Posts Tagged ‘Audi’

Porsche: There is no substitute

Posted: March 30, 2011 in Porsche
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
1

The new Porsche advertising campaign, “Engineered for Magic – Every Day,” is fun yet disturbing. Yes, Porsche sports cars —  the 911, Boxster and Cayman — are the ultimate fusion of a daily driver with brilliant sports car engineering. Yes, I desperately want one (a 911 Targa 4S in Bassalt Black, please). No, I can’t afford one.

2011 Porsche 911 Targa 4S

For decades, Porsche has told us that “There Is No Substitute” for its cars.  Two generations have grown up with that mantra.  The slogan is etched into the subconscious of every car enthusiast.  We all know that if you say something enough times, people will believe it.   I believe it.   And frankly, there really is no other car that is quite like a Porsche.

2011 Porsche Boxster S

No other sports car manufacturer uses a flat boxer (horizontally-opposed cylinders) engine mounted either mid-ship or astern.  A Porsche is a magical combination of  luxury, impeccable road manners, telepathic steering, a dynamic chassis that belies its remarkable capabilities and ultra-sophisticated, powerful drivetrains that do a Jekyll/Hyde thing within milliseconds of a foot command.

The iconic 911 is unique in automotive history as it has remained faithful, for over 40 years, to its original, timeless design and rear-engine format.  A 911 is a 911 and it’s instantly recognized as one, no matter its age. It’s a legend driven by legends.

1969 Porsche 911 E

Now, we are told a Porsche is “Engineered for Magic – Every Day” with a series of commercials currently airing showing people using their Porsche for mundane tasks like picking up kids at school, getting stuff at the hardware store and driving in inclement weather.

Here’s the problem: We all know you can do mundane, daily activities with your Porsche sports car — we just don’t want to be REMINDED of that fact. We drive a Porsche to escape daily drudgery. Who needs to be reminded of chores?

Since it’s inception, Porsche has been an aspirational brand. You WANT Porsche. You REALLY WANT a Porsche — it’s just sometimes hard to justify the indulgence. The aspirational image of a Porsche sports car is something intangible. It tugs at your heart. It engenders envy when you see one drive by. It’s on your bucket list. It’s a mid-life crisis. It’s the ultimate expression of German engineering and arrogance. It’s a Porsche.

Below is an older Porsche commercial. It’s sentimental, beautifully-shot and scored and it captures the essence of the brand. The kid is adorable and it would be nice if all Porsche sales associates were so kind and welcoming.

I suspect that the new “Every Day” commercials coupled with a subsidized lease program on the 911 is part of the Volkswagen Group’s push to become the largest car company in the world.   Porsche management says the discounted leases (and purchase plans) are a result of its access to lower interest rates; but this is uncharacteristic of Porsche and it smacks of a common method used to sell common luxury cars like BMW, Mercedes and Lexus. You see cheap leases advertised all the time for other brands. You don’t see it or expect it from Porsche.

That’s a bad thing for Porsche as it dilutes the brand and damages Porsche’s image of exclusivity.  The Italians — Lamborghini, Ferrari and Maserati — still have that aura.   But once it’s gone you can’t get it back.  Just ask BMW and Mercedes.

Volkswagen owns 49.9% of the Porsche car business. The full merger with VW was supposed to happen in the first half of 2011; but German legal and tax obstacles are delaying it until 2012. Nevertheless, because of the close relationship, VW assigned Porsche engineers the coveted job of engineering luxury car platforms for the group, a nod to the success of the Panamera.  Audi isn’t happy about this.

Porsche is also developing a second, smaller SUV, the Cajun, based on Audi’s Q5 platform. Audi dealers can’t keep the Q5 in stock, so I imagine that the Porsche version will be (1) extremely profitable and (2) in high demand. I wonder how happy Audi dealers will be when Porsche has a directly-competitive product.

For better or worse, the Porsche sports car business is supported by the obscene profits Porsche makes on the Cayenne SUV — a platform mate with the VW Touareg and the Audi Q7 — and the hulking hunchbacked front-engine four-door Panamera, which has far exceeded its sales goals.

2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid

2011 Porsche Panamera Turbo S

I’m willing to forgive Porsche for the Cayenne and the Panamera since they finance the engineering of something as fantastic as the upcoming Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid. I just get a queasy feeling when I see Porsche selling “deals” not sports cars.  It doesn’t bode well for the future, because those deals are a slippery slope. Once you give one deal — and the metal flies out the door — dealers will demand future deals to sustain volume and profitability.

Porsche is taking orders now for the 918 Spyder Hybrid. Starting price: $845,000 (if you can get one)

When the day comes that I’m able to afford a 911, I expect to engage in a conversation with the sales associate about the car and the personalized options I want, not whether I can get the latest lease deal. I expect to be shocked by the egregious price of the options that should be standard. You know, like should I pay $5,205 for the power seats and leather interior or just accept the standard manual seats with leather inserts on a car with a base price of $106,400?

But when I get the car, I expect to fall in love not only with my car, but its rich heritage and the amazing feat of engineering that is a Porsche.   Please don’t remind me that I have to pick up dog treats on the way home.

Luxury + Economy= Audi A3 TDI

Posted: March 10, 2011 in Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Ford, Fuel Economy, GMC, Hybrids, Electrics and other "Green" Technology, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Toyota
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
9

The rise of fuel prices in Los Angeles and the rest of the country has been a boon for the makers of  Xanax and a pain in the wallet for all drivers.  At this point, almost every grade of gasoline or diesel is $4.00/gallon or higher.

Americans seem to have collective amnesia after The Great Gas Panic of 2008.  Remember when gas was nearing $5/gallon around LA?  I do, but apparently most don’t. Throughout 2009 and 2010, sales of hulking trucks and SUVs that, at best, returned fuel economy in the high teens, were on the rise again.  In fact, during 2010, residual values of big, heavy, gas-guzzlers increased significantly because there was such high demand.  That may be coming to an end.  The  new Gas Panic of 2011 has arrived and it threatens to derail our already fragile economy.

2011 Ford F-150, the best-selling vehicle in the United States.

As usual, the top-selling vehicle for 2010 was the Ford F-series pickup truck. Ford sold a staggering 528,349 units – great news for Ford. But if that wasn’t bad enough, the Chevy Silverado pickup truck was the number two selling vehicle in 2010 with 370,135 units.  If you add the sales of GMC’s Sierra (Silverado’s spawn) of 129,794 units, total GM light truck sales totaled 499,929 units.  Wow – you sure don’t see that in LA metro where it seems like almost every other car is a Toyota, Honda, Mercedes or BMW.  Where I live in West Hollywood, you can’t throw a stone without hitting a Prius.

Even as recently as February 2011, the top selling vehicles in the US market were:

As usual, we can’t get enough of the big, bloated trucks. But is that about to change?

There was a short period during the 2008 Gas Panic when the Ford F-series truck was knocked from the top position by the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord; but that was short-lived as gas prices receded when the Wall Street-driven speculative oil futures bubble burst.

This time around, the price hikes are fueled by fears of uprisings in oil-producing countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa.  There is no oil shortage – for now.  However, as events in those regions unfold, and the stability of oil production and supply becomes ever more precarious, the high oil prices may stick around for a longer time.  Assuming our “friends” in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates hang on to their kingdoms and autocratic authoritarian governments, eventually oil prices will stabilize at a lower level and gas prices will recede again.  If those regimes fall, all bets are off.  It looks like high prices at the pump are here to stay for a while.

There are many more great fuel-efficient cars on the market today than there were in 2008.  However, there are very few choices in the luxury category if you want something that gets better than 25 mpg.  It seems like if a luxury hybrid attains 22 mpg, it’s cause for celebration.   But I think there is a larger market for affordable, luxury (or near luxury) cars that can top 35 mpg.

While Toyota’s Lexus division beats every other manufacturer with the sheer volume of hybrids, only the RX 450h, a fancy Toyota Highlander, offers a significant bump in fuel economy(>30%) over its gas-only cousin, albeit at a $4,560 premium. The new CT 200h is a gussied up, less fuel efficient, Prius.  The HS 250h is a Toyota Adventis from Europe with the Camry Hybrid drivetrain.  The GS 450h and LS 600h L have no Toyota analog, but neither have stellar fuel economy (see below).  As things currently stand today, the CT 200h is the (near) luxury fuel economy champion.

2011 Lexus CT 200h

A close up of the interior panels of the 2011 Lexus CT 200h.

The new Infiniti M Hybrid, rolling into showrooms in April, is quite nice; however with an entry level price of $53,700 you pay a lot to chase its 32 mpg.

2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid

The Lincoln MKZ is merely a rebadged Ford Fusion, and while it’s nice, I’m not sure it’s worth the extra $6,000. I’d pick the Ford over the Lincoln.

2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

The German luxury brands – Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche – all offer a hybrid or clean diesel, but mostly for big, heavy, expensive SUVs whose fuel economy sucked to begin with. So an increase of 15-20% seems great when you’re talking about a dismal 16 mpg in the city.  Now you can get 18 mpg in town with a diesel or 20 mpg with a hybrid. Whoop de doo.

2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid starts at $95,000.

2011 Lexus LS600h L starts at $111,350 and gets a whopping 19/25 city/hwy.

Here’s a short list of luxury hybrids and advanced clean diesels. Most of them are so expensive that any bump in fuel economy is probably meaningless to the driver.  If you are going to pay over $110,000 for the Lexus LS 600h L, do you really care about its fuel economy? If you drop $95,000 on the base Porsche Panamera S Hybrid (it’s at least $115, with options), do you care that it gets better fuel economy or do you just want the bragging rights when you toss the key fob to the valet at the SoHo House?  Most of the luxury hybrid (or advanced diesel) SUVs are sold in low volume to people in L.A. with money to burn (or someone else’s money) who want a big SUV with “green” bragging rights.  Such is life in Hollywood.

  1. Lexus CT 200h 43/40 City/Hwy FWD
  2. Lexus HS 250h 35/34 FWD
  3. Lexus RX 450h 32/28 FWD
  4. Lexus GS 450h 22/25 RWD
  5. Lexus LS 600h L 19/23 AWD
  6. Infiniti M35 Hybrid 27/32 RWD
  7. Lincoln MKZ Hybrid 41/36 FWD
  8. Cadillac Escalade Hybrid 20/23 RWD
  9. BMW X6 ActiveHybrid 17/19 AWD (this is a hybrid?)
  10. BMW 335d Advanced Diesel 23/36 RWD
  11. BMW X5 xDrive35d Advanced Diesel 19/26 AWD
  12. Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTec Diesel SUV 18/25 AWD
  13. Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid SUV 20/24 AWD
  14. Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec Diesel SUV 17/21 AWD
  15. Mercedes-Benz R350 BlueTec Diesel SUV 18/24 AWD
  16. Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid 19/25 RWD
  17. Porsche Panamera S Hybrid (TBD, but estimated around 33 mpg) RWD
  18. Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid 20/24 AWD
  19. Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Clean Diesel 17/25 AWD
  20. A3 Sportsback 2.0 TDI Clean Diesel 30/42 FWD

Of all the Germans, only the BMW 335d and Audi A3 2.0 TDI offer a significant leap in fuel economy over their gas-powered cousins. Both use advanced clean diesel technology.

2011 BMW 335d sedan

BMW 335d rear trunk lid and badge.

I’ve driven the BMW 335d and it’s a fantastic car.   The 425 lb-ft of torque available at just 1750 rpm is intoxicating. The BMW 3-Series is the benchmark for all other sports sedans and the 3.0 liter TwinPower Turbo diesel engine is the most powerful and sophisticated in-line six diesel in production today.  Put the two together, it’s magic.  But magic is pricey.  The 335d starts at $45,575, a whopping $3,525 premium over the excellent gas-powered 335i and a staggering $10,975 more than the entry level 328i. Yes, at 36 mpg, the 335d is 30% more efficient than the 328i, which is rated at 28 mpg — but at what price?  When you add the normal options like the Sport, Cold Weather, Convenience and Premium Packages, navigation, upgraded sound and satellite radio to the 335d, the price is over $57,000.  Almost any savings you get with the terrific fuel economy are negated by the extra cost of the diesel package.  Would it have killed BMW to bring in a less expensive, more fuel efficient diesel engine to the US market?

2011 Audi A3 2.0 TDI Sportsback

Having eliminated the big SUVs and ultra-expensive sedans, only the new Lexus CT 200h and the Audi A3 TDI offer a real-world, affordable mix of luxury and economy.  Both cars are front drive 5-door wagons. However, the Lexus uses Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive found in the current Prius while the Audi is using the Volkswagen Group’s 2.0 liter TDI engine found in the Golf and Jetta.  The A3 also uses the Golf platform, which is an excellent, dynamic platform that has spawned many derivatives.

2011 Audi A3 2.0 TDI rear

In 2010, the A3 TDI won the Green Car of the Year award from the Green Car Journal.  Of course, the 2011 GCOTY went to the Chevy Volt — everyone expected that; but the little Lexus could be a contender for 2012.  However, with so many new electrics and hybrids coming to market for 2012, the CT may get lost in the electrified hype.

The CT is 1.2 inches longer than the A3 and both are almost identical in height while the A3 is 9 inches wider.  The A3 has 19.5 cubic feet of cargo capacity (seats up) while the CT trails by 5 cubic feet.  The weight advantage goes to the CT which tips the scales at 3,130. The Audi has an extra 188 pounds.  When it comes to fuel economy, weight drags down the numbers.

The A3 2.0 TDI starts at $30,250, $1,130 more than the Lexus CT 200h at $29,120.  Fully-loaded, the Audi can bust the $40,000 mark — more than $3,000 over a fully-loaded CT.   On the fuel economy front, the CT beats the A3 handily if you just look at the EPA figures.  However, there is lots of anecdotal evidence from TDI devotees that on the highway, the A3 (and Volkswagen Golf) TDI approaches 50 mpg – a good 10 mpg  better than the Lexus.  If you do more highway driving, like I do, the A3 may be the winner.

2011 Lexus CT200h interior

2011 Audi A3 TDI Sportsback interior

The A3 has a 2.0 liter common rail turbo diesel (TDI) rated at 140 horsepower with 236 lb-ft of torque.  A six-speed S-tronic® dual-clutch automatic transmission is standard.  Of course, it sucks down more expensive diesel fuel.  The CT’s power comes from a 1.8-liter gasoline engine rated at 98 horsepower and an 80 horsepower electric motor.  Together, they produce 134 net horsepower.  Torque is rated at 152 lb-ft.  A continuously variable automatic transmission is standard.  The Lexus needs only regular grade gasoline, so it has the fuel price advantage.  The A3 TDI does a respectable zero to 60 in 8.9 seconds while the CT clocks in at a leisurely 9.8 seconds.

Lexus is pitching the CT 200h as a “sporty hybrid” with its “Darker Side of Green” campaign, but it’s not going to match the A3 TDI for driving dynamics and sheer fun.  The A3’s platform is more agile and I like to think of it as wonderfully-tossable.  Its steering is sharper.  The German engineering ethos applied to the little Audi imbues it with that intangible feeling that it’s more than just a dressed-up Golf.  It feels as though it’s carved from a single billet of aluminum. It’s fun to drive and the TDI powertrain is deeply satisfying.

I haven’t driven the CT, but I have driven many Prii.  The new Prius is a well-made car; the plastics and fit and finish are better than the previous generation.  However, it still has that appliance vibe.  I’ve seen the Lexus CT in the flesh and it is definitely an upgrade from the Prius, particularly inside, but the styling between the Prius and CT is a toss up and if I had to pick, I’d prefer the Prius front styling with the hatchback of the CT.  The CT is 88 pounds heavier than the Prius and coupled with the reprogrammed “sports” drivetrain, it doesn’t get near the 50 mpg of the Prius.

Front of the 50 mpg 2011 Toyota Prius

Rear of the 2011 Lexus CT200h

For my money and driving fun (and yes, I’m a car-crazed enthusiast), I think the 2011 Audi A3 TDI packs the most luxury with exceptional fuel economy.   The Lexus is tempting, but it’s not the enthusiast’s choice.  With lackluster sales of the HS, GS and LS hybrids, Lexus hopes for more sales and younger buyers for its entry-level CT.

The A3 TDI is already a very popular car.  In 2009, Audi sold only 3,874 A3’s.  With the introduction of the A3 TDI for the 2010 model year, sales jumped 69% to 6,558 units of which 53%, or 3,480 units, were the TDI.  Audi sells every TDI it can get in the US, so be prepared for the dealer to tell you that they can’t find the A3 TDI that you want. Keep looking, it’s out there.

Older Entries
Newer Entries