2013 Porsche Panamera 4 Sedan 4d on 2040-cars

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2014 Porsche Panamera Diesel is something to torque about

Porsche has been in the business of slaying sacred cows for the better part of a decade, from venturing into the SUV space with the Cayenne to the four-door realm with its Panamera hatchback. And if those vehicles didn't leave brand purists apoplectic enough, Porsche has been adding diesel and hybrid power to its portfolio, thought to this point, neither alt-fuel motivator has made its way into the brand's sports car lineup.
Today's Frankfurt Motor Show effectively marks the second-generation of diesel power in the Panamera, and this updated 3.0-liter V6 features 300 horsepower (50 ponies more than last year) and a whopping 479 pound-feet of torque, available from 2,500 rpm. That power is achieved with a new higher-pressure, water-cooled turbo and redesigned engine internals that include a new crankshaft and pistons. The newfound increase is said to raise top speed to 161 miles per hour from 152, and drop the car's 0-62 mph time from 6.8 seconds down to 6.0. It also figures to be a better handler, with a new torque-vectoring rear differential borrowed from its gas-powered brethren and a reworked transmission for crisper shifts. The suspension has also been retuned, along with the updated 2014 visuals first revealed at April's Shanghai Motor Show.
No word yet on the North American sales prospects of this diesel Panamera, but we imagine that depends in part on how well the Cayenne diesel is selling.

This is how the new turbo Porsche 911 Carrera sounds

We have our first audio sample of the turbocharged flat-six engine in the standard Porsche 911 Carrera. By way of reminder, the boosted 3.0-liter engines will put out 370 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque in entry-level guise, 420 ponies and 368 lb-ft in the S models. To our ears, it sounds good. Yes, it's a commercial, true, we don't know what audio trickery the agency whipped up during post-production. But the sound in the commercial is good. Besides, Porsche knows what it's doing. Every time the brand breaks one of the purist's laws, the 911 accelerates through the wailing and gnashing of teeth to sell better than ever. Heck, the company's own engineers tried to beat the 911 with the introduction of the arguably much better 928, and we see how that turned out. So no matter what we think of the commercial, we have a feeling the sound of the turbocharged standard 911 will remain the same mythical siren to enthusiast ears around the world. On top of that, the new coupe and convertible are quicker, faster, more powerful, and still come with a seven-speed manual transmission if you choose. Porsche might taketh away, but to make up for it they giveth and giveth and giveth. Check out the noises in the video above, and some more of the advanced features on the new 911 in the video below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Porsche digitally dissects its 918 Spyder for your viewing pleasure

At this point, you'd think we'd know all there is to know about the 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder - except what it's like to drive - but Porsche has released a new video giving us a more in-depth look at its new plug-in hypercar all the same. The animated video gives us numerous cutaway looks at the 918 Spyder while giving a visual demonstration of the car's four hybrid driving modes.
Though nowhere near as exciting as watching the 918 blast around the Nürburgring in record time, this new video is nonetheless both interesting and informative. Scroll down to watch the video yourself, and be sure to check out our live gallery of the production version of the car along with a stock gallery.