1987 Porsche 924s 2.5l Daily Driver Sports Car W/recent Service, Saratoga Top on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Porsche confirms four-cylinder Macan for New York

There aren't a lot of problems with the Porsche Macan. It's clean, handsome, and very, very nice to drive. But it's expensive, starting at $55,450, and thirsty, at 17 miles per gallon in the city and 23 on the highway. To improve on both of these, Porsche is adding a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder Macan to the lineup. The new engine moves the compact CUV downmarket on both power and price fronts. In the Macan, the 2.0-liter pumps out 252 horsepower, 273 pound-feet of torque, and compared to old base model, cuts the curb weight from 4,112 pounds to 3,902 pounds. Combined with a seven-speed PDK and a standard all-wheel-drive system, the new base level CUV will hit 60 miles per hour in just 6.1 seconds. You still have to suspend logic when buying a Macan, though. At just 20 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, it's scarcely more efficient than the 340-hp S model. Admittedly, the Macan's competitors all eke out substantially better fuel economy, but each of these vehicles does so with less power than Porsche's new base Macan – the BMW X3 has 240 ponies, the Mercedes GLC has 241, and the Audi Q5 just 220. But they also do it for a lot less money. The new Macan starts at $48,550, including a $1,050 destination charge. That's $6,900 less than the Macan S, but it's still around $7,000 more than the all-wheel-drive versions of the aforementioned cars. And yes, that chasm is almost certainly going to widen after digging into Porsche's options catalog. Still, this is an intelligent and overdue move for Porsche here in the US (the four-pot Macan has been on sale in Europe for years). It opens up the Macan to a far wider swath of customers, not unlike what the V6 model does for the Cayenne. Look for more on Stuttgart's new entry level CUV in a few weeks, when it makes its big debut in the Big Apple. Related Video: PORSCHE ANNOUNCES NEW YORK AUTO SHOW LINE-UP North American debut of Porsche 911 R, 718 Boxster, and Macan Atlanta, Georgia. The New York International Auto Show will be host to three North American debuts for Porsche this year. The 911 R and the 718 Boxster both represent the latest interpretation of driving pleasure and dynamics in their respective segments. The 911 R is a pure, uncompromised driving machine with a naturally-aspirated, 500 horsepower engine mounted in the rear. The 718 Boxster features extensive chassis enhancements and an all-new turbocharged, mid-mounted flat-four cylinder engine.

Porsche to introduce new Boxster Spyder, Macan GTS this year

Dig the new Porsche Cayman GT4 but really wish it came in open-top form? Love the Boxster GTS but wish it had more punch? Well we've got good news for you, friend, as that seems to be precisely what Porsche has in store. Among the new models the Volkswagen Group has lined up for this year will be a new Porsche Boxster Spyder. Although no details were announced along with the name, there are a few elements we can look forward to. The new Boxster Spyder is tipped to be essentially an open-top version of the Cayman GT4, but just how many of the latter's components will make the jump from coupe to convertible remain to be seen. The GT4 packs the 3.8-liter flat six from the 911 Carrera S with 385 horsepower, channeled to the rear wheels through an old-school six-speed manual transmission. It also has carbon-ceramic brakes, revised aero, and a stiffened suspension. The Spyder version of the previous Boxster arrived in 2009 with a modest 14-horsepower boost, a retuned suspension and a good 176 pounds trimmed off its curb weight thanks to the elimination of the motorized soft top, air-con and other components. That's not all Porsche has in store for 2015, though. The German automaker has also confirmed a Macan GTS is in the works that promises to explore the little crossover's performance potential. Projecting just what Porsche will do to Macan to give it the GTS treatment, though, is a little tricky. Sure, the German automaker already offers GTS of the rest of its lineup, but just where that model slots in to each line varies. On the Boxster and Cayman, it slots in between the S and GT4/Spyder. For the 911, it serves as a mid-point between the Carrera S and the GT3. And with the Panamera and Cayenne, the GTS bridges the gap between the S and Turbo models. Considering both the Macan S and Macan Turbo pack twin-turbo V6s, the Macan GTS could serve as a mid-point between the S and Turbo with around 350-360 hp, or (more likely) top the range with upwards of 420 hp. One way or another, though, we can expect upgrades to the suspension, brakes, rolling stock and trim to complete the package. Most of the rest of the announcements made in VW's annual report we either already knew about or are of little interest, but the document also confirms new Lamborghinis on the way, including two new versions of the Aventador (likely to be the new SV coupe we just saw and an SV roadster) and three more of the Huracan as well, including two Spyder versions of the latter.

Ward's Automotive Ten Best Engines of 2014 dominated by diesels, turbos

With the Car and Driver Ten Best decided, the North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists announced and Cadillac, Ram and Subaru chalking up wins with Motor Trend, it's fair to say that the automotive awards season is in full swing. The next set of trophies to be handed out will be from Ward's Automotive, which has announced the winners of its 2014 10 Best Engines.
The latest contest was marked by the widespread emergence of diesel power and the continued success of turbocharged engines. There was even an electric motor on this year's list. In fact, only three of the ten winners were naturally aspirated and only two winners returned from last year.
"We weren't looking to throw the bums out, as they might say about an election. We were just really impressed with the flood of new powertrains," said Ward's Automotive Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter. Those new powertrains include the 83-kilowatt electric motor from the Fiat 500e, the 1.0-liter, EcoBoost three-cylinder from the Ford Fiesta and the 2.0-liter turbodiesel from the Chevrolet Cruze.