Porsche Subjects the New Macan to Rigorous Testing

Porsche goes through great lengths to test out their vehicles before releasing them. They want to make2014 Porsche Macan is no different. The only difference with this vehicle is that Porsche is going through the trouble to show fans a little more of the testing that they have been doing.  They released a set of testing videos on the Porsche Macan mini-site, and I’ll be the first to say that they are quite impressive.

sure that the top-end products they are selling are going to perform exactly as they should, and the new

Dubai Testing

A little while ago Porsche released a video showing them testing out three different Porsche Macans in the Dubai deserts. In these videos it’s very obvious that the Macan knows its way around sand pits. The small SUV climbs up and down sandy grades without a problem. Sand is spitting everywhere but the SUV maintains its overall traction and control. The main purpose of this video is to show the traction capabilities of the Macan, which are quite impressive.

California Testing

The California testing was more of the same thing, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t impressive. The video shows the Macan climbing up steep dirt hills and powering through desert landscapes out in California as well. Even though the SUV slides a bit while turning in the sandy environment it never loses control because of its superior ability to generate traction.

Why the Macan Handles So Well

From these two videos it’s obvious that you can take the Macan out into a desert and drive around without a problem. If the small-framed Porsche SUV can handle Sandy conditions so well it’s a good bet that it will do fine on dirt and gravel surfaces as well. Most of this is possible thanks to high-quality all-wheel-drive system that the Macan has. Porsche has also made some suspension modifications to improve the handling even further separating the Macan from its Audi counterpart.

If you decide to pick up the new 2014 Porsche Macan when it is finally released you will have a vehicle you can take out on the roads in poor driving conditions without having to worry about staying in control.

Panamera GTS vs. BMW M5

Comparing the 2013 Panamera GTS to the BMW M5

If you are looking for a larger sports vehicle there is a good chance that you have set your sights on either the BMW M5 or the Panamera GTS. These vehicles both sit around $100,000 and they are both well-known for producing great results on the track, and down the back roads. By putting these vehicles side by side it is easy to see which is better for you, and to simplify this decision.

Raw Power

In terms of raw power and actual speed the BMW

M5 wins the match hands down against the Porsche Panamera GTS. The BMW M5 4.8 liter V8 engine produces a whopping 560 hp and 500-lb-ft of total torque making it a monster of a car. The GTS produces a much smaller 384 hp, but it doesn't perform too much worse thanks to its great design and all-wheel drive and improved traction management systems. In real world tests performed by Motortrend, the M5 was shown to go from 0-60 in 4 seconds flat, and through a quarter mile at 12.4 seconds. The GTS Panamera did the first in 4.1 seconds and the zipped around the track in 12.7 seconds only making it slightly slower than the M5 even though there is a massive power difference.

Usability and Fun to Drive

When you are comparing which vehicle is more enjoyable to drive the Panamera GTS easily triumphs. Not only is the steering much more responsive than the M5's but if you actually want to take the vehicle to its limit you don't have to go through the difficult "launch-mode" process of the M5 that is so difficult even expert drivers have a hard time making it work every time. Instead you touch a button, tap the brake and floor it while letting off on the brake to gain access to the full power of the car.

At around the same price you have to decide whether you want improved steering, and a sportier interior of the GTS, or if you want the sheer raw power offered by the M5.

Transforming Porsche

Major Changes Occurring in the 2014 911 GT2

Porsche has recently released the information on their 2014 911 GT3 and some people were disappointed by it because it had less than 500 hp. Although it isn't a big deal for most people, for those that it was a big deal to, there is the 911 GT2.

Normally when you have a model number that is lower, you assume that it is going to have less power. This simply isn't the case with the GT2, and you will get above 500 hp with this vehicle which means that it has more raw power to work with than the GT3 does.

What You Get
The engine and transmission of the GT2 are both based off the 911 Turbo S. Instead of the 475 horsepower that comes in the GT3, you are getting a massive 552 horsepower, thanks to the 3.8 liter flat six engine. The transmission that is going to be used in this vehicle is another major change from the all-wheel drive of the GT3. Instead you are going to get the PDK seven gear clutch that is automatic, and rear wheel drive.

Weight Savings
The nice thing about a rear-wheel drive setup, over the all-wheel drive used in the GT3 is that weight is going to be shaved off the vehicle. What that means is that not only are you getting a more powerful engine to tear up the road with, but you are also getting al lighter vehicle that is going to benefit from the power even more than the GT3 would have. Overall this new setup should result in a noticeable increase in power. Although you probably wouldn't notice a difference without driving both vehicles extensively, if you were to switch from one to the other you would be able to tell there is a distinct difference.

Real Life Speed
Now that you know how much power this variant of the 911 is pushing, it is time to learn how that effects real life performance, with some times and actual speeds. The car should be able to go from 0 to 60 in 3.0 seconds without a problem. On top of this blistering acceleration, it will top 200 mph which means that you can get wherever you want to go much faster than you could in that minivan at the other side of your garage.

Many will rejoice at the added power that the GT2 possess, while a few are going to continue to complain about the PDK transmission that is becoming more prevalent in the newer Porsche models.
If 500 hp isn't enough for you, there is a rumor that Porsche is planning on releasing an even more powerful variant of the GT2 later on after the initial launch. This RS variant of the car will push up the horsepower to a whopping 620, and that amount of power will make this car even more intense that it already is. Unfortunately that won't be released until 2015 so you will have to be patient if you would rather get the upgraded version.

Shifty Turbo Is No More

The Next 911 Turbo May Be Automatic

Although this is really going to upset some people who prefer their sports cars to be manual, there is a good chance that the new 911 Turbo is going to have an automatic transmission, specifically the PDK transmission to be exact.

The 911 GT3 has always been the nostalgic racer's go to car, and now that it has switched over to an automatic transmission, there's really no reason to believe that the 911 Turbo isn't going to go the same direction. Instead of keeping both transmission options open like Porsche normally does, it is rumored that they are going to drop the manual option all together, and you will be stuck with an automatic whether you like it or not.

Why they are Making the Switch

Although it probably hurts to hear, the PDK is a superior transmission to manually shifting through the gears. Thanks to the double clutch the car can shift itself through the gears faster than a human can, which means that you are going to get a better response out of the car. This means the car will accelerate faster, and ultimately it is going to perform better on the track.

Another advantage of this gear system is that it reduces overall fuel consumption, which is something that all car manufacturers are looking at these days. With all of these reasons to go with the PDK it shouldn't be a surprise that they have made it mandatory.

The last reason that they have decided to take away the manual option is to undoubtedly save development time and money. Now they only have to configure the car to deal with a single transmission, which means less work for them, while bringing in the same level of profits as before. Even still, the move is good for just about everyone in the end.

Those Who Will Appreciate the Switch

Even though there are plenty of people who are appalled at the move that Porsche is making with their sports cars, there are just as many people who are singing their praises about the switch. Not only does the car perform better, which is enough to gain the praise of many people, but it will also be easier to drive for those who aren't great with a manual transmission. Sure there is less involvement, but that also means there is no reason to worry about stalling the vehicle, and everyone can drive their vehicles smoothly without worry.

Overall, even though some people are upset with the loss of a manual option the 2014 911 Turbo looks to be an exceptional car. It will come standard with more than 520 horsepower at your disposal. The car tops out at around 196 miles per hour, and with that level of power and luxury it should be no surprise that the basic model is coming in at $149,000 and the luxury model will be closer to $180,000 to own. It is certainly going to be a welcome addition to the ranks of the 911's of the past, but it is too bad there won't be a manual transmission option like always.

Porsche Developed for Race Car Drivers First

Racing Engineering For Drivers

All of the innovations in Porsche passenger vehicles, and passenger vehicles in general were developed first for the race track. There isn’t as much need to develop new technology to simply drive people around town, but engineers have been constantly pushing the envelope on new driving technology for the purpose of winning races.

As that new technology is created eventually, the most useful pieces of the technology make their way over to passenger vehicles and they begin being used on a daily basis with standard driving.

Porsche racing technology is currently being used in the body of their passenger cars, the break system, many of the materials throughout the vehicle, as well as the interior safety harnesses and airbag systems.

Calgary Porsche 

Rear View Mirror

Rear view mirrors were a tool for race car drivers before they were ever used in passenger vehicles. They were a tool to see the competition before they got up to you and eventually companies began to realize that rearview mirror were a good idea for passenger vehicles as well and one of the most useful inventions was created and implemented in most vehicles, including Porsches from that point on.

Roll Cages

Most people who know anything about race cars at all know that they have roll cages to protect the drivers. Over the years these cages have become more advanced as cars have become faster and more powerful. What most people don’t realize is that these same roll cages are included in passenger vehicles, they just aren’t visible. Porsche vehicles are desired for their attractive appearance, their sleek bodies, and their raw power. Hidden amongst all of the luxury is a fully functional roll cage that would help protect you if you flipped the vehicle.

Under the trim of the vehicle, the cloth and the leather and the wood there are solid steel, carbon fiber, and aluminum supports. These supports surround the vehicle and help it maintain a strong frame that will resist crumpling under impact.

Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber wasn’t invented for the sole purpose of improving race cars, in fact it was invented in the 1800’s by Thomas Edison for use in his early light bulbs, but it was adopted by race cars before passenger vehicles and now is slowly making its way to high-end sports cars.

Carbon fiber really does improve the safety and reliability of cars because it is stronger than steel while weighing less. That means that the weight of cars can be lowered while they are actually made stronger. Carbon fiber can be bent and flexed and stretched over and over again without wearing down and that means that it will last for extremely long periods of time before braking.

Carbon fiber is slowly replacing parts on Porsches cars and SUVs to make them more responsive, easier to handle, and most importantly stronger.

Each of these technologies would never have made their way to Porsche passenger vehicles if it were not for the ambitious racing program that keeps pushing the envelope on car technology in general.

Porsche Endurance

Porsche Racing

South Centre Porsche Calgary

Sports cars, and vehicles in general are continually focusing on ways to become more lightweight. New materials are developed all the time to decrease the weight of vehicles, and most of the time these materials are developed for races such as the Targa Florio and the 24 Hours Le Man in France. During these endurance races the lighter your vehicle is the longer you can keep driving without worrying about fuel. Many aluminum alloys and carbon fiber parts have been developed for these type of races, and they are always engineered to be extremely safe. 

With the increased demand to make more fuel efficient vehicles, manufacturers have been working to make cars lighter, and Porsche doesn’t have a problem doing that in a safe manner thanks to all of the engineering tests that they have performed on prototypes entered into these endurance races. 

Regenerative Flywheel

During some of the latest endurance challenges that Porsche has entered they developed a new flywheel regenerative braking technology. Since the cars are traveling exceptionally fast in the race using standard batteries wouldn’t have been an efficient method for storing power created by regenerative braking. Instead a flywheel technology was created to harness all of the power created through regenerative braking the powerful sports car and then immediately converted into energy that the car could utilize for additional boosts of speed. 

This technology is not used in passenger vehicles yet, and probably won’t become popular in most mainstream vehicles, but it should improve efficiency and safety for larger vehicles such as garbage trucks that have to start and stop several different times a day. 

Improved Steering Technology

There is so much technology that goes into keeping a Porsche on the road today that it is staggering. The early Porsche models were able to win in the Targa Florio in large part because the vehicles simply handled better. Handling was improved thanks to an increase in range of motion in the steering wheel through new technology. As well as improving the range of motion, the ease of turning the wheel has also been improved through technological advances.

These steering improvements make passenger Porsches much safer to drive because the driver is able to react to emergency situations more efficiently. If there is a sharp corner that was unexpected the driver should be able to make the turn without repositioning the hands in most instances. 

By making the wheel easier to turn and more responsive it also reduces driver fatigue over longer trips which means that you won’t have to worry about making mistakes because you are too tired. Often when drivers become tired they take a more relaxed hand position on the wheel and aren’t able to keep control of the vehicle as effectively any longer making them useless to respond in a serious situation. 

All of these advances came from the desire to win long distances races in France and Italy and they have affected all the passenger vehicles created by Porsche substantially.