When you say Porsche you think about six-cylinder engines. But now the company is considering a four-cylinder engine for the Cayman and Boxster models. The decision has been made in order to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
The announcement has been made by Klaus Berning who said that more economical versions of the Boxster and Cayman were on the way: "Clearly there is a trend to downsizing. We have to do everything possible within the brand limits to lower CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions. [A four-cylinder] brings a lot of efficiency, so I will not exclude that, but if you ask me did we already decide one, no."
The same rule will not be applied to the 911 line-up because "911 is the core of the brand and follows different rules to the rest."
The Porsche Cayman has always had a suspicious place in the Porsche lineup. The extra-potent "S" model comes very close to hitting performance figures of the base 911, at much reduced cost. But now that 2009 refreshening adds extra power to the Cayman, how will this stack up?
The second generation of the Cayman is making its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show right along side its Boxster sibling. Just like the drop top, the 2009 Cayman is being offered in two versions: Cayman and Cayman S (the Cayman S Sport version goes away.)
The Cayman is powered by a 2.9-liter flat-six boxer engine that delivers 265 hp (an increase of 20 hp); the Cayman S gets a 3.4-liter power unit that delivers 320 hp (25 hp more). The Cayman S with PDK dual-clutch automatic and Launch Control can do 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. That’s a 0.2 second improvement from the previous Cayman S and is within 0.2 seconds of the published figures for the base 911.
As it turns out the increase in power will not mean worse fuel economy. The Cayman equipped with PDK averages 26.3 mpg, and 25.5 mpg for the Cayman S. That’s about a 4 mpg improvement from the Tiptronic automatic transmission cars.
Design improvements take cues from the V10 Carrera GT. The 2009 Cayman gets new front and rear ends with new halogen headlights with integrated direction indicators, new LED rear lights, new air intakes and new rear panels with a wind deflector plate.
Both the Cayman and the Cayman S will go on sale in February 2009 in Europe. It’s expected that the new Cayman will reach these shores soon afterward with only a marginal price increase.
Full details in the press release after the jump.
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The next generation Porsche Boxster has been spotted testing again, this time it got caught on video. Inspired by the classic Porsche 914, the Boxster is a lightweight modern day mid engine sports car from the German automaker, it is also the most affordable, starting at around $46,000 for the base model and working up to around $50,000 for the high performance Boxster S.
It appears that the German sports car maker Porsche is preparing a Speedster version of its entry level mid-engine Boxster two seater sports coupe. This shorter and more aggressive open air Porsche features a lower windscreen, a pair of roll hoops fitted behind the occupants heads and a pair of the classic humps running from behind the passengers to the rear of the vehicle, like the ones found on the Speedsters of the 1980’s and 90’s. You can just barely make them out under the makeshift camouflaged canvas roof.
The dramatically redesigned Porsche will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show later on this year. The Boxster Speedster will be powered by the same 300 HP 3.4 Liter flat six engine as the special edition Boxster S Porsche Design Edition 2.
It’s not to early to start taking a look at an all-new Porsche Boxster for 2011. Although the 2009 Boxster has barely broken cover, it’s just a refreshening of the current car. So the next full leap forward for the Porsche roadster is just around the corner.
Latest spy shots reveal that the next Boxster (code 988) will be wider than the outgoing model and will share some of its interior design and pieces with the upcoming Panamera. Rumors have also suggested the front of the 2011 car may be changed substantially due to pedestrian crash standards that are going in effect in Europe.
The new mid-engined car may be offered for the first time with a four cylinder engine. Also available should be the direct injection six-cylinder engines from the 2009 Boxster. The six-cylinder 2011 car’s performance should still be an improvement over its predecessor because Porsche is focusing its engineering resources on reducing the Boxster’s weight.
Porsche USA announced pricing on the new 2009 Boxster and Cayman. Both models will go on sale in March. Prices will start from $46,600 Boxster and $56,700 for the Boxster S, while for the Cayman prices will start from $50,300 for the base version and $60,200 for the Cayman S. All of this pricing reflects about a two percent increase to the little Porsches, but the added horsepower and features should help make amends.
The 2009 Boxster 2.9-liter flat-six engine that delivers 255 bhp (an increase of 10 hp over 2008), and the S version gets a 3.4-liter power unit that delivers 310 hp (up 15hp). The Cayman gets the same 2.9-liter boxer engine but gets 265 hp (an increase of 20 hp); the Cayman S gets a 3.4-liter power unit that delivers 320 hp (25 hp more). When any of these cars are mated to the new PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission, the fuel economy improves an average of four percent over previous models equipped with Tiptronic transmissions.
Full breakdown in the press release after jump.
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Now that Porsche is hard at work on the 2011 Boxster, it seems there is a lot of cross-pollination going on with its new minions at the Volkswagen Group. Porsche may be spending a little too much time with its new playmates at the diesel-happy Audi. There are now rumors swirling around that the next generation of the Boxster will get an oil burner.
The Cayenne diesel we understood. The Cayenne is a truck, and a diesel’s torque is great for towing and hauling. But placing a VW-sourced 2.0-liter 204 hp diesel in a sports car!? It’s not even a boxer engine. Something just doesn’t sit right.
The good news is that of all the companies making diesels, Audi is probably the best (it won LeMans three times with oil burner racers) and the 2.0-liter’s 370 lbs ft. of torque will give brisk performance. But for a company whose motto is "There is No Substitute", this seem an awful lot like a compromise.
If last week we brought you the first spy picture of the next generation Porsche Turbo, today we bring you the spy shots of the next generation Boxster. You already know Porsche is working on a Speedster version for the Boxster.
Porsche will keep the same flat-six engine, only now the automatic transmission available will be the quick-shift PDK dual-clutch transmission. The most powerful version will be a 3.4-liter version that deliver 303hp.
The next generation Boxster will make its official debut at a major auto show end of next year or beginning of 2010.
Now that the updated models are now officially public, Porsche revealed today new images gallery of the 2009 Cayman and Boxster.
The Cayman is powered by a 2.9-liter flat-six boxer engine that delivers 265 hp (an increase of 20 hp); the Cayman S gets a 3.4-liter power unit that delivers 320 hp (25 hp more). The Cayman S with PDK dual-clutch automatic and Launch Control can do 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds.
Boxster gets a 2.9-liter engine that delivers 255 bhp (an increase of 10 hp). The S version gets a 3.4-liter power unit that delivers 310 hp (up 15hp). Mated to a the standard six-speed manual gearbox, the new Boxter makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 5.9 seconds.
2009 Porsche Cayman - new image gallery
2009 Porsche Boxster
For the past twelve years, the Boxster has been playing the chase-the-911 with its styling. Now the 2009 refreshed Boxster gets more of its own look, sorta. Instead of taking its styling cues from the 911, it looks a little more like the ultra-fast Carrera GT.
Porsche officially unveiled today at the Los Angeles Auto Show the new Boxster and Boxster S. Both models will go on sale in Europe by February 2009. It’s expected that the new Boxster will reach these shores soon afterward with only a marginal price increase.
The new Boxster features a newly designed front and rear ends. The new halogen headlights with their integrated direction indicators are reminiscent of the lights on the Carrera GT, the new LED rear lights tapering out to the outside and integrated elegantly in the modified rear end of the car.
Under the hood, Porsche placed a 2.9-liter engine that delivers 255 bhp (an increase of 10 hp). The S version gets a 3.4-liter power unit that delivers 310 hp (up 15hp). Mated to a the standard six-speed manual gearbox, the new Boxter makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 5.9 seconds. Equipped with the PDK double-clutch gearbox, the sprint will be made 0.1 seconds faster.
As it turns out the increase in power will not mean worse fuel economy. The Boxster equipped with PDK averages 26.3 mpg, and 25.5 mpg for the Boxster S. That’s about a 4 mpg improvement from the Tiptronic automatic transmission cars.
Full details in the press release after the jump.
> More
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