2022 Cayenne Turbo Gt on 2040-cars

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Best and worst car brands of 2022 according to Consumer Reports

It's that time again, Consumer Reports this morning lifting the curtain on its 2022 Annual Car Brand rankings and its 10 Top Picks in the car, crossover, and truck category. Drumroll, please: This year, Subaru climbs two spots to claim the winner's circle, having come third the last two years. Last year, Mazda climbed three spots from 2020 to take the crown. This year, Mazda slipped to second, BMW taking the last spot on the podium, also a one-spot drop from 2021. Six automakers in the top 10 hailed from Japan, which is one more than last year, and five luxury makers occupied the top 10, which is two more than last year. And South Korean representation didn't crack the top this year, after Hyundai managed tenth last year. The seven makes after BMW are: Honda, Lexus, Audi, Porsche, Mini, Toyota, and Infiniti.  The magazine and testing concern says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CR’s independent testing and member surveys," and that "Brands that rise to the top tend to have the most consistent performance across their model lineups." The domestics also took steps back among the 32 OEMs ranked on the 2022 card. Chrysler and Buick were the domestic carmakers who made last year's top 10 in eighth and ninth, respectively. This year, Buick dropped to eleventh, Chrysler to thirteenth. Dodge went from fourteenth to sixteenth. CR continues to ding Tesla's yoke steerer, the not-exactly-natural handhold responsible for the electric carmaker going from sixteenth last year to twenty-third this year.

Toyota tops Kelley Blue Book's Resale Value Awards

Kelley Blue Book announced its annual Best Resale Value Award winners, and we weren't too surprised to see the list dominated by Japanese automakers - mainly Toyota and Honda. KBB hands out the awards based on the projected residual value of mostly all 2013 model year vehicles, and Toyota skated home with a number of awards including 10 of the 22 overall categories and having five of its products in the top 10 for models with best resale value. KBB's Best Resale Value Awards were announced in the same week as the ALG Residual Value Awards, and there were many similarities between both lists, especially when it came to Toyota.
To come up with its winners, KBB measures depreciation over the first five years of ownership, and looks for the cars it expects to hold its value the best after this time; on average, the report says the 2013 model year vehicles will lose 61.8 percent of its value in five years. Of the 22 categories, 15 slots were filled by Toyota, Honda and Nissan products, while the Camaro and Porsche (Cayenne and Panamera) each took home a pair of awards. If Toyota has anything to be upset about in this list of cars, it's that categories for Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car and Electric Vehicle went to the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Volt, respectively.
The overall top 10 models for the best resale value in 2013 are, in alphabetical order:

2017 Porsche 911 Carrera First Drive [w/video]

The second seismic shift in the history of the Porsche 911 is happening as you read this. The first came in the late 1990s, when air cooling was thrown out and a more modern, water-cooled setup was put in place. People freaked out, and prices of air-cooled 911s are now skyrocketing. But I'll argue that this second major change is an even bigger deal: The free-breathing, naturally aspirated engine is gone, in its place a smaller, more powerful, turbocharged lump. But there's no need to panic. Purists be damned; "no replacement for displacement" shouters be silenced. This forced-induction heart beats beautifully in the 911's rump. I'm behind the wheel of a 2017 911 Carrera S coupe, stopped at the base of a winding mountain road on Tenerife, the largest of the Spanish-owned Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa. A nearly identical 911 is ahead of me, piloted by one of Porsche's test drivers. The road is closed. Hired spotters watch the corners. I'm about to run up the mountain at full charge, Porsche's expert leading the way. This forced-induction heart beats beautifully in the 911's rump. Behind me is the new engine: a 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged flat-six. At idle, it still has that unmistakably Porsche, horizontally opposed hum. I've got 420 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque to work with, increases of 20 hp and 43 lb-ft compared to the old 3.8-liter, naturally aspirated six. If I launch it, I'll hit 60 miles per hour in under four seconds. Power is routed through the Porsche Doppelkupplung transmission – the best dual-clutch tranny in the business – and the fat, 305-section Pirelli PZero tires out back get all that thrust to the ground. There's a strong engine noise, complemented by the sound of the turbos sucking in air via the intakes just below the rear window. And then there's the exhaust. The standard Carrera comes with two large outlets and the Carrera S replaces those with quad pipes. But I've got the optional sport exhaust, not pictured on the car you see here, with two round outlets moved toward the center of the 911's hiney. Not only do they look way cooler, they're a treat for the ears. The Spanish may have decided to tunnel through many of Tenerife's mountainsides, but the pleasure of punching the throttle and letting the exhaust sing easily makes up for any loss of scenic views. The Carrera S' full 368 lb-ft is available right from 1,700 rpm, and there's no lag prior to arrival.