Porsche 718 Cayman 7 Things You Didn鈥檛 Know
The Porsche 718 Cayman essentially a mid-life update for Zuffenhausen鈥檚 981 Cayman. Far from being a nip here and a tuck there, the suspension and the interior have undergone some wide-ranging tweaks and boasts an all-new smaller capacity turbocharged flat-four, which replaces Porsche鈥檚 celebrated atmo flat six. 2. It might look similar to its six-cylinder 981 predecessor, but the 718 Cayman is virtually all new, sharing only its windscreen, roof, and luggage tailgate with the previous car. 3. Porsche has deliberately brought the 718 Cayman visually closer to the 718 Boxster, much like a 911 Coupe is to a 911 Cabriolet. Previously, the Cayman was more expensive than its rag-top relative (it鈥檚 now the reverse) and featured different bumpers, rear taillights and detailing. 4. If you option 鈥榮port chrono package鈥?on a Cayman with the PDK gearbox, a 鈥榮port response button鈥?becomes available. Mounted in the centre of the little sport chrono dial hanging off the steering-wheel hub, it primes the engine and transmission for maximum 鈥渟pontaneous鈥?responsiveness (eg. 5. Not only is the turbo-four Cayman considerably faster than its atmo-six predecessor, it鈥檚 significantly more economical. 6. Despite rumours to the contrary, Porsche will continue to offer manual gearboxes in its cars, unlike sports-car marques such as Ferrari and Lamborghini. The six-speed manual makes up around 30 percent of Cayman/Boxster sales in Europe, though that percentage is much smaller in Australia. 7. Fears that the new turbocharged flat-four would fail to match the free-revving magnificence of the old flat-six have mostly been unfounded. While the new engine produces maximum power at 6500rpm, the boosted four鈥檚 redline remains at 7400rpm and its rev cut-out at 7500, just like the old six.
Larger and more luxurious than its predecessor, the GLE will be launched with a 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that produces 362 hp and 500 Nm of torque. The powertrain also has an EQ Boost function which can temporarily deliver an additional 21 hp and 250 Nm of torque. The engine is connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission which sends power to a 4MATIC all-wheel drive system. Besides the new powertrain, the GLE has an upscale interior with two 12.3-inch displays. The model also has a more spacious second row which can be equipped with segment exclusive six-way power seats. Last but not least, Smart showcased the Forease concept. Designed to pay tribute to the 2001 Crossblade and 2011 Forspeed concepts, the Forease is based on the EQ Fortwo Cabrio and features unique styling inside and out. Mercedes hasn鈥檛 released detailed specifications, but the electric concept likely has a 17.6 lithium-ion battery pack and an electric motor that develops 80 hp and 160 Nm of torque. This should enable the car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in approximately 11.8 seconds.
Nothing but wind and tire-roar and the cheery raspberry of a 1970s BMW 2002tii. And then the V6 snort of a DeLorean DMC-12. And the cackling French insanity of a Renault 8 Gordini. Nothing but wind and tire-roar and the cheery raspberry of a 1970s BMW 2002tii. And then the V6 snort of a DeLorean DMC-12. And the cackling French insanity of a Renault 8 Gordini. And the tenor of a Datsun 240Z. The flat-four racket of a Porsche 356. The rumbling V8 of a Pontiac Beaumont. All these, the sounds of the past, as heard from an all-electric front-row seat. They fizz, rasp, and parple up the Sea-to-Sky highway, headed for a lunch stop in Pemberton; we glide along on electrons, squeezing past on a wave of instant-on electric torque. The classics all sound great, and everyone鈥檚 having a great deal of fun. What鈥檚 surprising, I suppose, is how much fun the future is.
This is the BMW i3, and many of you have already skipped ahead to the comments section, there to poke fun at its boxy appearance. If the i8 is a sort of bionic swan, then this thing is the ugly duckling before picture. The BMW kidney grilles look like the pushed-in nose of a pug, the greenhouse profile is a strange blob of divots and floating roof, and the tall-skinny wheels look like there鈥檚 some tractor in this car鈥檚 DNA. It鈥檚 so bizarre. I absolutely love it. Yes, the i3 is weird, but it shouldn鈥檛 apologize for it. Aping conventional car design would be a total mistake, and BMW鈥檚 binning of the rule-book is a win. Just as that classic 2002tii鈥檚 boxy shape belied an agility that made the big-bore land yachts of the time look silly, this little oddball has a trick or two up its sleeve. It鈥檚 hardly perfect, but it鈥檚 very likeable.
Manufactured of carbon-fibre and aluminium, the i3 immediately feels different once you step into its interior. The swell of the wooden dash and the bright, floating screens broke up an otherwise slightly Spartan interior; dour-but-cheerful, that鈥檚 BMW for you. The longer you sit in this car, the more surprising it is. Instead of de rigeur do-nothing shiny carbon-fibre-look trim through the cabin, you get actual composite peeking through the door sills and door cards that look made from dryer balls. The steering wheel looks like it鈥檚 on upside-down. The floor is totally flat. What about install an android 2 din car stereo? And yet, it鈥檚 still a BMW, which means that anyone already familiar with the Bavarian鈥檚 menu setup and control devices will be immediately at home. Apart from the twist-to-select-drive gearshift to the right of the instrument panel, the i3 offers some conventionality to its control layout. You could trade in your 328i and be setting your radio presets and pairing your phone within minutes. Another surprise comes when you attempt to use the i3 as a family car. Having decided I was going to tag along on a hodgepodge classic car run, I brought along the kid and her choice of Hot Wheels (one DeLorean DMC-12, one E30 M3). Thanks to the rear-opening half doors, getting the Isetta-sized car-seat wrestled into place was easy. The flat floor meant she could clamber in with ease, and the scalloped sill on the rear window meant her view was as good as mine up front. She also loved how quiet it was, and spent the rest of the week pointing out the roundel on every BMW she saw. If you have another ople car, you can install a Opel navi in your car, that would be great!