The Battle In The Full-size
The battle in the full-size, high-zoot luxury sedan segment has been kicked up another notch. Let me introduce you to Audi鈥檚 new flagship, the 2011 A8. A complete redesign over the current A8, Audi clearly made a decision for very restrained and evolutionary changes as opposed to a radical redux. Both the interior and exterior of the car won鈥檛 strike you as a significant departure from that earlier model. It鈥檚 what you don鈥檛 see where the major changes lie, as an entirely new architecture is used, with copious amounts of aluminum and magnesium in place to keep the overall weight to a minimum. The 4.2 liter V8 motor has been carried over from the previous model but has been revised for a horsepower bump to 372 as well as a 15% gain in fuel efficiency. The Quattro all-wheel drive system is Audi鈥檚 latest, featuring torque vectoring as well as other goodies. More tech bits include an updated MMI navigation and control interface as well as full LED headlights - a first in this class. Audi claims their new flagship will be the sportiest drive in the segment, but competition from BMW鈥檚 newly redone 7-series and the revised Mercedes S-class is sure to be fierce. Upcoming comparisons will reveal the true nature of this battle. For now, Audi appears to have maintained the understated elegance and presence that previous A8s were known for, as well as their best in class interiors. Should the A8 drive as well as advertised, Audi will have a winner on their hands. The car should be in showrooms Q3 of this coming year.
Founded in 1999, MLL has nine teams, mostly on the East Coast. An MLL spokeswoman said the league is 鈥渟till considering a number of venues鈥?for the 2019 final. The other lacrosse league will debut in 2019 and, instead of playing traditional home games, will tour 12 markets. It is unclear which rugby events United is targeting. Meantime, Audi Field has already missed out on supplementary soccer opportunities. The Concacaf Gold Cup, a biennial tournament that will be held again next summer, selected mid-sized MLS stadiums in the Los Angeles, New York, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston and St. Paul-Minneapolis areas, but not Washington. One major issue: Audi Field is equipped with three locker rooms instead of four, which is required for doubleheaders. All Gold Cup group-stage dates and quarterfinal round are doubleheaders. Audi Field was also passed over for a tour by the U.S. 鈥檚 national team leading to the Women鈥檚 World Cup next summer. The top-ranked Americans will play at MLS stadiums in the Philadelphia, Denver, Los Angeles and New York areas.
This Porsche features a great interior. The cabin is sleek and attractive, and there are soft-touch materials throughout. The Boxster鈥檚 cargo space is split into two trunks because of its midengine design. Yet, you can't carry large items because both trunks are small. The front trunk has 5.2 cubic feet of space, and the rear trunk has 4.4 cubic feet of space. Standard features include a power-folding soft top, automatic climate control, and an infotainment system with a 7-inch touch screen, Bluetooth, a six-speaker sound system, and satellite radio. Available features include dual-zone automatic climate control, Apple CarPlay, a Wi-Fi hot spot, satellite navigation, and two premium audio systems. The infotainment system has an intuitive interface and a responsive touch screen with sharp graphics. The Boxster has Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity, but it doesn鈥檛 offer Android Auto unlike some rivals. Is the Porsche Boxster Reliable? The 2019 Boxster has a good predicted reliability rating of four out of five from J.D. The Porsche Boxster comes with a four-year/50,000-mile warranty. The 2019 Boxster has not yet been put through crash tests by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The Boxster comes with a rearview camera and front and rear parking sensors. Available driver assistance features include blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and forward collision warning with brake assist. Which Porsche Boxster Model Is Right for Me? The big difference between the three Boxster trims is the powertrain. However, you pay a pretty penny for the extra power, as each step up in trim carries a five-figure price increase. Since the base trim delivers a powerful, sporty driving experience, most buyers are better off sticking with that and using the money saved to add features. The Porsche Boxster base trim is known only as the Boxster. 59,000. Standard features include a power-folding soft top, automatic climate control, a rearview camera, front and rear parking sensors, and an infotainment system with a 7-inch touch screen, Bluetooth, a six-speaker sound system, satellite radio, and HD Radio. There are several features you can add, including 14-way power-adjustable seats, 18-way power-adjustable sport seats, navigation, a Bose audio system, a Burmester audio system, and performance upgrades like ceramic brakes. You can also add the PDK transmission. Note that these upgrades can cost several thousand dollars.
72,000. The S comes standard with a turbo-four engine that puts out 50 more horsepower than the base engine. Otherwise, the Boxster S has mostly the same standard and available features as the base Boxster. 83,000. The GTS features a 365-horsepower turbo-four engine and the same transmission choices as the other models, as well as some other handling enhancements. Check out our U.S. News Best Price Program for great savings at your local Porsche dealer. The 2019 Porsche Boxster is upscale and comfortable. Perhaps most importantly, it's quick and agile, so it scores highly in the category that matters most for a luxury sports car: driving enjoyment. An above-average predicted reliability rating vaults the Boxster to a pretty high ranking, but it's still just one of many great choices in this class. Don鈥檛 just take our word for it. Check out comments from some of the reviews that drive our rankings and analysis.