’t quite ready to part with 911 money. Some would even go as far as saying that the mid-engine Porsche is actually the better sports car and that the mid-engine layout is the superior platform.

The Porsche Panamera, on sale since 2009 is now in its third generation, and is one of two four-door sedans, that Porsche currently sells (the other being the Taycan EV). Now, Despite a slowdown in the sale of sedans, Porsche it seems will not back off from this format, anytime soon. The fact, that the German automaker announced the third generation Panamera as recently as 2023 with some much-needed updates and a lot more power throughout the range, shows that it is committed to this body style. 771 horsepower from the V8 hybrid Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid sounds wild, isn’t it?

Every car owner projects a certain image or lifestyle, and owning a certain model or brand comes with certain preconceived notions or stereotypes. We’ve all heard of the more popular ones like how BMW owners are unaware of turn signals or how Subaru owners are outdoorsy. Some stereotypes are weirder than others, like how every Mini Cooper owner must be a vegan, who knows where that got started?

The Porsche Cayenne recently got a few nice updates for 2025. While most will be looking towards the range-topping Cayenne Turbo E Hybrid, it is the new GTS trim that is the most pleasant surprise. The GTS is, typically, considered to be the perfect middle ground among all Porsche models as it combines the ideal blend of performance, comfort, and usable power levels. Despite the Cayenne GTS being one of the most athletic SUVs out there, a Sports Utility Vehicle can never offer the same thrills as a proper sports car like, let’s say the 911 Carrera GTS.

The Porsche 911 Turbo S is, by no means, an affordable car.... or is it? It all depends on the context and when that includes hypercars from the likes of Bugatti and Koenigsegg, the perception of value can drastically change. While the build process of most exotics typically employs the best and most exotic materials, this doesn’t always guarantee a million-dollar, 1,000-plus-horsepower hypercar’s position at the top of the automotive food chain. Then you have other cars that despite the lack of these sci-fi materials, are still built to be overachievers and the Porsche 992 Turbo S is certainly a great example of that.

The Panamera is the Porsche brand’s first production four-door sedan. It came out back in April 2009 and frankly, its design was more controversial at the time, than the fact it was a four-door Porsche sedan. The looks were purely function over form since the back-then CEO, Wendelin Wiedeking’s priority above all else, was for the car to seat four tall adults comfortably. Fast-forward to 2024 and the Panamera is now in its third generation and thankfully, I can say that it’s a lot better looking than before. However, with the introduction of the all-electric four-door Porsche Taycan – the brand’s first EV, along with subsequent decline in the sale of sedans in favor of SUVs – the Panamera seemingly doesn’t make sense. But, despite those plummeting sales numbers, Porsche has decided to, not just keep the Panamera around, but also give it cutting-edge tech like the new, high-end, Active Ride suspension and other innovative technologies. Now my argument is that Porsche doesn’t do things for no reason, so here’s what this could mean for the Panamera’s future.

About 20 years ago, Porsche raised a few eyebrows by introducing its first SUV – the Cayenne. This exercise paid off big time since this high-riding Porsche is widely viewed as the model responsible for saving the German automaker from bankruptcy. Fast-forward to 2024 and the two best-selling Porsche models are still SUVs, i.e. the Cayenne and its smaller sibling, the Macan. The Cayenne was recently updated, but its range-topping Turbo E Hybrid model seems a bit puzzling to me.

For many, the 997-generation 911 is the last old-school Porsche. Essentially, an evolution of the controversial 996, the 997 (eventually) fixed all of the 996’s problems while exploiting the chassis to its full potential. It is the 997 generation that spawned some of the most iconic Porsche 911 variants. While the example featured here is one of the more mainstream versions of the rear-engine sports car, it has been tastefully modified. Now I know that adding forced induction to a naturally aspirated Carrera is not that uncommon, and many owners are opting for it, especially with tuners like RUF offering specially developed kits that enhance performance.

What is the definition of a true sports car? Well, to me at least, it means a car that looks sharp, offers decent performance, handles right, and, most importantly, is lightweight. The 911 S/T, introduced in the third quarter of 2023, fits that narrative perfectly and takes inspiration from the classic 911 S/T lightweight competition package sold between 1969 and 1972. Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the iconic German sports car, the S/T sits at the top of the current 911 lineup and only 1963 examples will be built, a nod to the year that the original 911 launched. But sitting at the higher end of the price spectrum, Porsche has done something unique here. Beyond the cosmetic elements, the S/T combines some truly desirable bits from various 911s. Porsche has, in my opinion inadvertently created the ultimate 911 of the decade with the S/T. A bold claim I know, especially when you have some truly astonishing models come out over the past 10 years, like the 911 R from the 991 generation and more recently, other limited-run models like the 911 Sport Classic and the 911 Dakar from the 992 generation. Priced at $290,000, the S/T also costs supercar money. So how do I justify this bold claim? Let’s find out.

Only one car can give you the feel of a Porsche 911 and that’s a 911. Altering any aspect of this iconic sports car can dramatically change the driving experience, but that hasn’t stopped people from taking out the boxer engine and replacing it with something that at first glance, doesn’t belong there. The rear-engine Porsche sports car is considered one of the most refined and usable high-performance cars, that you can daily-drive. At least, in most of its iterations. Despite much praise, however, the 911 is not a perfect car, and certain generations are known to suffer from a few major issues.