Microsoft may be showing off the new Xbox One X today, the next-gen console formerly known as Project Scorpio, but it's sharing the limelight with Porsche. The German automaker debuted a brand new car today at E3 2017, opting to bring the 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS on-stage as part of the Forza 7 reveal. It's the start of a six year deal between Porsche and the Forza team.
In the world of sports car design the mid-engine layout is king, which makes the 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman S one of the reigning blue-bloods of the high performance niche. Perfectly balanced, and from a certain perspective affordably priced, the Cayman family of compact coupes has given Porsche a strong throne from which to command its sub-911 empire.
Porsche does not often, if ever, build lackluster vehicles. Rather, its stock in trade are automobiles that catch your eye just before their power makes you stop to catch your breath. Consider, then, the exception that is the new-for-2017 base model Porsche Macan, the entry-level follow-up to the outstanding Macan S, GTS, and Macan Turbo trio that have dazzled since first introduced a mere two years ago. Now equipped with a turbocharged four-cylinder motor in place of the turbo six found in its siblings, the most affordable Macan makes a clear trade: scintillating performance for mass market appeal.
Microsoft and Porsche have announced a new partnership that will see the duo working together on Forza-related efforts. The partnership is for the next six years, and will have both companies collaborating on 'co-branded initiatives' between Microsoft's Turn 10 Studios and Porsche. All of its starts with the Forza Racing Championship Season 3: The Porsche Cup, which Porsche is sponsoring. Registration for that is now open.
It's an oddity of American automotive taste: people who write about cars invariably love wagons, while the public which actually buys cars does not. Automakers have been forced to try all manner of tricks and sleight of hand - witness the trend of jacked-up crossovers - to try to get the US to warm to the wagon, but if all else fails you can call it something different and hope nobody notice. Audi did it with the "Avant", and it's just what Porsche has done with the 2018 Panamera Sport Turismo.
Porsche continues to give stick shift fans the manual transmissions they crave, and the good news is that the 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 is no different. The coupe, freshly announced at the Geneva Motor Show today, puts a 4.0-liter flat-six engine at its heart, and then offers it with either Porsche's achingly-clever PDK transmission or, for those who want to row themselves, a six-speed manual. Of course, there's more to the 911 GT3 than just what your right hand grabs.
Porsche's four-door Panamera has a new flagship model, and despite what you might expect it's actually a hybrid. Still, the 2018 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is no pious Prius. Instead, it's a 680 horsepower, 192 mph monster with a nod to being green.
From four-door to sedan to five-door. That's pretty much the metamorphosis that the Prosche Panamera has gone through in less than a decade. After just overhauling the Panamera's design and calling to a sedan last year, Porsche sees it fit to put out not only one with a sportier look but also a more spacious design. Yes, the Porsche Panamera is getting its Sports Turismo Wagon model really soon, even as early as the Geneva Motor Show in March.
What an epic year. Right around this time last year, I made one New Year’s resolution for 2016: drive as many tracks around the world as humanly possible. To my amazement, I did just that. While I did make that my singular resolution for the new year, I didn’t really care which cars I drove as long as I was on a track somewhere. That opened up some fairly unusual opportunities both for me and for SlashGear: read on for five of the most memorable.
Tesla has taken the top spot in a customer satisfaction survey, with more owners of the electric car saying they'd buy another than any other automaker brand. The results of Consumer Reports' 2016 Annual Owner Satisfaction Survey see Tesla once again in pole position, with Porsche and Audi keeping hold of their second and third place spots. However, there's some sizable movement elsewhere in the rankings, particularly after this year's "dieselgate".
Everyone loves to receive gifts, but the best presents are those you know are fantastic from first-hand experience. If you want to surprise the people you love most, there’s nothing better than to catch them off-guard with something you know they’ll use – these are the gifts that keeps on giving. Whether it's a gift for moms or dads, something for the professional road-warrior, or a once-in-a-lifetime experience, these are my top gift ideas from the products I've tested in 2016.
If California was a country, it would make up the fifth largest market in the world for Porsche. What better place, then, for the US' second Porsche Experience Center (PEC). The first opened roughly a year ago in Atlanta, and also serves as the home base for Porsche North America. The new $60 million, 53-acre facility in Carson, California is also Porsche Motorsport North America’s new headquarters, not to mention being officially open for everyone to enjoy. Porsche invited SlashGear out to Carson for a first-hand experience; after all, the PEC is all about getting hands-on.
