Comparisons - page 24

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.

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.

Porsche’s Taycan is one of the most hyped-up and popular performance EVs on sale today. By Q4 of 2023, Porsche had sold 136,000 Taycans cumulatively. The EV sedan bumped Porsche sports car sales by 3.3 percent, despite the German brand’s overall sales having dropped by 12 percent compared to 2022. While the electric vehicle market is currently experiencing a slowdown, it hasn’t stopped other manufacturers from entering the performance EV segment with their own offerings. Take for instance Lotus, a brand typically known for its lightweight sports cars. Still, now the British carmaker is giving us the Emeya – a large, EV performance sedan that wants to steal potential buyers, from the likes of the Taycan and Tesla Model S.

Sometimes I like imagining purely hypothetical competitions about some of my favorite things- Godzilla vs Kong, Edison vs Tesla, Autobots vs Decepticons, etc. I also like to imagine the odd supercar match-up from time to time, something I am sure we are all guilty of. The question of whether one car is better than another is a question that is as old as automobiles itself. And while we can only compare spec sheets or watch the drag races of some of our favorite supercars, some of us are fortunate enough to take it a step further.

Since its inception back in 1964, the Porsche 911 has been going against the status quo. For over six decades, Porsche engineers have perfected the formula of putting the engine in the rear – a highly uncommon design decision among modern-day automakers. But back when the 911 was still a young name, the company wasn’t sure the rear-engine formula would work long-term. At one point, Porsche even considered replacing the 911 with the V8-powered 928, but that never happened. Porsche’s decision to keep the rear-engine 911 around, paid off as continues to deliver truly unique driving characteristics, for which the car is still praised today.

When we talk about open-top thrills in a sports car, the Boxster is, often, the first to come to mind. The mid-engine Porsche sports car first appeared in 1996 and was instrumental in pulling the German automaker out of financial trouble. Three generations later, the 718 Boxster remains a solid pick among open-top sports cars. The roadster’s balanced chassis and lightweight nature allow it to punch above its weight while offering one of the most unique driving experiences of any convertible. That said, the Porsche 718 Boxster is not the only great roadster out there. BMW’s latest iteration of the Z4 has been around since 2018, but it somehow isn’t talked about as much. One reason could be the rebirth of the Toyota Supra, which in its fifth generation is, essentially, a re-bodied Z4. After having the chance to experience both cars, we decided to see if the BMW Z4 is truly underrated and how it stacks up to the Porsche 718 Boxster.

From Bentley and Bugatti to Aston Martin, we have several luxury exotic carmakers entering the realm of real estate where automotive design and architecture merge in stunning examples of glass and steel. But Porsche was one of the first brands to do so with a Porsche Design Tower back in 2017. Now, they’re back. This time, Porsche Design has teamed up with Thai developer Ananda Development to unveil the Porsche Design Tower Bangkok, the first of its kind in Asia and the third globally, following Miami and Stuttgart. The Bangkok tower boasts just 22 exclusive "Sky Villas" – think sprawling duplexes and quadplexes – ranging from a spacious 525 to a gut-busting 1,135 square meters. With a price range between $15 million and $40 million, these aren’t for the faint of wallet. But for those who can afford it, the promise is a living experience unlike any other, come 2028.

The Porsche 911 has been the most versatile sports car since its inception in 1964 and the current 992 generation is no different. Between the different versions and drivetrain configurations available, you can choose from around 30 different 911s, depending on your needs. And yes, this includes an off-road variant, reminiscent of the Porsche 953 Dakar. The Turbo S, typically, nearly sits at the top of any 911 lineup and above the Turbo, with only the track-focused GT models being above it. The 992.2 Turbo will arrive for 2025, but we still don’t know a lot about it other than it’s going to be a hybrid like the 992.2 GTS. Many wonder what the differences between the 992 Turbo and Turbo S are. We rarely see a regular Turbo, despite it being more affordable and almost as quick as a Turbo S, in real life. We decided to take a look and see what the differences between the Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S really are, and whether the Turbo S is truly worth the premium.

The Tuthill GT One recently made a grand entrance at the 2024 Monterey Car Week, turning heads and leaving everyone drooling. The GT One isn’t just some run-of-the-mill 911 with a fresh coat of paint and a wide body; it’s a reimagined masterpiece, channeling the spirit of Porsche’s legendary 911 GT1 race car with a modern twist.

Porsche and Lamborghini are both under Volkswagen Group ownership and yet, what the two brands do with their sports cars has little to do with the mother company’s resources. Sure, the more mainstream models may rely heavily on VAG tech, but both sports car manufacturers do their own thing when it comes to their range-topping, high-performance models. Lamborghini recently introduced the Temerario – the company’s second hybrid model after the flagship Revuelto. Porsche also recently introduced hybrid powertrains to the 911, with the 992.2, mid-cycle refresh.

Porsche’s most famous sports car is the 911, but it is far from the only one the brand has ever made. Currently, the 718 is your entryway into Porsche sports cars. Like the rear-engine 911, the mid-engine Porsche 718 offers a version for any need. Four and six-cylinder boxer engines allow the compact Porsche sports car to produce anywhere from 296 to 493 horsepower. It all started with the 986 Boxster back in 1996, and since then, the mid-engine Porsche has been continuously evolving.