The sports car market isn't dead but the market for poorly packaged sports cars appears to be dead and gone. What is "poorly packaged"? Then, oh surprise, some NA old-timers reach a little deeper in their pockets and buy the Porsche. Mazda is no longer the company that gave us the NA and the RX7 and the RX8. It is a new kind of company that makes the ND and the CX-5 Diesel and hypes them to no end in hopes that the Mazda faithful will buy the hype. I guess the fault lies with us, we've spoiled them with our unbridled 30 year long lasting enthusiasm and now they feel they can scam us. The porsche is the poorly packaged car in that scenario. You want a metallic color? Buttons on your steering wheel? Auto dimming mirror and rain sensor? The base model Cayman/Boxster do not have a lot included. 1250 destination charge ). The beauty of the Porsche model is that you can get everything you want, and don't have to get anything you don't want. Sure it will cost you, but that is the price for full customization. But to say that a NO options Boxster/Cayman is better "packaged" than a fully loaded RF is ridiculous. 20k, I sure hope my money would be getting my something other than a badge.
That petrol engine is a de-tuned version of the unit found in the X5 xDrive 40i. Power stands at 282bhp, which combined with the motor produces 389bhp and 600Nm of torque: increases of 67bhp and 100Nm respectively. The 745Le will do almost 90mph in EV mode, with an electric range of up to 36 miles - 15 miles more than before. BMW鈥檚 engineers claim customer requests for a six-cylinder plug-in hybrid were simply too pressured to ignore. Owners thought the old set-up wasn鈥檛 befitting of a luxury limousine; on longer journeys the 2.0-litre petrol engine simply couldn鈥檛 match the power and poise of its six, eight or 12-cylinder siblings. It certainly feels like a more polished product. On electric there鈥檚 little difference between old and new - it still accelerates with purpose, while remaining all but completely silent around town. The harmony is only spoiled by the new external sound generator, which warns pedestrians of your presence. Of course, being a 7 Series, that sense of calm extends to motorway cruising, too.
The redesigned digital dials feature a clever blue bar, showing you how far you can extend the throttle pedal before the engine kicks in. Providing the batteries are sufficiently charged, a gentle driving style can result in an impressive emission-free range. There are three drive modes, plus a 鈥楤attery Control鈥?button, which allows you to charge the batteries while you鈥檙e moving. Sport and Electric both do what they say on the tin, and Hybrid mixes the two for the most efficient compromise. What鈥檚 more, if you input a destination into the sat-nav, the car will work out when best to hold charge and when to run in EV - the idea being to reduce emissions in built-up areas. It works wonderfully in practice; we travelled through countless German villages with the engine seamlessly cutting out as soon as we hit the urban limits. That transition between petrol and electric is smooth and unpronounced, too.
It鈥檇 be inaccurate to call it imperceptible, but it鈥檚 unobtrusive 颅颅- and after 20 minutes in the car was no longer noticeable. In Hybrid and Sport the car feels genuinely quick, with impressive response from the electric motor. The meaty roar from the six-cylinder engine is far preferable to the wheezy four-pot from before, too. Being a BMW, the people behind the new 7鈥檚 development have been careful to ensure it remains almost as sharp to drive as the smaller 3 and 5 Series saloons. Our four-wheel drive test car offered limpet-like grip even on winter tyres, while body control was good despite the compliant damping. It鈥檚 still firmer than a Mercedes S-Class, but you鈥檙e not likely to complain when it comes to comfort. However, despite the fact it鈥檚 a bigger, more powerful powertrain, the firm has somehow managed to dip under the 50g/km threshold for CO2. In fact, BMW claims the unit is actually more economical than the old unit at motorway speeds, due to the lower stresses on the engine. Inside, it鈥檚 business as usual, with a suitably hi-tech cabin filled with cutting-edge kit. Despite being a pre-production vehicle, there was little to moan about with regards quality, fit and finish. There鈥檚 metal, leather and gloss plastic as far as the eye can see, and the widescreen infotainment display - featuring the latest iDrive 7.0 operating system - is full of useful features. Both the standard car and the long-wheelbase version we tried have grown by 22mm, meaning space in the back is cavernous. BMW hasn鈥檛 revealed bootspace figures, but as before, the hybrid is likely to sacrifice a few litres of storage due to its repositioned fuel tank.
Porsche introduced its all-new, third-generation Cayenne crossover late last year as a 2019 model. Its new chiseled appearance complemented a more luxurious and technically innovative 5-passenger crossover, which told shoppers that it had moved upscale. Yet, until now, Porsche had only announced a pair of turbocharged engines for the mid-size vehicle -- a choice between traditional V6 and V8 power. Last week, however, the German automaker added a new model that promises to alter the way people look at fuel-efficient crossovers: the all-new 2019 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid is a gasoline-electric variant tuned for performance. The Cayenne E-Hybrid boasts a very unique hybrid "sandwich" powerplant under its hood. At the top is a traditional combustion engine (a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 rated at 455 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque). At the bottom is Porsche's "Tiptronic S" torque converter 8-speed gearbox. The filling in the middle -- literally sandwiched between the engine and the gearbox -- is an electric motor (rated at 134 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque). Included in the hybrid package is an electromechanically-actuated separating clutch, which allows the transmission to uncouple from the driven wheels at will. This arrangement maximizes efficiency as it virtually eliminates the considerable drag of a powertrain during coasting. Reducing unnecessary componentry, there is no traditional starter or alternator -- the electric motor accomplishes both tasks naturally.
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