Models
Porsche Panamera Wagon – Practical Speed, Or Expensive Façade?
Full disclosure – I love wagons. Hell, I drive one in real life. You know, outside. Any time an automaker produces a wagon instead of another SUC, er I mean SUV, I’m usually one of the first to stand up and shake the ‘ole pompoms. Make the thing fast, and well, I couldn’t be happier. Which should make me a dead ringer for loving the Panamera Wagon, right? Not exactly. For some reason, the upcoming hatch from Stuttgart hasn’t sat right with me. For a while, I wasn’t sure why – yeah, it isn’t “pretty,” but I wouldn’t consider any modern Porsche “pretty,” at least not in the traditional sense. No, the problem here goes deeper. The problem I have isn’t really with the Panamera Wagon, or the way it looks… it’s with the people who would buy such a thing.
I understand the image you’re going for when you buy a Panamera five-door – first off, it’s a Porsche, so you know its fast, and with an MSRP that starts dangerously close to six-figures, it should be comfortable, too. Second, it’s a wagon, so it should be practical, with lots of space for people and things.
From track days to road trips, apexes to Home Depot runs, the Panamera Wagon should do it all. The problem is, it probably won’t.
Sure, the capability will be there, but the people who’ll buy this thing don’t really care about that. The selling point here is image, not reality. The idea that you could drive three hours to the racetrack, post a fast time, then pick up some lumber on the way home is far more important than actually, you know, doing it.
Still with me? Read on to see what I’m talking about.
Continue reading for the full story.
Waze is a crowd-sourced smartphone app that usually points out places for drivers to avoid (such speed traps and traffic congestion), but the app will soon have some hot spots that users won’t want to miss. Promoting the September 15th launch of Furious 7 on DVD, Blu-Ray and On Demand, Waze is teaming up with Universal Studios to create Prizing Pit Stops in seven cities across the U.S.
Users in Portland, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York, L.A. and Chicago will be able to locate the areas where they can receive free swag, including apparel, license plate frames and codes to download digital copies of the movie. Users will receive messages and directions from Waze to locate the Prizing Pit Stops.
Just like speed traps and traffic jams, the Prizing Pit Stops won’t be around for long. Each one will last for just 90 minutes before moving to another location – each city will get three pit stops throughout the day. For specific dates, check out the press release posted below.
Continue reading for the full story.
Dodge, in coordination with Contur Cabinet LTF and Swisstrax Corp, is running a promotional contest that will give one person a garage makeover valued at $20,000. While you do have to make some effort to enter, there is no gimmick that requires you to test drive a new vehicle, or even visit a dealership. All you have to do is visit Dodge’s Facebook page and register. Once you’ve registered, make a 60-second video showing off your Dodge and your makeover-needing garage, then uploaded it through Dodge’s Facebook app.
You must register and upload your video by September 21st to qualify for the contest. Your entry will then be judged against all others based on creativity and originality, among other things. The panel of judges will pick five contestants to move on to the final round that starts on October 7th. For the final round, those five videos will be publicly displayed on the Dodge’s Facebook page where everybody will be able to vote once a day for the best video.
The grand prize winner will receive a customizable storage cabinet from Contur Cabinet Ltd and customizable flooring from Swisstrax Flooring. The four remaining finalists will receive a smaller storage cabinet from Contur Cabinet. Those of you who don’t own a Dodge vehicle, but intend to vote will receive one entry into a $500 sweepstakes for every vote (limited to one vote a day.)
Continue reading for the full story.
In 2014, Dodge stunned the auto industry by introducing the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Powered by a supercharged, 6.2-liter, Hemi V-8 rated at 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of twist, the Hellcat became an instant legend, as well as the most powerful and quickest factory-built muscle car ever. But while the Hellcat is the most menacing Challenger you can buy from a Dodge dealership, it’s no longer the most powerful muscle car to wear this devilish badge. This is where the Hellcat X comes in, a bespoke Challenger that took Dodge’s meanest muscle car up yet another notch.
The model in question was crafted by the folks over at Walsh Motorsport for an organization called Dream Giveaway. The Hellcat X is a one-off build and is being raffled for charity.
The muscle car is also a tribute to an experimental aircraft prototype built in the 1940s. Based on the iconic F6F Hellcat that ruled the skies in the later stages of World War II, it was dubbed XF6F and introduced supercharger and turbocharger technology to the Hellcat’s 18-cylinder powerplant. It was more powerful and faster than the standard 2,000-horsepower fighter it was based on, which is pretty much what the Challenger Hellcat X is in relation to the stock Hellcat. Keep reading to find out why.
Continue reading for the full story.
Alligators aren’t anything to mess with. These prehistoric lizards pack a mouthful of teeth ready to crush anything that might look like food or pose a threat. The latter is exactly what one good ole boy found out when he came face… err… bumper to face with a gator in his first-generation Nissan Frontier.
What proceeds next isn’t really surprising, but the outcome is certainly unpredicted. As the driver approaches the blatantly upset gator, it begins to hiss – a warning sign to anyone with sensibilities. It’s apparent the man though the gator would be intimidated by the truck’s size and slither away. Well, that’s not what happened.
I won’t spoil the fun of the video, but rest assured the man will be looking for new Frontier parts.
He shouldn’t have any trouble finding those parts, as those first-generation trucks were rather popular. Nissan began building the Frontier in 1997 as a replacement for the venerable Hard Body. The initial design lasted through 2003 with a mid-cycle refresh happening in 2001.
Power came by way of two engine options: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a 3.3-liter V-6. Neither option was overly powerful, though Nissan did offered a dealer-installed supercharger option on the V-6. Available with both engines were a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Of course, 4WD was an option as well.
Despite the media’s unloving reports about the truck when it was new, Nissan sold nearly half a million first-gen Frontiers, proving that folks loved its rugged looks, honest capability, and fair price. Perhaps the Frontier would have sold even more had Nissan equipped to truck to be gator proof. Then again, that’s sort of a niche quality.
Ford is stoking the fire of consumer interest under the upcoming 2017 F-150 Raptor. The automaker’s latest blow came through the bellows of Twitter as Raptor project manager Tony Greco answered questions via Car & Driver’s account.
The majority of Greco’s tweets consisted of restating answers to questions already answered in the many reviews of the all-new Raptor. “The Raptor will come standard with a second-gen, high-output 3.5L twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6,” he tweets, starting the public conversation. One participant’s lust for a V-8 powertrain was quenched as the #RaptorMan said, “the high-output EcoBoost V-6 makes more power than the outgoing 6.2L V-8.”
I chimed in with several sneak attacks at gaining any unofficial information, leading with a question regarding official specs on the suspension travel with the new Fox shocks. “Expect increased suspension travel vs. the previous-gen Raptor – stay tuned for exact specs,” was his response. My questions regarding the truck’s tow rating and payload capacity went unanswered. The same is true for my question asking when the Raptor’s first official racing event would happen. I guess I was hitting a soft spot.
The RaptorMan did answer plenty of other legitimate questions, however. One twitter user asked if the paddle shifter for the 10-speed automatic transmission are making production. “Staying!” was Greco’s response, along with a photo of the Raptor’s interior. The project manager also reiterated the truck would be offered in both SuperCab and SuperCrew configurations with the 5.5-foot bed, would be fitted with BFGoodrich’s second-generation All-Terrain KO2 tires, and would ride on larger-diameter Fox shocks with improved springs.
The only unknown that came to light was a never-before-seen image of the Raptor in development. Hit the ‘Continue Reading’ button to see the picture.
Follow me on Twitter at @markmcnabb
Click ’Continue Reading’ for more information
