Gunther Werks, the coachbuilder for potential Singer buyers who want their retro 911s to have a little more Hot Wheels flair, have unveiled their latest piece: the Project F-26.
If that name evokes thoughts of fighter jets, looking at it will probably have the same effect. The number in the name is pulling double duty, however, representing the build volume. And, no, you probably shouldn’t expect to see one in Australia.
The rapidly beating heart of the F-26 is a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged air-cooled flat-six co-developed with Rothsport Racing, and the numbers are appropriately unhinged: 745kW and 1017Nm of torque, thanks in part to a race-derived flat fan for enhanced cooling.
All of this is channelled through a six-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. It’s a purist’s drivetrain combination mated to a level of power that requires a healthy dose of courage to fully exploit.
The entire car is a comprehensive re-engineering exercise, tipping the scales at just 1224kg thanks to a full carbon fibre body.
The chassis is reworked with a 30mm longer wheelbase, a new double-wishbone front suspension, and adaptive JRZ dampers to try and tame the power. The aggressive Slantnose-inspired bodywork, massive rear wing, and widened arches aren’t just for show; they’re necessary to house the massive 295-front and 335-rear tyres.
While Singer has cornered the market on understated, OEM-plus perfection, Gunther Werks clearly understands the commercial reality of the high-end restomod scene: there’s a segment of buyers who want more visual drama and outrageous performance.
The F-26 is a calculated and extreme answer to that demand, a true hypercar in a classic 911 silhouette built for the shock-and-awe theatre of Monterey Car Week.
The price? A lazy $2.4 million AUD. Get after it. Or, if you want something that’s actually sold locally… there’s always Singer.
PS… am I the only one seeing a little NC MX-5 in the front end? 😂
This week it’s another Porsche but not really because it’s a Singer, some Soviet Ladas in Finland, two Germans in French cars in Scotland and a V10 Nissan 240Z.
Chris Harris and Singer
Chris Harris, likely fresh from Joe Rogan’s podcast studio (give me strength) visits the Singer factory in Los Angeles. I’m not a Porsche guy but companies like Singer and Tuthill have been making restomod Porsches that make me really want an old Porsche 911. For a gazillion dollars.
And yes, that’s two videos about Porsches in two weeks. Sue me.
Ladas in Finland
There are two things I like in this following video. 1. Soviet-era machinery (although I’m more partial to the gorgeous aeroplanes of the 1960s) and 2. Finland. As you may (or may not) know, Finland and Russia share a long border and a fraught history.
Obviously at some point you could easily buy a Lada which the Soviet government would have quite liked for the lovely, lovely foreign currency.
Someone in the comments amusingly points out that in Finland you could have a Lada whenever you wanted but in Russia you had to wait years for one.
Sadly YouTube’s subtitles feature doesn’t give us the English but the vision is great.
205 GTIs in Scotland
Only A Roadtrip Away is one of the most chilled automotive YouTube channels. A German guy has built himself a workshop where he fixes up old cars. Then takes them out on a what he calls impractical road trips.
This video is the first in a series covering a road trip to Scotland in two Peugeot 205 GTIs. The real reason for including this video in the list is to introduce you to this wonderful channel because it is criminally underwatched. I don’t think he cares too much, but you’ll see what I mean.
The 205 GTI is a car incredibly close to my heart and thank you to regular Redline co-pilot Mark Dewar for putting me on to this channel.
BMW S85 + Nissan 240Z – B For Build
This is another oldie but a goodie. I am mildly obsessed with people building silly cars and this one is marvellously silly.
B is For Build is hardly a small channel at 1.6 million subscribers but the YouTube algorithm didn’t think to offer it to me until recently. This video starts an incredible series where a loud chap buys a Nissan 240Z in order to swap in the S85 V10 from the E60 BMW M5. Hold on tight, because this one is a proper rollercoaster.
Enjoy your weekend and marvel at the idea I got this out before the weekend actually started.
Porsche’s latest 911 range-topper goes berserk – more power, more torque, brakes that could stop the Titanic running into the iceberg.
The original Porsche 911 Turbo had a couple of other names – the 930 or most famously, the Widowmaker. It generated 191kW once its 3.0-litre flat-six climbed over its miniscule 6.5:1 compression ratio and started actually boosting. Once in the zone, the 930 was acceleratively shocking.
Fast-forward nearly half a century, and meet the latest play on the legendary turbo badge: the 992-generation 911 Turbo S. And its 478kW engine…
We thought the Carrera 4S was fast. This is going to be stellar.
Look and Feel
Fundamentally, it’s just tougher looking without going GT2 bananas. Both exterior and interior get the S treatment and those delectable alloys (many optional wheel and tyre packages are available). The Cabriolet scores a little more interior goodness, too, but the best thing is, it’s not overdone. The silver shown here in Coupe looks lovely and, of course, the full-width bar with prominent Porsche lettering lets everyone now it’s the new 992.
Drivetrain
478kW @ 6750rpm 800Nm @ 2500 – 4000rpm
First, the headline figures: that 478kW power peak (at 6,750rpm) sits 51kW ahead of its predecessor. Not only that, the new-gen Turbo S also out-torques the outgoing model by 50Nm, now producing a nice, round 800Nm peak. Of course, this is offered over a plateau spanning 2,500-4,000rpm.
These mega-figures are generated from a 3,745cc, integrated dry sump iteration of the twin-turbo flat-six that is potent enough to accelerate the 911 Turbo S from standstill to 100km.h in 2.7 seconds.Top speed? A lazy 330km/h.
Compression ratio is set at 8.7:1, still relatively low in a world of modern high-comp turbocharged packages, but it is supporting 1.55 bar maximum boost pressure from the twin variable-vane turbochargers. The redline is set at 7,200rpm.
Generating this boost is a new turbocharger setup. Compressor and turbine wheels now operate in opposite phase, while the compressor wheel grows 3mm to 61mm. The turbine also grows to 55mm from 50mm previously. The dual intercoolers are now repositioned to capture more air flow and are 14 per cent larger. Of course, the electrically-controlled wastegates contribute further to efficiency and response, too.
Thanks to VarioCam Plus, variable intake and exhaust timing contributes to relatively high efficiency, the 911 Turbo S returning 11.1L/100km and 254g/km CO2 on the new WLTP cycle.
Latest-generation Porsche Traction Management works with an active all-wheel drive system that continuously varies torque split between front and rear axles via an electrically-controlled multi-plate clutch. Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus includes an electronic rear differential lock to further split drive across the rear axle as required.
What’s particularly impressive is the attention Porsche has paid to the driven front end. Featuring additional cooling capability, steel reinforcement plates and a lighter, more stable driveshaft with just one universal joint, the front axle can now take up to 500Nm of torque.
The eight-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox uses a dual-mass flywheel to allow consistently speedy shifting.
Chassis
Lots more acronyms to enjoy here, starting with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). This electronic overlord monitors a relatively traditional steel suspension setup, albeit with variable damping at each corner. These are particularly trick, using a control valve that continually adjusts via magnetic force to respond to the road with precision – hundreds of times per second.
Staggered wheel and tyre sizes have been adopted, the front axle hosting 20-inch forged alloys with 255/35 rubber, the rear sitting on 21-inch forgies and 315/30 tyres. The road wheels feature a race-style centre lock attachment. Monitoring the tyre’s vitals is a tyre pressure monitoring system that incorporates tyre temperature indicators for the first time.
An optional Sport chassis further lowers the 911 Turbo S by 10mm. Shorter springs with higher rates are employed and the standard ‘active roll compensation system’ is retuned to suit.
All this technical engineering dedicated to going and steering would be worth little if this thing couldn’t stop. But it will… with the first-ever 10-piston front caliper to be fitted to a Porsche. This clamps a 420mm carbon-ceramic front disc, while at the rear are four-pot calipers and 390mm rotors.
Dimensions
This is the widest 911 ever, whether in Coupe or Cabriolet form.
Body width sits at 1,900mm (up 50mm), while the front wing width increases to 1,840mm from 1,795mm. More importantly for dynamics, track width have grown 10mm to 1,600mm (rear) and an impressive 42mm (1,583mm) at the front end. A 28mm length increase has also been implemented.
Unladen weight (DIN) has grown, too, by some 40kg at that, to 1640kg (Coupe). Porsche explains this is due in part to the new eight-speed PDK gearbox, the petrol particulate filter, cooled front axle and the larger wheel/tyre combinations.
A second-generation active aerodynamic system adorns the 911 Turbo S, enabling a new Wet Mode system that adjusts the rear wing to generate higher downforce over the axle. An air brake function is also featured, which increases front and rear wing angles to maximise drag and assist in emergency braking situations. All up, the 911 Turbo S is capable of generating 170kg downforce.
How much is the Porsche 911 Turbo S and when can I have it?
Porsche has added $12,000 to the retail price of both 911 Turbo S Coupe and Cabriolet models. The Coupe now starts at $473,900 with the Cabriolet at $494,900. Ordering is now available through dealerships, with first deliveries expected in the second-half of 2020.
Standard specification
While always at the engineering forefront, it wasn’t that long ago that Porsche interiors lagged by a couple of generations. With the 911 Turbo S, this appears a thing of the past.
A full leather interior is standard-fit, with seat heating for Australian cars, with carbon interior trims and light silver accents abounding – and said to be inspired by the original 930’s highlights.
Matrix LED headlights, Comfort Access, Sport Chrono, 18-way electric sports seats, 10.9-inch centre screen with sat-nav, Lane Change Assist, a BOSE 12-speaker sound system, digital radio and Apple CarPlay are also standard. Porsche’s Track Precision app is taken to the next level with over 300 race tracks stored and automatic lap timing possible.
Camera-assisted cruise control is standard, along with braking assistant. It’s odd, though, that a range-topper of this magnitude requires one to tick an option box for adaptive cruise control to gain full AEB functionality. But hey, when you’re dropping half a mill on a car, box ticking is hardly going to require a call to the accountant.
Some funky options
The range-topping 911’s option list reveals a new lightweight window glass that not only saves 4kg, but improves sound insulation and decreases glare, too. This will be progressively rolled into new 911 models in time.
Other tasty tick boxes would be for the flap-controlled sports exhaust, and a full ‘lightweight package’ for the Coupe that is expected for Australia. This shaves 30kg (most of the deficit to the predecessor) via the fancy glass, as well as lighter seats, reduced sound insulation and the removal of the second seat row. Tick.
Redline Recommendation
Peter’s review suggests the Carrera 4S is already a complete weapon, so with extra power, torque and an even tauter chassis, the latest Turbo S will likely become an instant classic.
The 2019 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S might be the eighth-generation 911 but it’s the first time Peter Anderson has driven one.
Like the Lotus Elise, the 911 is a car I have only ever admired from afar. Almost everybody I’ve ever met has at least had a ride in one or a mate had one who let him drive it. It wasn’t until 2017 that I had the chance to ride in one – a 991 Targa around, of all places, Circuit Paul Ricard. He wasn’t pushing very hard and got rounded up by, well, everything.
But it’s now 2019 and we’ve got a new 911, the 992. Lots of new technology, new cabin, changes, changes, changes.
This isn’t going to be one of those self-indulgent, “Ah, yes, but is it still a 911?” stories. I’m not qualified to tell you that.
I am qualified to tell you if it stands up against the best from Germany and Britain, whether it’s a match for an Audi R8, an M850i or maybe a McLaren 540C. So let’s get cracking.
Look and Feel
Okay, there is a bit where I can tell you if it’s a 911. There is no other car on earth that looks anything like it and this one, I think, is extremely difficult to fault. Almost impossible, actually.
The 996 was the nadir – flabby-looking with those awful headlights, the world’s obsession with it is endlessly mystifying to me. The 992 is the best modern iteration since the lithe 993. To my eyes, anyway – everyone has a strong opinion about the 911 and you’re entirely welcome to be wrong, I mean, you know what I mean.
The 992 takes back the clean look of the 993. The full width light bar at the rear is fantastic, as is the high-level stop lights integrated into the grille. The wing sits flush into the rear section and the badging is just right. The clean lines of the bumper and the huge exhausts flanking the number plate really work.
In profile there’s a lovely curve from A-pillar to tail and the 20-inch wheels are just right. And the front is a cleaner version of the 991, which was almost there. Add in the funky four LED daytime running lights and you’ve got a proper, 21st-century design. Yes, it’s way bigger but it seems like it has taken almost 25 years for the 911 to work out how to carry its girth.
The interior is – thankfully – devoid of the button festival of the 991. Regular Redline co-pilot Mark Dewar says he prefers the button explosion, but I am not a fan.
The Porsche PCM system runs on the huge central screen and the dash is the traditional five dial layout. Like the Cayenne, you can’t see the dials on the edges so they don’t have to tell you much. One thing I can’t get anybody to like – including me – is the weird shifter paddle thing poking out of the dash like a toddler’s tongue.
It’s all beautifully built – more so than the Cayenne, which is a bit ordinary – but everything fits just right and looks the business. The rear seats are ludicrous, but they’re there for emergencies. I crammed one bloke in who is maybe 175cm and he wasn’t super-pleased. He forgot about it when I gave it a boot full.
Chassis
The bad news is that the 992 is 55kg heavier. The good news comes in two parts.
Firstly, there’s even more aluminium in this car, with steel now making up just 30 percent of the body. That’s down by over half. Most of the body parts are aluminium and the extra 20mm is mostly at the front to house a new crash structure. It’s worth the flab for more safety, I reckon – these things are damn fast and things can go wrong.
All 911s are now wide bodied, with an extra 45mm accommodating a wider track, which is an excellent thing.
For the first time in a 911, the front and rear wheel sizes are different. The front rolls on 20-inch wheels wrapped in 245/35s at the front. The rears are massive 21-inch units with 305/30s. If you don’t tick any boxes, the factory-fit tyres are Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersports, which are the tyres I had. Box-fresh they were, too.
You can choose either Michelins or Pirellis from the factory. It would be very interesting to see those numbers.
The car I drove also had Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, which Porsche says has active roll stabilisation and the rather vague “enhanced agility”. As you have to also tick the rear-axle steering box to get this, I had that too. I would suggest you tick at least one of these – the four-wheel steer is brilliant.
The Sport Chrono package throws in active engine mounts, a Mercedes C63S-like mode-switching dial on the steering wheel; individual driving mode in addition to Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus; throttle blipping on the downshift; PSM Sport mode; Track Precision App (didn’t use it) and launch control. Do get this option, too.
My car had the standard steel brakes because the carbon ceramics would be utterly ludicrous. The rears are 330mm while the fronts are whoppers at 350mm.
Drivetrain
This is the second part of the good news.
Here in the S, the 991.2’s 3.0-litre twin turbo stays, but now with more power and torque. The engineers shifted the engine further forwards and the mounting points further apart to make it less rear-engine-ey and more mid-engine-ey.
Power is up by 22kW (30PS) to 331kW (450PS). 0-100km/h arrives in 3.6 seconds (0.1 quicker than the Carrera 2), nearly half a second quicker than the 991.
The increase in the engine’s figures come courtesy of bigger turbochargers with cast intake manifolds, new intakes, new piezo injectors that are more controllable and bigger charge air coolers under the grille where they’re supposed to work better. The air filters are now wrapped in the rear guards.
The Sport Chrono Package drops 0.2 seconds off the standard 4S’ 0-100km/h time.
Power reaches all four wheels via an eight-speed PDK transmission. It’s interesting to see Porsche doing this – my immediate thought was, “Why not go with the ZF eight-speed?” but
a) the purists would lose their minds and
b) I don’t think it would fit the 911’s unique installation.
With an extra gear to play with, first is shorter than the 991’s seven-speeder and eighth longer than the old car’s seventh. If you’re giving it a hiding, there is also a fast-shift program which I can tell you works a treat.
The new gearbox is also designed to go with the new hybrid powertrains destined for the 911, so that’s going to be interesting.
Other things of note on this car were the sports exhaust system, which made it a little bit more vocal when switched into higher modes. Not sure if it was worth the extra, but there you are.
As for those modes, you have Wet, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus. Amusingly, when the car works out it’s wet, it suggests switching to Wet mode. That’s kind of cute, even if the message is a bit passive-aggressive.
What Did I Do With the 992 911 Carrera 4S?
I have to be careful here. As I write this, the real reason I had the car has to remain a bit of secret. No, really. I can’t wait to see the end result, though and for you to see it too. I’ll post a story when it’s ready.
So here’s how the day went. 4:30am start, drive to Sydney Motorsport Park (SMP). It was dark and cold (for Sydney), but it was dry. Wait around for sunrise, clean the car up, straight out on to the main straight for some high speed runs.
Then we drove back through the under-track tunnel to the relatively new layout of the South Circuit. The day I was there coincided with an EV industry day. While I was haring around in a 3.0-litre turbo flat-six, Teslas and Leafs and all sorts of EVs whirred around the rest of the track.
The South Circuit is a pure delight – it’s basically all corners, with a very short pitlane and pit straight. I grew to love it in the way I don’t really love the main circuit. It has all of the good bits of Eastern Creek without the scary bits.
And after a day with the track pretty much to myself and another 911 (a 991.2 T), I drove home, arriving just before 9pm. A seriously long day.
High Speed Runs
What did it do as soon as I lined up for my first run? It started raining. Those of you who know about SMP know that Turn One is a) very fast (and I was treating it as run-off) and b) dreadful in the wet because there’s standing water everywhere. I was the only person on the track, so there was nobody to clear the water.
It didn’t just rain. It poured. On the first run I just floored it in Sport Plus. The engine bellowed, there was the tiniest of squirms from the rear tyres and we were off. The 911 doesn’t gather speed, it sucks it up as though dragging it in from the air around it. Triple figures appear almost in an instant.
That’s cool, though, I’m “used” to that from other cars. Every car has its own power delivery, but the 911’s is something else again in this turbo era, feeling more like a naturally-aspirated car apart from the burps and whooshes.
The thing that really got me was at turn one. Despite a wet track and the knowledge I was running out of straight road, the change of direction was instant. Combined with all-wheel steer, the car was totally settled. Scarily well settled, actually. The way it turned in gave me a little fright because I wondered if the rear was going to come around (you know how all 911s do that, right?). But it didn’t. By the time I reached the pit blend line, I was able to turn around and do it again and again and again.
The grip in the wet, even on the Goodyears, was phenomenal. And the fact it could blat through 170km/h without drama on a soaking wet track had me shaking my head on every run. Amazing.
The South Circuit
The rest of the day was spent on the South Circuit, with a couple of sounding runs through the tunnel under the track that leads to the pit paddock, just for fun.
The track was drying by then, but there was still plenty of standing water around and some very wet kerbs. Obviously, Sport Plus was the mode I stuck with. Binning a brand new 911 at a race track would have been disappointing for a very large number of people. Chiefly, Porsche Australia, I should imagine, but also the 50-strong film crew there to film me cutting laps.
It’s a grand thing to have a racetrack largely to yourself for a day. The secret project involved filming the car at all speeds, so I got to play with the car. Clipping kerbs (at low speed), different lines, looking for grip. It’s hugely adjustable, even in the Carrera 4 version. It’s so obviously rear-biased it barely needs mentioning, but it also reminds the mouth-breathers that all-wheel drive doesn’t have to feel like it’s on rails.
One shot called for a big tail wag out of a hairpin and the car duly delivered with a fair amount of provocation. What’s even more impressive is how much rope it gave me before gently gathering it all up again. Some systems intervene with a guillotine, this was a far more soft-edged approach, with none of the awkwardness that goes with the dropping blade.
During a day of being absolutely hammered, the brakes never gave up. The South Circuit is hard on brakes – lots of corners, a few of them downhill and given the 911’s propensity to hit warp speed, they were sorely tested despite the lack of long straights.
But what my brain kept coming back to was the way it changes direction – the four-wheel steer certainly helps, but its ability to go left and right, to handle that awkward downhill left-hander. I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t spend the money for a car that’s so gloriously pointy but without the instability.
Redline Recommendation – I Get It.
And then, I drove it home. The tyres were fine after a day’s hammering, the car comfortable and warm and I had some lovely quiet tunes playing on Apple CarPlay to reduce my heart rate and dilute the adrenaline. It had been a huge day but the 992 911 took it all in its stride.
I’ve said it before – good cars stick in your head, but great cars get into your bones. I had pretty much everything but snow to deal with in the 911 and it was ready for more. It’s a massive achievement that few of its ilk can match – ferocious power with a delicate on-road experience that would keep my mother happy.
Redline co-pilot Brendan Allen prised the Porsche Cayenne from Peter Anderson’s hands for a few days to see what the fuss is about.
You’d be forgiven for letting this latest release from Porsche slip under the radar as the brand continues to be diluted by countless SUVs out in the wild.
Take a drive around Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs or Melbourne’s South-East and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that one in ten cars (not SUVs, but cars) is either a Cayenne or Macan S.
It’s the latter that leaves the Cayenne in an interesting position with the Macan pushing the price of Porsche ownership well below the $100,000 mark. The question is, does the Cayenne offer enough of a premium over its younger brother to justify the jump in price?
With this third generation of Cayenne being released in late 2017, it was always going to be interesting to see the sales figures as it lines up with the more affordable Macan. In 2016, Porsche moved 1,341 Cayennes in Australia, compared to a whopping 2,172 Macans.
But what’s interesting (or possibly inevitable) is in 2017 the Cayenne figures dropped by 17.2% to 1,111. Compare this to a 14.1% increase in Macan sales and you begin to see a clear picture emerging.
2019 Porsche Cayenne
Putting sales figures aside, let’s take a look at the Cayenne in a little more detail.
The first thing you notice is how big this car feels. It’s like stepping up into a Peterbilt every time you leave the house.
The driving position reflects this too, with the optioned two-tone partial leather seats in black-Mojave beige (aaaand breathe) providing a commanding view of both the road and the cockpit.
The lack of massage seats across the range seems like an interesting omission considering the offering from competitors.
The dash and centre console controls are what you would expect from Porsche with an abundance of customisation including the in-dash navigation and display for just about any adjustable electronic component.
The steering wheel is a definite highlight featuring comfortable hand positioning, however I found it rather unintuitive when it came to stereo controls. The volume control relies on buttons and they’re not the easiest to locate without taking your hands off the wheel.
I never did manage to find the track skip buttons despite my greatest efforts. I was forced to use the touch screen or the passenger stereo control knob (which I think would have been great to have on the driver side). Apple CarPlay is standard, which is a staple these days and expected even at entry level.
The media, climate and car controls all easily accessible and quite intuitive compared to the wheel controls, however I do find the lack of tactile response, especially while on the move, to be rather distracting. I often found myself accidentally hitting the next button over. The scroll-style volume wheel is a great, simple idea, but would be nicer if it wasn’t directly in front of the gear stick.
Overall, the interior offers a great, premium level of comfort, especially with the optioned Mojave beige interior and Panoramic roof option.
Driving
On the road, the Cayenne continues the tradition of providing a confident driving experience. Although the car feels big when getting in and out, once you are behind the wheel the heft seems to dissipate and you are left with a very rewarding driving experience.
The car handles like a much smaller SUV and although it’s no 911, it’s got a very chuckable nature. The feedback from the wheel is about as balanced as you’d like. Note that this vehicle is fitted with the ‘Power Steering Plus’ package which sharpens up the steering especially at speed.
The base model 3.0 V6 ‘turbo’ (it’s a turbo… but not a Turbo, if you know what I mean) provides plenty of punch to get around town and definitely complements that ‘nimble’ feeling when considering the size of the car.
Acceleration from a standing start is more than adequate to get out of any danger however, you might argue that the eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox is a little bit ‘jolty’ especially at lower speeds (see Peter’s review).
This is further exaggerated when switching to Sport Mode. When you hit the sport button in the centre console, you’ll immediately notice the engine note change from a purr to a growl and soon after you’ll also notice a more aggressive shifting tune, resulting in more jolting during downshifts.
My preference was to leave it in regular mode, and maybe just tighten up the suspension (a separate button with 2 levels of damping) if you enjoy a little bit more spirited school run.
Styling wise, the new Cayenne has clearly paved the way for Porsche’s global facelift, with the new 992 911, flaunting the same rear LED taillight setup as the Cayenne. It’s a step toward a more modern rear end, although you might argue that it’s taken away some of the uniqueness and made it look a little more like a lot of other SUVs on the road today, maybe even looking a bit like some of the current Korean offerings (who copies who these days?).
Time will only tell if the Cayenne can exist alongside the Macan. I believe that a big percentage of Porsche buyers are in it for the badge, so a Macan S should do the trick. But the Cayenne is a lot more capable than the Macan, setting itself aside as a true SUV in a market of crossovers and soft roaders.
Maybe just don’t tick the 21 inch wheel option if you want to take your Cayenne off the beaten track…
Porsche’s saviour, the Cayenne, is now in its third generation. It’s the quintessential performance SUV, with the right badge and the right price for that badge.
Times have changed. Where the Cayenne was easily king of kids a decade and a half ago, the rest of the Germans are absolutely on it. Audi, BMW, and Mercedes all have a dog in the fast SUV hunt with more on the way.
The Brits have the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport and even the Americans have the completely batty Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The Italians are finally on stream, with Maserati and Alfa throwing twin-turbo V8 and V6s into this warzone.
Porsche has to work for its premium SUV buck. What did Zuffenhausen have to do to keep the Cayenne where it is? Funnily enough, it doesn’t look like much, but like anything new from Porsche, there’s more than meets the eye.
Look and feel
Speaking of what meets the eye, the new Cayenne is, thankfully, sleeker. A lot of people I’ve spoken to have grizzled about the new rear end, but I liked the way it links to the rest of the Porsche range.
It’s the most upright Porsche on the market, but gets away with it. My only complaint is that in this base machine, the skirts and bumpers aren’t really deep enough which reduces the car’s muscularity.
The revised cabin is much better than any previous Cayenne I’ve driven. The last one I drove was a symphony of buttons. While well laid-out and reasonably attractive, it takes a long time to learn what they all do and it was irritating.
This new car replaces many of the physical buttons – that didn’t need to be there – are gone, with black panels and soft buttons. When the car is off, it’s much cleaner and with the car on, it’s easier to learn and to my eyes, calmer. My wife disagreed, she reckons there are still too many buttons.
The dash is cool – I wasn’t sure I’d like five separate nails, but they’re easy to use and really fill the space. That does mean the steering wheel is a bit of a whopper by modern standards. The central media screen is a massive 12.3-inch screen and has a terrific-looking interface with sat nav and also has Apple CarPlay, which is nice.
I didn’t like the wheel for reasons I can’t quite articulate, so I’m happy to leave it as the vibe, which is my problem.
Nobody liked the weird starter tongue poking out of the dash. I really don’t get that thing.
Given it’s a big SUV, it’s worth telling you that it’s roomy front and back and has a huge boot. And has cupholders and stuff.
Drivetrain
Yep, this isn’t the Cayenne Turbo and the badge in the photo is missing the word Turbo. Which is odd, because this Cayenne has two huffers attached to the , spinning up 250kW (340PS) and 450Nm, which is nothing to snort about.
This engine is roughly the same as Audi’s S-model cars like the S4 – stepping up to the Cayenne S nets you the shorter-stroke 2.9 V6 of the Audi RS4/RS5 pair (as an example).
Naturally, it’s all-wheel drive and has ZF’s usually outstanding eight-speed automatic. This is the Cayenne you want if you’re planning on spending time off-road.
[table id=25 /]
There is also a Hybrid Cayenne, but we skipped that.
Chassis
Like the Lamborghini Urus and Bentley’s Bentayga bruiser – as well as Audi’s rather more restrained Q7 – the Cayenne rides on the VW Group’s excellent MLB Evo platform.
Despite a bit of extra length, Porsche says the new car is around 65kg lighter, although that might be cold comfort when the base car is still the wrong side of two tonnes.
To help keep weight in check (!), the bonnet, tailgate, doors, roof and front wings are made of aluminium, which might explain a fair chunk of the 65kg saving.
Helping keep it off the road is Porsche’s Active Suspension Management, which is a slight over-statement – they’re active dampers. You can also spec air suspension which comes at a hefty premium and, of course, adds weight.
The Cayenne comes with Porsche’s Traction Management (PTM) system, which includes active AWD with electronically variable, map-controlled multi-plate clutch, automatic brake differential (ABD) and anti-slip regulation (ASR). That’s a lot of acronyms and nothing here is particularly amazing as far as the technology goes.
The standard 19-inch wheel ship with 255/55 up front and 275/50s out back. Despite those high aspect ratios, they look ballooney. The car we had sported a tasty set of 21s with lower-profile tyres. I reckon that’s money well-spent, the car looks silly with the base wheels.
Brakes are pretty decent, with four-pot calipers up front grabbing 350mm disks with two-pot units at the back on 330mm disks.
Driving
There’s not getting past that this is a Big Unit. Nearly five metres long and a pretty decent drop when you climb out of the car, the base Cayenne is clearly pitched at the badge-conscious, sporty SUV buyer.
It’s fast, though – around six seconds to the ton is not mucking around, the terrific V6 happily chasing the redline with every flattened throttle. You can access the speed quickly, making it brilliant both out on the freeway and in town, making small gaps easy and overtaking drama-free.
And despite being the base pack, it handles very nicely indeed. It can take a while to get comfortable throwing it around because the driving position is high and the dash design make the car feel super-wide. But the steering weight is just right as you dial up the intensity.
For such a big heavy car, the Cayenne’s turn-in is sharp and relatively free of slack – few “entry-level” SUVs, even premium-brand ones will get near the Cayenne. Throw it down a winding road and the Macan-esque agility, super-strong V6 and adaptive damping will make it very hard to catch, let alone beat.
Both co-pilot Brendan and I noticed the eight-speed ZF was very unhappy. On the downshift the car suffered from a serious jolt, completely out of character for a) the car and b) the transmission itself which is found in cars everywhere. A few phone calls later and I’m pretty confident that the problem was isolated to this car. So it can happen – if it does, your car is not right, so take it back to the dealer.
The base model Cayenne is a good deal if you’re not after that ultimate on-road edge. It’s easy to live with every day, goes like a rat up a drainpipe and I reckon just now is starting to look good. The new interior is a cracker, too and, transmission glitch aside, is a bit of a crowd-pleaser.
Here in Australia it’s more expensive than its obvious competition – that’s up to you – but for the first time I’ve felt that the bottom end of the range, even though it does cost more, is worth the Porsche tax.
Like so many fast cars, it feels like ages since we first heard that this car was coming. And now it’s here.
Porsche is starting with the S models, saying that they sell better. The new car looks terrific. If you just think it looks the same as the old car, you are partially wrong and you can skip to the next bit about the engines.
As with the 991, the car is bigger in every direction. A new front crash structure is responsible for most of the 20mm increase in length while the new body is 45mm wider, including some lovely subtle flaring of the front wheel arches. There is now just the one body style, and they’re all the fat-bottomed kind.
The wheels start at 20-inches up front and 21s at the back. Despite the extra length partially offset by a height increase of 2mm, it looks low and fast.
I love it. And I’m not a 911-phile. I just think it looks really clean and mean.
At the rear, the new integrated wing looks the business and rises in two stages so you don’t look too stupid when getting about at moderate speeds. The high-level brake light looks part of the grille until it lights up and the new Porsche signature of full-width taillights is magnificent.
Another nice detail? The flush-fitting doorhandles that pop out when you approach. Snazzy.
Inside looks wider as Porsche takes a more horizontal approach to design. It’s all-new, of course, and looks better, less bitty than the old cabin. While you can see just one cupholder in the image behind the dinky little shifter, there’s another over pop-out jobbie in the dash against the door. In case that’s important.
Engine and Drivetrain
For the S, the 3.0-litre twin turbo remains but now with more power and torque. Plenty of detail changes, too.
Power is up by 22kW (30PS) to 331kW (450PS). 0-100km/h differs between the rear-wheel drive (3.7 seconds) and the 4S (3.6 seconds). That’s 0.4 seconds off the previous marks set by the 991.
If you want to knock another 0.2 seconds off, go for the Sport Chrono Package.
Top speed is 308km/h for the RWD and 306km/h for the 4S.
The new eight-speed PDK twin-clutch transmission is partially responsible for the 55kg weight gain. It’s always going to be a heavy thing when you add another gear to an already complex unit. It’s also interesting that Porsche has stuck with the PDK and not gone with the ZF eight-speed. Not chucking rocks, of course – it’s just an observation.
That new gearbox is meant to handle future hybrid powertrains, so keep an eye out for that in the coming months.
When?
The 992 Carrera S and 4S will start deliveries in the New Year and is on sale now. Most dealers have probably been taking deliveries for months because, you know dealers.
Australian buyers can expect to pay no less than $265,100 for the S and $281,000 for the 4S. UK buyers will be paying in the region of £93,110 and £98,418 respectively.
Longer, wider, lighter, faster. The 991 911 has been with us for seven years but certainly made its mark.
The 991 launched in 2011, with the usual “how can you tell it’s new” jokes to go with it. Porschephiles don’t care about that stuff and neither do I. They’re not going to change the look and rightly so.
The 991 grew again, both in overall length and in its wheelbase, again to fit bigger humans and more stuff. The wheelbase grew a whopping 10cm making it look longer and lower, aided by a lovely wide track.
I think the kids call this “stance.”
It might have been bigger in every direction, but it got lighter to the tune of 45kg (or thereabouts, depending on the model). The wild GT2 RS smashed the ‘Ring and the post-GFC world couldn’t get enough of them – over 217,000 sold, taking the all-time sales through the one million mark.
During the year after its initial launch in 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show, the Cabriolet joined the coupe and in 2014 came the return of the GTS.
The Turbo and Turbo S pairing launched in 2013, as did the first iteration of the GT3. The GT3 RS replaced it two years later before the mid-life refresh in 2016 threw the cards in the air again.
From 2016, the Carrera and GTS switched to all twin-turbo 3.0-litre power. Shortly afterwards came the new Targa and in 2018 the limited-run Speedster.
Huffy puffy engines
The base engine shrunk again, this time to 3.4-litres but still managing 257 kW (350 PS). The 3.8-litre S upped the ante with 294 kW (400 PS).
The GTS arrived in 2014, this time with 316kW (430PS) and the option of rear- or all-wheel drive.
In 2016 the 3.0-litre twin-turbo found its way into the 911’s rump, with 272kW (370 PS) and a nice fat torque band. The GTS went further on the same engine with 331kW (450 PS).
The Turbo climbed to 397kW (540 PS) from its 3.8-litre twin huffer and the S scored 427kW (580 PS).
And Porsche kept going. The Turbo S Exclusive Series had 446kW (607PS) and finally, the GT2 RS had a whopping 515kW (700PS). If you were happy to restrict yourself to the track, the very limited 935 had the same engine. All of them had whopping great slabs of torque to ruin the rear tyres.
The GT3 kept the sublime naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre from the previous generation, initially with the option of a six-speed manual. With 382kW (520PS), that same engine with 368kW (500PS) found its way into the Speedster, the final edition of the 991.
The manual on the GT3 disappeared in 2017 and you could also get a slightly less hardcore GT3 Touring.
Well. That’s been fun. With Part 7 we draw to a close the countdown to the new 911 to be unveiled at the LA Auto Show.
Six generations in and the 911 range got bigger and deeper. With variants galore to suit all tastes, from a sweet entry-level Carrera 2 to fire-breathing GT2 RS.
997 Carrera GTS
The 997 arrived in a blaze. In 2004, Porsche was riding pretty high, backed by its ever-closer relationship with the Volkswagen Group. The aggro over the move away from water-cooling had long since been silenced and Porsche’s designers produced a cleaner, prettier car than the 996.
A new approach to both ends of the car – while maintaining the instantly recognisable profile – created a much less blobby and more resolved look. The car rew again by 44mm, which is a fair bit on a car that size and the rear end came in a whopping 88mm wider.
Most notable was the exit of the smashed crab headlights, replaced with oval units set at a steeper angle so the car didn’t look like it was a limbo champion in the making all the time.
Over the 997’s lifetime, you could choose from 24 different variants on the theme, with a 2008 facelift to the engines thrown into the mix. As the market demanded more, Porsche offered more and made money like it was going out of fashion.
Which it did with the Global Financial Crisis that could have killed the sports car maker had the Cayenne SUV not been there printing cash.
Flat-sixes everywhere
The evergreen threat of the 911 dropping to four-cylinders reared its head but didn’t eventuate. Out of the blocks, you could have a 911 with a 240kW (325PS)/370Nm 3.6-litre. For the S, the engineers bored the cylinders out a bit for 3.8-litres, producing 265kW (360PS) and 400Nm.
The 3.8 also had the X51 power kit option, which boosted grunt to 280kW (381PS) and 405Nm.
The Turbo dropped back to 3.6-litres and ripped out 305kW (415PS) and 620Nm. An overboost function slung you an extra 60Nm on full throttle for a short time for a whopping 680Nm. The Turbo was the first production car engine to feature variable vane geometry.
The Phase 2 came in 2008, bringing more power and more general equipment like bi-xenon headlights.
The dry-sumped 3.6 went up to 254 kW (345 PS) while the 3.8 in the S rose to 283 kW (385 PS). The Turbo came a little later but it was worth the wait, with the now-3.8-litre twin-turbo knocking out a nice round 500 PS or 368kW. A Turbo S would arrive late in the 997 cycle, with 390kW (530 PS) and 700Nm.
The Turbo S also introduced everyone to the idea of a seven-speed PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) twin-clutch, replacing the five-speed auto from 2009.
Versions, versions everywhere
You could have a Carrera, Cabriolet, Targa (2006 onwards) or Speedster (2011) and you could have “basic”, S or Turbo in most of them. You could also have Carrera 2, Carrera S, Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S. The Turbo was, of course, all-wheel drive.
In early 2011, the GTS arrived to plug the small gap in the range, with a wider body and rear-wheel drive. The 3.6-litre served up 304 kW (413PS). The Carrera 4 GTS went on sale a few months later.
The GT3 and GT3 returned as well. The GT3’s engine was turned up 305kW (415PS) while the GT2’s turbo unit made 390kW 530PS. The Phase II versions ripped out 320 kW (435PS) and the GT2 RS 456 kW (620 PS).
The guts. Look away if you’re squeamish.
Phase II also saw the introduction of the GT3 RS 331 kW (450 PS) and the GT2 RS had a whopping 456kW (620 PS).
Then there was the nutcase GT3 RS 4.0. That thing spun up 368 kW (500PS) at a spectacular 8500rpm from the naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre engine. Along with that wild engine and bits of racing cars in the engine and aero, the RS 4.0 weighed 1370kg. It was damn fast and the last hurrah for the 997. A fully-laden Turbo was nearly 200kg heavier.
Porsche’s fifth 911, the 996, re-wrote big chunks of the rule book. Longer, wider and with fried egg headlights, it also had – gasp – a watercooled flat-six. Did the 996…dilute the brand? (I am not sorry)
The 996 was a bit of a mixed bag. The company was on a bit of an efficiency drive, both in a financial and engineering sense. The former forced the same nose as the entry-level Boxster on to the 911 while the latter meant the end of air-cooling for the flat six. That’s where the money went.
The financial pressures seemed to mean that the 911 grew for just the second time in 34 years. Wheelbase and overall length increased for more space. As humans got bigger and buyers got wealthier, they demanded more room in the classic sports car. And you need more room for luxury kit.
Porsche took the brave pills with this car’s big engineering changes even if it didn’t show on the outside. The 996’s front end upset quite a few people who weren’t Boxster owners and later in the model’s life, the front end tweaks distanced the 911 from its little sister.
Being brutally honest, the styling hasn’t aged well on the early and base cars. The most mystifying thing to me about this car is its popularity – if I had a dollar for every person who said they were thinking about buying a 996, I could buy a 996. And the time machine to go to back and buy one new.
Water-cooling the 911
The greatest source of controversy was the end of the air-cooled flat-six. I’m still stunned it lasted as long as it did, especially in the Turbo. Thermal dynamics caught up with the 911 and air-cooling just wasn’t an option anymore.
The old air-cooled engine was noisy and rough by contemporary standards. Reliability might have been good, but 911 buyers expected more. Stringent emissions regulations – particularly in the US market – meant the variations in power outputs were becoming more and more unacceptable to premium buyers.
The new power unit started the bidding at 3.4-litres and 221 kW (300 PS).
Power rose in 2001 to 224 kW (305 PS) which was also the final year of the narrowbody Carrera 4. Finally, the 3.4 became a 3.6 and the 996 finished with the 235kW (320PS) and for the 40th Anniversary 40 Jahre edition, a whopping 254kW (345PS).
996 Turbo and Turbo S
2004 911 Turbo 996 with the less Boxster-ey front end.
In 2000 the Turbo joined the Carrera and Cabriolet. With 3.6-litres and two turbos, owners could play with 313 kW (426 PS) and streak too 100km/h (62mph) in 4.2 seconds.
From 2002 you could order the X50 option with a remapped ECU, bigger turbos for 336 kW (457 PS). The 996 Turbo became the first roadgoing 911 to blow past 300km/h.
That engine was standard in the end-of-model 2005 Turbo S, along with carbon composite brakes.
GT2 and GT3
Porsche really got to work on its GT variants with the 996. Thankfully the front and rear styling changes massively improved the wobbly blobbiness.
The GT3 was based on the widebody Carrera 4 and featured a naturally-aspirated 3.6-litre engine which was good for 268 kW (364 PS). It was the Turbo’s engine without the, er, turbos. Both the GT2 and GT3 used a dry sump system and an aluminium crankcase and the cylinders were Nikasil lined to make them extra slippy.
Porsche’s engineers stripped the car of nice, soft things like the back seat, added adjustable suspension, bigger brakes and some wild-looking aero. And a roll cage, if you please.
The second iteration of the GT3 had 283kW (385PS) and was actually available to deprived American buyers. With all-wheel drive, it cracked 1.03g on the skidpan.
Turbo fans were offered the GT2. Like the GT3, all the nice things were tossed out. The rear-wheel drive GT2 had an even more aggressive aero package to help keep 355kW (483PS)/640Nm flat-six from sending you into orbit.
The extra power came from bigger turbos, engine management tweaks and new intake and exhaust systems. A proper riot, then, setting the scene for every GT2 and GT3 to come.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
