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Porsche is a grand brand capable of producing vehicles that defy the laws of gravity, sheer your face off and comfortably carry up to five people in opulence and style. End of review.

Well, not quite.


The softer side of Porsche resides in their commitment to hybrid technology. We spent a considerable amount of time with the Cayenne Hybrid last year when we participated in a Green Car rally out of Montreal. In the end, the big powerful AWD 380 hp SUV beat out some cars that should have, at least on paper, taken the Cayenne to the environmental cleaners.


The one they've been waiting for
The Panamera is perhaps the third best move in Porsche's long and illustrious history behind the 1948 356 and the 2002 Cayenne. The week I tested the car, I purposefully crisscrossed the nicer parts of town (not my own, of course) and what I found astonished me.

First, there was a big German luxury sedan in four out of every five driveways and second, of those nearly a third proudly carried the Porsche crest. The sampling is iffy, but the point is that the Panamera was a brilliant and bold move.

The car's styling is what sets those who deserve one apart from those who prefer handsome yet more contemporary lines. It's more of the same on the inside. The Panamera's cabin has not got a conventional layout, however, if it's craftsmanship and quality you seek, the four-door 911 is all about that.

In all my years, I've not encountered a car where I felt involved in the car's drive... from the back seat! Every spot in this car is a good one. I can't imagine that riding "shotgun" would be a huge issue with this car.

The car's styling is what sets those who deserve one apart from those who prefer handsome yet more contemporary lines. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Hybrid heart
The 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid carries a parallel full-hybrid system that the aforementioned Cayenne Hybrid sports, minus the AWD aspect. It consists of a supercharged 333 hp, 3.0L V6 and a 47 hp electric motor wedged between the transmission and engine. Together, they seamlessly grind out 380 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque.

The 8-speed autobox sends the power to the rear wheels exclusively, and when push comes to shove the Panamera Hybrid will reach 100 km/h in a tick under six seconds. But, that's only a small part of the story.

This car is a fantastic all-round car. It's fantastic in town thanks to uber-smooth transitions between motivation modes. It's fantastic on the highway because it's a Porsche and it's fabulous on gas.

The Panamera Hybrid is geared and designed to sip as little as 6.8L on the highway which, wait for it, is possible! My week-long test returned an average of 8.5L/100 km. Given our 8.2L average with the Cayenne, sub 8L results should be more than possible with the Pan. This is mind-blowing stuff and in a 1,984 kg (4,365 lb) four-door luxury sedan, pretty much unheard of.

The engine consists of a supercharged 333 hp, 3.0L V6 and a 47 hp electric motor wedged between the transmission and engine. Together, they seamlessly grind out 380 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

The road in a hybrid
Cushy, soft and unresponsive, the 2012 Porsche Panamera Hybrid is not. Fast, exotic and engaging it is.

Unlike numerous hybrids that pawn driving feel for economy, the Panamera Hybrid retains all of its inherent driving abilities. In fact, debadging the Hybrid and lining it up with a regular S, no one would ever be able to make them out as different. The drive and handling are nearly identical; however, the powertrains differ greatly, obviously.

Porsche's adaptive air suspension, which includes Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), figures out all road details for the driver. Constant adjustments made by the system combined with the settings selected by the driver make for an immensely satisfying drive. The tested Panamera included the "must-have" Sport Chrono Package Plus which sharpens the car's reflexes and adds a handsome digital and analog stopwatch.

The Panamera Hybrid -- any Panamera, for that matter -- is far more agile and nimble than its size and girth would suggest. With sightlines and a driving position akin to that of the fabled 911, the driver quickly forgets that the car is nearly 50 cm (19") longer.

Constant adjustments made by the system combined with the settings selected by the driver make for an immensely satisfying drive. (Photo: Porsche)

Competition and pricing
The Panamera Hybrid will not be a rare bird forever. The Audi A8 was expected with a 2.0T 4-cylinder hybrid powertrain, but it would seem that Audi has changed their minds. Instead, we're likely to get the A6 Hybrid which is unlikely to compete directly with the Panamera. The likes of the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 and Lexus LS 600h L are still around, but are rarely seen or spoken of. More will come, certainly.

At $110,000, this car represents numerous things to numerous people. The 2012 Porsche Panamera Hybrid is exclusive, luxurious, fast, and incredibly efficient. Few cars on the market today can claim to please on so many important levels. As with any Porsche product, customization is a given. As tested, my car retailed for just under $130,000.

This is what makes the Panamera so appealing. If the price is an issue, you're barking up the wrong tree.

Sam Bird thought he was going to finish second in race 2 of the Formula Renault 3.5 weekend at Silverstone, only to find leader Marco Sorensen stopped track-side in the second-last lap.

And Jules Bianchi certainly thought he was going to make a run for a second victory in a row, having won the pole Saturday moments after his race 1 win.

But a bad get-away at the start left him fourth.

Soon, a train of five cars led by Sorensen and including Robin Frijns, Bird, Bianchi and Antonio Felix da Costa pulled a gap to the rest of the field. Only Frijns eventually fell behind, all the way down to 11th place at one point.

Despite pressure from behind, Sorensen held on to the lead.

As the second to last lap started, the Dane probably thought he had it in the bag, but moments later he was still pulling off the track with a flat tire, leaving Bird the win. Second to the finish was da Costa, followed by Bianchi, Arthur Pic and Alexander Rossi.

Frijns recovered to ninth place, meaning he still holds on to the lead in the championship, five points ahead of Bird, six in front of Bianchi. Three races remain on the calendar: Hungary, France and Spain.

Audi and Toyota fought hard for the win of the 6 Hours of Silverstone, in the end it was the No. 1 R18 e-tron quattro of Marcel Fässler, Benoît Tréluyer and Andre Lotterer that came out on top.

By doing so, they gifted Audi the inaugural World Endurance Championship manufacturers' title as well.

But the story of the day was the fight Toyota put up for the victory, in only its second race with the TS030 hybrid, driven this time by Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima. In the end, they lost the top step of the podium only in the pits, where the e-tron quattro stopped fewer times.

Photo: Audi Motorsport

Third place went to Audi's old guard, Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen driving the No. 2 R18 ultra. Furthermore, their podium result was insufficient to keep the pair on top of the drivers' standings. They lost that lead to their Audi teammates Fässler, Tréluyer and Lotterer.

The race in LMP2 went to ADR-Delta's trio of John Martin, Tor Graves and Jan Charouz, after an interesting duel with the Starworks outfit, led by ex-Peugeot driver Stéphane Sarrazin. The Brundle father and son duo, paired with Lucas Ordonez at Greaves which started on pole was slowed down during the race by a stop-and-go penalty.

In GTE, Ferrari dominated both the Pro and Am classes, although, in Pro, Aston Martin did put up a fight until it was delayed by an extra pit stop. A late charge had Stefan Mucke's Vantage in third spot, albeit not without a controversial, rubber-fending, overtaking manoeuvre.

Opel denied a report that it may have to cut about a third of its work force in Germany.

Volkswagen Group will be relying on the Audi A3 premium compact model to provide continued stable sales growth as it fends off a challenge in upscale small cars from Mercedes-Benz.

Beginning with 2011 model-year vehicles, federal regulators have required automakers to use petite female crash dummies in frontal automotive crash tests. Several news outlets have picked this story up.

Beginning with 2011 model-year vehicles, federal regulators have required automakers to use petite female crash dummies in frontal automotive crash tests. Several news outlets have picked this story up.

Honda expects its August deliveries to be up '40-plus percent' on demand in the United States for Civic small cars and CR-V crossovers, buoying a 27 percent annual rise to the company's best sales in the region in five years.

Ferrari protege Jules Bianchi surfed more than he drove to victory in the opening race of the Formula 3.5 weekend at Silverstone.

The Frenchman took advantage of a soaked track to beat all of his rivals.

Pole-sitter Kevin Magnussen was the first to fall pray to the weather when the skies opened up in the early stages of a race that everybody started on slick tires. He was soon followed by almost the entire field.

The safety car, soon deployed to stop the carnage, allowed drivers to switch to wet tires before the interruption of the race by a red flag.

Soon after the restart, leader Will Stevens went off just like many others, which left Bianchi to pick up the lead, en route to a second win this season. His performance puts him within 19 points of championship leader Robin Frijns, second in the race ahead of Nigel Melker.

"Friends of Carroll Shelby" (which includes Ford Motor Company, Shelby American, Ford Racing and others) have just built a one-of-a-kind 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra to commemorate the late Carroll Shelby, who died in May at the age of 89.

Donning the historical Guardsman Blue/Wimbledon White stripe paint, the car also marks the 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra. It was unveiled during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion by Ford Motor Company board member Edsel Ford II, the vice president of sales and marketing Jim Farley, and Shelby American president John Luft.

"Friends of Carroll" upgraded the 662-horsepower engine of the 2013 Shelby GT500 with a 4.0L Ford Racing Whipple supercharger. The result? More than 850 horsepower! Massive 345-section high-performance tires have been fitted as well to handle the extra load on the rear wheels.

In related news, Ford's Product Development Center in Dearborn, Mich. had one of its streets renamed as the Carroll Shelby Way.

Photo: Ford

Will Power finished just in front of his Penske's teammate Ryan Briscoe and ended up the fastest driver after Friday's practice session for the upcoming IZOD IndyCar race at Sears Point.

Simon Pagenaud, Dario Franchitti and Rubens Barrichello rounded out the top five, with Sebastien Bourdais being bumped down to sixth after having led the times with four minutes remaining.

Both Canadians Alex Tagliani (BHA) and James Hinchcliffe (Andretti Autosport) weren't among the pacesetters; finishing respectively 17th and 20th.



Practice results - IndyCar (Sears Point)

Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap
1. Will Power Penske Dallara-Chevy 1m18.6887s
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske Dallara-Chevy 1m18.8782s + 0.1895s
3. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt Dallara-Honda 1m18.9228s + 0.2341s
4. Dario Franchitti Ganassi Dallara-Honda 1m19.0394s + 0.3507s
5. Rubens Barrichello KV Dallara-Chevy 1m19.4015s + 0.7128s
6. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon Dallara-Chevy 1m19.4172s + 0.7285s
7. Scott Dixon Ganassi Dallara-Honda 1m19.4518s + 0.7631s
8. Graham Rahal Ganassi Dallara-Honda 1m19.5923s + 0.9036s
9. Marco Andretti Andretti Dallara-Chevy 1m19.6270s + 0.9383s
10. Sebastian Saavedra Andretti Dallara-Chevy 1m19.6402s + 0.9515s
11. Oriol Servia Panther/DRR Dallara-Chevy 1m19.6631s + 0.9744s
12. Justin Wilson Coyne Dallara-Honda 1m19.6840s + 0.9953s
13. Tony Kanaan KV Dallara-Chevy 1m19.6903s + 1.0016s
14. JR Hildebrand Panther Dallara-Chevy 1m19.8968s + 1.2081s
15. James Jakes Coyne Dallara-Honda 1m19.9588s + 1.2701s
16. Helio Castroneves Penske Dallara-Chevy 1m19.9620s + 1.2733s
17. Alex Tagliani Herta Dallara-Honda 1m19.9917s + 1.3030s
18. Josef Newgarden Panther Dallara-Honda 1m20.1930s + 1.5043s
19. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Dallara-Chevy 1m20.2063s + 1.5176s
20. James Hinchcliffe Andretti Dallara-Chevy 1m20.3667s + 1.6780s
21. Mike Conway Foyt Dallara-Honda 1m20.4466s + 1.7579s
22. EJ Viso KV Dallara-Chevy 1m20.6589s + 1.9702s
23. Takuma Sato Rahal Dallara-Honda 1m20.8900s + 2.2013s
24. Simona de Silvestro HVM Dallara-Lotus 1m20.9382s + 2.2495s
25. Charlie Kimball Ganassi Dallara-Honda 1m21.0304s + 2.3417s
26. Katherine Legge Dragon Dallara-Chevy 1m21.1876s + 2.4989s
27. Ed Carpenter Carpenter Dallara-Chevy 1m21.4132s + 2.7245s

OAK Racing has announced a new engine partnership with Honda Performance Development, as it returns to LMP1 racing for the two Asian rounds of the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

HPD's AR6 LMV8 will power OAK's Pescarolo chassis as soon as Fuji, round 7 of the WEC. OAK Racing president Jacques Nicolet also announced its team was working on putting a new P1 chassis together ahead of 2014, when the new rules kick in.

"Our design office is now working on the conception of our 2014 LMP1," Nicolet admitted. "We have looked for the best way to be competitive during this period of transition until 2014. So I am delighted to announce this agreement with HPD that commences at this year's final two WEC rounds."

"We are very pleased to welcome OAK Racing to the family of teams powered by Honda Performance Development," added Stephen Eriksen, HPD's vice-president. "We look forward to a successful introduction at the Fuji race to begin this chapter in OAK Racing's LMP1 programme," he concluded.

Joey Logano's victory in the Nationwide race at Bristol may presage a wild Sprint Cup race on Saturday night.

Logano took the lead for good on lap 216 passing a then dominant Kevin Harvick who had fuel issues. Late cautions allowed series points leader Elliott Sadler and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to close up on winner.

On the final restart Stenhouse Jr. bumped Sadler taking him out of contention but not the race.

Logano was ecstatic after his sixth series win of the year and first at the half-mile high-banked oval. "I think we've led the most laps in this race several times.  I always fell a little short or something went wrong and it's cool to finally be in victory lane here. This is one of the coolest race tracks to win at -- I think there's three or four that are extra special to win at and this is one of them."

Stenhouse went over to Sadler to apologize after the race, but, Sadler didn't buy into it. He thought he had a sure second place finish. After noting that they always raced respectfully it was a new game "He just opened it up, we can race each other a lot differently these last 10 races," Sadler said.

After the race Stenhouse said "I definitely don't want to crash anybody and ended up second, but I was really hoping the last 20 laps or so were gonna go green. I felt like we were running down the 18 and might have had a shot at a win, but that caution came out and we ended up second."

Austin Dillon, who finished fourth behind Kyle Busch, bumped Trevor Bayne precipitating a spirited but short discussion on pit road. Bayne, who started from the pole in his first series start since March, finished 16.

"The 3 car (Dillon) just drove over his head and took us out. That's all there is to it," Bayne said

The race was postponed about 45 minutes to an unexpected rain storm which washed out Sprint Cup qualifying.

Once it started there was flurry of cautions, eventually adding up to nine which was the most in the NASCAR's junior circuit this year.

In view of the bump and run incidents it's likely that the reconfiguration of the track, grinding down the top lane, will result in similar incidents later today.

Sadler lead Stenhouse by 19 points. Sam Hornish Jr., who finished 10th, is third 28 points back.

History/Description: The Infiniti FX was easy to spot on the road, thanks to its distinctive sound, stand-out looks and athletic, dynamic stance. A sporty premium crossover model from Nissan's premium division, the first generation of this machine hit the market for 2003 and became a popular contender in its segment.

2004 Infiniti FX (Photo: Infiniti)

Look for six or eight-cylinder engines with about 280 or 320 horsepower, respectively. Automatic transmissions and all-wheel drive were fitted to all models, and both engines drink premium gas. Shopping for an FX? The FX35 is the V6-powered model, while the FX45 gets the V8.

Feature content was the norm for the segment - and used shoppers can look for 20” wheels, memory seating, navigation, Bluetooth, premium Bose audio, rain-sensing wipers and plenty more.

What Owners Like: Head-turning style, originality, impressive electronic features, a refined driveline, non-soccer-mom presence and overall performance and handling are all highly rated by FX owners. The exhaust note is also well-loved, as is the confidence delivered by its AWD system in winter driving.

What Owners Dislike: Common complaints include expensive fuel bills, expensive winter tires, limited at-hand storage on board, and limited trunk space. Numerous owners wish for more kick from the Bose audio system, and several report easily scratched paint and trim.

Common Issues: Start your test drive with a full walkaround and inspection of the FX's body and paint, noting any rust, missing or loose trim, dents or scrapes. Ensure the engine idles, revs and accelerates smoothly, and that all electronics work as expected.

Some owners in Infiniti forums have reported electrical grounding issues as the FX ages. These issues can cause problems ranging from cooked ignition coil packs (which will result in a misfire) to damaged Engine Control Units (ECUs). Be sure the FX you're considering isn't exhibiting any signs of bad electrical grounds.

2006 Infiniti FX (Photo: Infiniti)

Continue reading 2003-2008 Infiniti FX Pre-Owned

Sébastien Loeb has put competitors' misfortunes to good use, massively extending his lead in the ADAC Rallye Deutschland as he heads into the third and final day of competition.

Sébastien Loeb (Photo: WRC)

First to crack behind Loeb was Petter Solberg, who broke a wheel on his Ford Fiesta RS WRC on SS9. His Ford teammate Jari-Matti Latvala picked up the chase, but without any success so far, hovering in a powerless runner up spot.

Loeb's Citroën teammates, Mikko Hirvonen and Thierry Neuville haven't been able to replicate the Frenchman's pace. Hirvonen, despite hanging on to third, admitted himself he is no match to Loeb in terms of confidence, and Neuville ran off the road while running fourth.

Ott Tanak, aboard his M-Sport Fiesta took over as the dark horse, putting stage wins to his name. But his glory proved short-lived. He had to give it all up when he exited the road, and the rally, during the afternoon stages, leaving fellow Ford protege Mads Ostberg to take over fourth.

Mads Ostberg (Photo: WRC)

MINI's Dani Sordo had his chance to shine, just like everyone else it seems. The Spaniard, in his Prodrive entry, was holding on to a place on the podium before a puncture and then a fluid leak set him back down the order.

This allowed Chris Atkinson, in the second MINI ran by WRC Team MINI Portugal, to make his way up the fifth.

Three stages are left in store for Sunday. The action resumes around 9 am, local time.

Casey Mears will start Saturday night's Sprint Cup Race at Bristol Motor Speedway from the pole due to a rules change for rainouts in qualifying.

The 34-year old nephew of four time Indy 500 winner, Rick Mears, was fastest in the first practice session which now determines grid positions when qualifying is washed out. Under the previous rule, in the case of rainouts, the starting grid was determined by points standings.

It's his fourth career pole, but, does not earn him a spot in February's Shoot Out because he didn't “win” the pole.

“This is exciting for our Geico team and a shot in the arm, for sure,” said Mears, who drives a Ford for the small Germain Racing team.

“Starting up front here at Bristol is always a good thing. It gives us a big head start from where we've been in the past. You never want to win a pole like this, but we'll take it. Everybody in that first session wanted to run the fastest to get a late draw for qualifying.

“Everybody goes out there with the same mindset--to be fast so we get a late qualifying draw--so we feel good about what we've done.”

Since joining Germain in August of 2010 his best finish was 15th this year at Sonoma.

Brad Keselowski, coming off wins in the previous two Cup races at the half-mile oval known as the Concrete Coliseum will start second in a Dodge.

Series points leader, Greg Biffle, goes off third in a Ford alongside the Toyota of Joey Logano.

Danica Patrick will start 43rd.

Scott Speed, Kelly Bires, J.J. Yeley and Reed Sorenson were actually faster than some otherwise qualified cars but didn't make the field because they're not top-35 in owner points which cars are locked into a starting spot.

Two rounds are left on the American Le Mans Series calendar: Baltimore and Petit Le Mans. Who will make the most out of the Baltimore Sports Car Challenge?

Benoît Tréluyer in the No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro edged in front of Allan McNish, driving the No. 2 Audi R18 ultra, to take pole position of the 6 Hours of Silverstone by one hundredth of a second.

The two Audi drivers traded fastest lap as the minutes went by in the qualifying session, leaving the No. 7 Toyota TS030 hybrid of Nicolas Lapierre, Alex Wurz and Kazuki Najakima a long seventh tenths down in third place.

In LMP2, the fight for the pole was shared by two former Peugeot men, Nicolas Minassian (Jota) and Stéphane Sarrazin (Starworks) and BBC commentator Martin Brundle's son, Alex - who will share Greaves' Nissan-Zytek with his father during the race.

It was Brundle son who came out on top, ahead of Sarrazin. Minassian fell down to fourth at the drop of the checkered flag.

Rain played its part in the GTE qualifying session, ran before the prototypes'. James Walker, in the No. 66 JMW Ferrari was sitting on the GTE Pro pole when he was caught spinning in the drying conditions.

This left Richard Lietz, in the No. 77 Felbermayr Porsche to take advantage of the improving track; and the pole.

Stuart Hall, in the No. 98 Aston Martin Vantage took the GTE Am pole.

Audi, led by former champion Timo Scheider, swept the first five positions of qualifying in Zandvoort, round 7 of the DTM series. Points runner-up Bruno Spengler is only 18th.

Mike Rockenfeller, Filipe Albuquerque, Edoardo Mortara and Mattias Ekström were the four Audi drivers following behind Scheider in the team's sweep.

Timo Scheider (Photo: DTM.com)

Title protagonists Gary Paffett and Jamie Green are respectively eighth and sixth. For BMW's Spengler, who splits Paffet and Green atop the leaders' board, things were much worst, as the Canadian failed to even crack the top 15.

Spengler retreated to the pits after posting a quick lap early in the first qualifying heat. He figured the time would stand to allow him onto Q2, but with the clock ticking, the 29-year-old tumbled down the order, ending the day in 18th place.

Bruno Spengler (Photo: DTM.com)

His teammate Dirk Werner was the best of the BMW contingent, placing his M3 DTM seventh.

Robert Wickens, the series' other Canadian, had once more a good showing, earning 12th on the grid for Mercedes-Benz. He qualified right behind reigning champion Martin Tomczyk (11th) and ahead of former F1 man Ralf Schumacher (15th).



Qualifying results* - DTM (Zandvoort)
1.Timo Scheider (Audi A5) - Abt - 1'32"365 - Q4
2.Mike Rockenfeller (Audi A5) - Phoenix - 1'32"615 - Q4

3.Filipe Albuquerque (Audi A5) - Rosberg - 1'32"936 - Q4
4.Edoardo Mortara (Audi A5) - Rosberg - 1'33"094 - Q4

5.
Mattias Ekstrom (Audi A5) - Abt - 1'31"605 - Q3

6.Jamie Green (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'31"643 - Q3

7.Dirk Werner (BMW M3) - Schnitzer - 1'31"767 - Q3

8.Gary Paffett (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'31"820 - Q3

9.Christian Vietoris (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'31"973 - Q3

10.Adrien Tambay (Audi A5) - Abt - 1'32"127 - Q3
11.Martin Tomczyk (BMW M3) - RMG - 1'31"992 - Q2
12.Robert Wickens (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Mucke - 1'31"997 - Q2
13.Miguel Molina (Audi A5) - Phoenix - 1'32"092 - Q2

14.Roberto Mehri (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Persson - 1'32"241 - Q2
15.Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'32"295 - Q2

16.Andy Priaulx (BMW M3) - RBM - 1'32"445 - Q2

17.Joey Hand (BMW M3) - RMG - 1'33"052 - Q1
18.Bruno Spengler (BMW M3) - Schnitzer - 1'33"156 - Q1

19.Susie Wolff (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Persson - 1'33"161 - Q1
20.Augusto Farfus (BMW M3) - RBM - 1'33"285 - Q1

21.Rahel Frey (Audi A5) - Abt - 1'33"327 - Q1

22.David Coulthard (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Mucke - 1'33"409 - Q1

*Unofficial

General Motors is in early stages of talks with banks about expanding its credit line by as much as $5 billion, a person familiar with the discussions said. GM declined to comment.