2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid: Flash Drive

The Cayenne S Hybrid is easily worthy of being called a Porsche. In fact, it's the most satisfying modern Porsche I've driven: better than the 911 and better than the Cayman. The Cayenne hides its generous weight completely and is the best-handling SUV on the road. It's sporty yet completely comfortable, with exceptional body control and no wallowing through a corner. The hybrid system is well-integrated, and although the electric motor powered the car only an average of 25 percent of the time, the switch between gasoline and electric power was always seamless. Yet in spite of the effective use of the regenerative battery and the electric motors, I achieved only about 20 mpg in mixed driving. That's very good for an SUV, but an all-wheel-drive station wagon seems like tough competition for anyone with second thoughts about spending $87,000 on an all-purpose new car.
The fuel economy of the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid is really impressive; I averaged more than 20 mpg in mixed driving. Rather than just shutting off at a stop, the Cayenne S Hybrid actually shuts down the gasoline engine at cruising speed. It takes a little while to adjust to seeing the tachometer sitting at zero, but the engine comes back on instantly at the touch of the throttle pedal. However, the Cayenne S Hybrid doesn't feel enough like a Porsche to me. Even in sport mode, the steering has a disconnected feel. And I'm still not a fan of Cayenne styling, even with the design updates. And finally, the trip computer and audio functions are still too complicated. It shouldn't require navigating to a submenu to check the mpg on a hybrid vehicle.
The new Porsche Cayenne Hybrid is one of the most impressive gas-electrics I've driven. The hybrid system is seamless, whether you're moving through stop-and-go traffic or cruising at 70 mph on the freeway. Unlike other systems, the Porsche will shut off the engine at highway speeds when it's not needed, then match the revs on the engine almost instantly when more power is needed. In my 22-minute commute, the engine was off for seven minutes — no other hybrid on the market can do that at highway speeds. While the Cayenne is impressive as a hybrid, it's less impressive as a Porsche. The brakes are very grabby, making it almost impossible to stop smoothly. Power is more than adequate — much more powerful than other hybrids on the market — but the Cayenne is heavy, even without a stack of batteries, and the performance just isn't at the level of what I'd expect from a Porsche.

2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid

I had been anticipating the pre-dawn run to the airport for a few days. Having spent the week with a Porsche  Panamera .Turbo, complete with the torque-boosting Sport Chrono pack (yes, that one), the blast to SFO was a fitting sendoff. It was also perfectly timed.

I was boarding a marathon flight to Austria for the global launch of the and after seven dayPanamera S Hybrids, with the Turbo, I was smitten. And concerned.

While the 500 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque from the boosted V8 proved the old adage about absolute power corrupting absolutely, it was the completeness of the Panamera package that left me slack-jawed. When the Stuttgart brain-trust puts its mind to something, they do it right. Look no further than half a century of rear-engined evolution and the much-maligned, but incredibly capable Cayenne. Now add the Panamera to that list. Its sheetmetal might not suit your tastes, but Porsche  managed to create the best driving luxury sedan on the market. But a hybrid? They'd better not screw this up.

 

 Porsche is calling this the world's fastest production hybrid and the most economical Porker of all time. With a 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph, Porsche nailed the numbers for quick and fast. But with a starting price of $95,000, the "economical" claim is tough to swallow. However, based purely on fuel consumption, Porsche's PR people have a point. The automaker pegs consumption at 6.8 liters/100 km on the Euro cycle (down from 10.3 for the S' 4.8-liter V8). U.S. EPA figures haven't been released yet, but figuring the Cayenne Hybrid  – equipped with the same drivetrain and coming in some 600 pounds heavier – manages 20/24 mpg, a combined figure in the high 20s should be easily within reach.
So what about that drivetrain? It's a variation of the setup fitted to the aforementioned Cayenne and its  Volkswagen sibling, the It starts with Touareg Hybrid  VAG's supercharged 3.0-liter V6, outputting the same 333 horsepower you'd get in the Audi S4.  Sandwiched between the V6 and the eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission is a 34kW (47-hp) electric motor that brings overall output up to 380 hp and makes this Panamera the world's first full parallel hybrid luxury sedan. The engine alone produces 325 lb-ft, but with the 221 lb-ft of torque created by the electric motor, maximum twist comes in at a claimed 428 lb-ft. The torque curves of the engine and motor meld seamlessly, with peak torque from the electric motor beginning at 1,150 rpm and bleeding off just as the ICE's supercharged torque kicks in to provide uninterrupted shove from 3,300 to 5,250 revs (redline stands at just over 6,500 rpm).

The combined effect is instant-on passing power at the drop of the throttle; not nearly as much horizon-come-hither thrust as the Turbo, but noticeably more than the V8-powered Panamera S, with it's comparatively paltry 369 lb-ft.

So yes, it's quick. And yes, it's smooth. And the eight-speed transmission is quicker and more refined than nearly anything else out of Germany or Japan. But to win on the technology and fuel economy front, the Panamera S Hybrid has to do more than just be another quick Porsche. And that's where it succeeds and surprises.

As you'd expect from any modern hybrid, the Panamera allows you to motor along under electric power as soon as you twist the key. Porsche claims you can hit speeds up to 52.8 mph in "favorable driving conditions" without ever tapping into the V6. However, even the lightest feather-foot would be lucky to max out at 15 or 20 mph before the internal combustion engine kicks in to provide additional motivation.

Try as we might, we could never get over 25 mph without having the V6 turn over, even after pressing the E-Power button to modify the throttle mapping, and we suspect that even in the mythical ideal conditions, the average driver will never get past 30 mph without gasoline assistance. But what's more impressive is the Panamera's engine shut-off at "sailing speeds." By easing off the throttle – up to a maximum of 103 mph – the V6 shuts down and the tach drops into the "Ready" mode. The transition is utterly and completely seamless (we could barely hear the engine at part throttle to begin with), and there's nary an ounce of lag or drivetrain shutter as the V6 restarts. It's easily the most fluid, refined changeover we've experienced in a gasoline-electric vehicle.

The cost of all this tech – beyond the $5,000 premium over the V8 S, marginally mitigated by additional standard features, including adaptive air suspension – is weight. The air-cooled, 288-volt nickel-metal hydride battery mounted low in the trunk only weighs in at 160 pounds, and marginally reduces trunk capacity by 110 liters, but overall weight is up over the S by nearly 400 pounds. Despite this, and thanks to an admirable 51:49 weight distribution in the only drivetrain configuration available (rear-wheel drive), the Hybrid drives as well as its conventionally powered siblings.

The electrically-assisted, speed-sensitive steering takes the prize for directness and communication, while the brakes, which come on abruptly during the first 1/4 inch of travel, smooth out to provide linear, fade-free deceleration with the slightest hint of regen. Eighteen-inch wheels with 245/50 R18 rubber in front and 275/45 R18 rollers in the rear come as standard, but the 19-inch wheels on our tester (equipped with 255/45 R19 front, 285/40 R19 rear Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires) still looked undersized when nestled into the cavernous wheel arches. And we'll be the first to admit that the "hybrid" badging on the doors looks as ostentatious as the tacked-on afterthought they are (10 minutes with a hair dryer and some dental floss should rectify that).

While cost-conscious Europeans might be more inclined to opt for the, forthcoming diesel Panamera the Hybrid S has a sort of twisted, techie appeal that we can't seem to get over. It might be slightly compromised over its V6 and V8 brethren, but the overall demeanor and driving experience comes through as pure Porsche: highly involved, remarkably well executed and drawing a bead on evolving the hybrid equation into more than just a lackluster, fuel-sipping conveyance for the environmentally conscious. It's not just a worthwhile addition to the Panamera family, it's a legitimate alternative for V8-averse luxury buyers. And knowing Porsche, it's obvious I shouldn't have worried.

2011 Maybach 57 S

2011 Maybach 57 S 

The 2011 57 S is a 4-door, up to 5-passenger luxury sedan, available in one trim only, the Sedan.
Upon introduction, the 57 S is equipped with a standard 6.0-liter, V12, 620-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 10-mpg in the city and 16-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. The 2011 57 S is freshened for 2011. 
Making its world debut this past week, possibly for the last time, is a new Maybach model, the 2011 Maybach 57 and Maybach 62. Both cars have received subtle facelifts for the 2011 model year and have made their world debut at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show.
Visual changes include a new front bumper and hood, re-styled side mirrors and new rear light clusters. The cars are also about a half inch longer and wider thanks to the new bumper designs and side cladding. Inside, there are crystal styling accents, a 19 inch screen and wireless internet.
Both cars feature a turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 engine with 542 horsepower on tap, and the only changes for 2011 is slightly lower emissions and fuel consumption ratings.
Also on show in Beijing are the latest 57S and 62S models, both of which develop an additional 18 horsepower over the standard models.
Reports of  Maybach's demise have been coming for almost as long as the brand (in its modern iteration) has been around for, which is now just on eight years. But with no new models in the pipeline, paltry sales figures of less than a third of what its closest rival, Rolls-Royce, enjoys, and less demand for hyper expensive cars all around the globe, these could be the last models launched by ccc in the foreseeable future.
However, despite the gloom surrounding Maybach, there is some support for the brand from within Daimler. CEO Dieter Zetsche has previously explained that Maybach, doesn’t have to return a profit because it shows that Daimler can at least build a car to compete with the best in the business, Rolls-Royce  and Bentley. The other positive is that development costs for  Maybach were relatively low because both the 57 and 62 models are largely based on the S-Class.