Cars
- 2013's The Good 12 - Mercedes-benz E350 4matic Wagon - $50,000-$60,000
MERCEDES-BENZ E350 4MATIC WAGON Wagons are a rare thing in North America these days. Mercedes-Benz's E-Class is basically without rivals. The BMW 5-Series GT isn't a wagon, and it's ridiculously ugly. The Cadillac CTS and CTS-V wagon won't...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Ford F-150 Svt Raptor - $40,000-$45,000
FORD F-150 SVT RAPTOR GoodCarBadCar was quick to honour the Ram 1500 range with a Good 12 placement, but for customers aiming to spend a little extra, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is downright irresistable. Sure, an off-road truck isn't every pickup...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Bmw 328i - $35,000-$40,000
BMW 328i Until the F31-generation 3-Series Touring arrives and shows us what rooflines were meant to be, the 3-Series sedan does a fine job of showing us what a luxury car ought to be. BMW is still benefiting from its long cultivation of the 3-Series...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Volkswagen Golf Gti - $20,000-$25,000
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI At first blush, the Volkswagen GTI has aged, a process made more evident now that it's been overshadowed by the much more powerful Ford Focus ST. Ah, but only like a fine wine. Power isn't everything, and the fact...
- 2013's The Bad 8 - Lincoln Mks
LINCOLN MKS Originally, the Lincoln MKS had but one stylistic fault. And that's where this story gets really bizarre. Lincoln's designers took that one fault, the MKS's ungainly schnoz, and enhanced it. No, enhanced is the wrong word. ...
Cars
2013's The Good 12 - Porsche Cayenne S - $70,000-$80,000
PORSCHE CAYENNE S
The Bad 8
The Porsche Cayenne S actually has a U.S. base price below $70,000 USD, a violation of GoodCarBadCar's eligibility for this price segment.
The $65,850 Cayenne S isn't the Cayenne you want, though. It seems necessary to pay $790 for metallic paint, preferably the Umber or Meteor Grey. The $3140 Carmine Red is a bit much.
Then I feel it's vital to upgrade the 18-inch Cayenne S III wheels to something like the 21-inch 911 Turbo II wheels. Those wheels will sting with a $5525 bite, but now that I have a Cayenne S I like, it costs $72,165.
Then I feel it's vital to upgrade the 18-inch Cayenne S III wheels to something like the 21-inch 911 Turbo II wheels. Those wheels will sting with a $5525 bite, but now that I have a Cayenne S I like, it costs $72,165.
It sure does look good, right, and proper. Maybe not good-looking like an Amaranth Red 911 Carrera S on 20-inch SportTechno wheels, but we can't all drive 911s now can we? The mainstream automotive press is mostly over the conflicting ideology behind Porsche as we used to know it and the Porsche that builds SUVs. And it's a good thing, because the Cayenne S is a fine luxury family vehicle, not just a fine luxury ess-you-vee.
Would I like to return to the days when, rather than a Porsche SUV, an Audi RS6 Avant could be honoured? Gladly. But that's not the world in which we live. In this world, the one where my daily drive doesn't involve a couple laps around the Nürburgring, the Cayenne's ability to do it all - including loading up 23.7 cubic feet of Costco purchases with five aboard and driving home after a fresh snowfall - is more than welcome.
As for the 'Ring, the Cayenne has been known to perform rather well there, too, as this Sabine Schmitz-driven Turbo well and truly proves.
As for the 'Ring, the Cayenne has been known to perform rather well there, too, as this Sabine Schmitz-driven Turbo well and truly proves.
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Engine: 400 horsepower, 369 lb-ft of torque from a 4.8L V8
Base USD/CAD Price: $72,165 / $81,520 (including metallic paint and 21-inch 911 Turbo II wheels)
City Fuel Economy: 16 miles per gallon
It's Not Perfect: Compared with the $58,800 402-horsepower Mercedes-Benz ML550, 375-horsepower $60,895 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, and $64,200 400-horsepower BMW X5 xDrive50i, the Porsche Cayenne S appears to be rather expensive, no?
Sales Stats: 2011 was the Cayenne's best U.S. sales year since 2005. Through eleven months, the Cayenne's 2012 sales total was up 15%. In Canada, 2011 was the Cayenne's best sales year ever, and in ten months, 2012 was already better than the whole of 2011.
Viable Alternatives: The modern automobile industry knows how to build a modern SUV, from BMW's X5 to the Land Rover LR4, Audi Q7, and the diesel-powered version of this Cayenne.
Viable Alternatives: The modern automobile industry knows how to build a modern SUV, from BMW's X5 to the Land Rover LR4, Audi Q7, and the diesel-powered version of this Cayenne.
The Good 12
Kia Rio 5-Door - Fiat 500 Turbo - Volkswagen Golf GTI
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - Dodge Ram - BMW 328i
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor - Chevrolet Suburban -
Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic Wagon - Porsche Boxster S -
Porsche Cayenne S - Land Rover Range Rover
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - Dodge Ram - BMW 328i
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor - Chevrolet Suburban -
Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic Wagon - Porsche Boxster S -
Porsche Cayenne S - Land Rover Range Rover
The Bad 8
Chevrolet Spark - Chrysler 200 Convertible -
Ford Escape Titanium AWD - Honda Crosstour -
Lincoln MKS - Nissan Versa Sedan -
Toyota Corolla CE - Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid
Ford Escape Titanium AWD - Honda Crosstour -
Lincoln MKS - Nissan Versa Sedan -
Toyota Corolla CE - Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid
The Good 12 Rules
- 2013's The Good 12 - Mercedes-benz E350 4matic Wagon - $50,000-$60,000
MERCEDES-BENZ E350 4MATIC WAGON Wagons are a rare thing in North America these days. Mercedes-Benz's E-Class is basically without rivals. The BMW 5-Series GT isn't a wagon, and it's ridiculously ugly. The Cadillac CTS and CTS-V wagon won't...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Ford F-150 Svt Raptor - $40,000-$45,000
FORD F-150 SVT RAPTOR GoodCarBadCar was quick to honour the Ram 1500 range with a Good 12 placement, but for customers aiming to spend a little extra, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is downright irresistable. Sure, an off-road truck isn't every pickup...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Bmw 328i - $35,000-$40,000
BMW 328i Until the F31-generation 3-Series Touring arrives and shows us what rooflines were meant to be, the 3-Series sedan does a fine job of showing us what a luxury car ought to be. BMW is still benefiting from its long cultivation of the 3-Series...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Volkswagen Golf Gti - $20,000-$25,000
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI At first blush, the Volkswagen GTI has aged, a process made more evident now that it's been overshadowed by the much more powerful Ford Focus ST. Ah, but only like a fine wine. Power isn't everything, and the fact...
- 2013's The Bad 8 - Lincoln Mks
LINCOLN MKS Originally, the Lincoln MKS had but one stylistic fault. And that's where this story gets really bizarre. Lincoln's designers took that one fault, the MKS's ungainly schnoz, and enhanced it. No, enhanced is the wrong word. ...