WomanOnWheels.ca

Seven cities in three days: a food trip in a Porsche Panamera

Many American cities are known for a specific food -- and in most cases, they're definitely not haute cuisine. So what better way to enjoy New York pizza, Buffalo chicken wings, or Philadelphia cheese steak than driving to each with a Porsche Panamera plug-in hybrid? Find out more in my story at AutoTrader.

First Drive: Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid

The Panamera E-Hybrid plugs in and gives you a range of electric-only driving, but it's not just for the "green" factor -- it's also to raise the fun factor by a significant level, and believe me, it does -- it's just ridiculously fast and fun. Find out more in my story over at AutoTrader.

Celebrating Porsche's 70th with a '73 Carrera RS 2.7

It's the car that basically catapulted the 911 to cult status, and at an event celebrating Porsche's 70th anniversary, the company handed me the keys and sent me out into the countryside. And yes, it's everything its fans say it is. Find out more in my story at the National Post.

Porsche is going all-electric

Will premium sports car buyers sidle up to a model that needs to be plugged in? Porsche thinks so, and next year will begin production on a sports sedan that's currently code-named the Mission E. It'll be followed by a sport-ute version, and from there, the sky might be the limit. Find out more in my story at the National Post.

And to make everything more complicated, it's being built in a factory that's being built in a factory. The new facility is an addition to the 911/Boxster/Cayman facility in Zuffenhausen, which is wedged between the town and the railway, and comes complete with a height limit and traffic issues. Find out how it's being done in my sidebar at the National Post.

In review: 2018 Porsche Macan GTS

It's fast, it's fun, you can load it up to a pretty spectacular price tag, and oddly enough, I'm okay with its myriad of buttons. Find out more in my review at the National Post.

In review: 2017 Porsche Panamera Turbo

It's brutally fast, it's brutally expensive, and if your budget allows it, you want one. Find out more in my review at AutoTRADER.

Can the manual transmission be saved?

It's definitely becoming a rare breed these days, and even many sports cars have gone over to the automatic side. Can it be saved? Check out my opinion piece over at AutoTrader.

What's it like to put Porsche's experiences together?

Whether it's sliding around snowbanks in Porsche's Camp4, or driving through the mountains to a luxury resort, all of Porsche's driving experiences are put together in Toronto by Jennifer Cooper. Find out what it's like to have such a cool job in my story over at the Toronto Star.

In review: 2016 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid

Plug in your Porsche? Yes, you can with this version. The E-Hybrid not only operates as a conventional hybrid, but can be plugged in for a short range of fuel-free driving. Find out more in my review over at Autofocus.

In review: 2015 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS

It's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. But trust me: get the automatic. Find out more over at Autofocus.

Plugging in the Porsche Panamera S e-Hybrid again ...

Another look at Porsche's plug-in hybrid, this time over at Autofocus.

In review: 2014 Porsche Panamera S e-Hybrid

You get a lot of looks when you drive a Porsche, but that's nothing compared to when you pull up to a wall socket and plug it in. Read my review of the new Panamera S e-Hybrid over at the Toronto Star.

Auto marriages: Some made in heaven, and some ...

Renault and Nissan, Daimler and Chrysler, GM and Saab, and even Packard and Studebaker - there have been some interesting auto marriages over years, with varying degrees of success. Find out more about them in my photo gallery over at Autofocus.ca.

Auto People: Porsche's Laurance Yap

I write a column in the Toronto Star that focuses on people in the auto industry - not just what they do, but who they are. And this time around, my victim subject is Laurance Yap, a good friend and former writing colleague at the paper, who left to head up public relations and now marketing for Porsche Canada. Check it out!

Video review: 2014 Porsche Panamera 4S

 

Video review: 2014 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

Want to go fast? Got lots of money? Then do we have a vehicle for you ... check out my video review of the Cayenne Turbo S over at Autofocus.ca.

In review: 2014 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

What do you do when 500 horses aren't enough? If you're Porsche, you add another 50 to the Cayenne Turbo, to get the Turbo S. Read all about it in my review over at Autofocus.ca.

I don't like the Porsche 911 ...

Yeah, I knew that would get your attention. It's a good car - hell, it's a great car - but it's not the Porsche model I prefer. And that's often the case with a lot of cars, where the top-line model isn't necessarily the best for each person. Read my ramblings over at Autofocus.ca.

How do you build a Porsche? With a pencil!

I was interviewing Porsche designer Michael Mauer last year for a story on his auto designs, when he happened to mention that he prefers to sketch with a pencil.

Up went my ears, because I'm a contributor to Pen World magazine, a publication for crazy pen collectors like me. So I spoke with him a second time, primarily about how he uses pencils to create his work. And now, I've got a story about pencils, including Mauer, in the February edition of the magazine ... click here!

Automakers that gambled ... and won

Porsche's Cayenne, hybrid-electric vehicles, Ford buying Lincoln during tough economic times ... there have been some pretty big gambles in the auto industry over the years.

Not all of them worked out, but I came up with a list of those that did: cars that were great or sold huge numbers, those that affected the market, and in some cases, such as the Cayenne, cars that saved their companies from potential failure. Read all about it at Sympatico Autos by clicking here.

Porsche's Michael Mauer: Old-school design with a pencil

When I interviewed Porsche chief designer Michael Mauer, he admitted that he was doodling with a pencil - something he does all the time, it seems. Being a pen-and-paper junkie, I focused on that, and the result was a great interview that ended up with me being sent the sketch he made. Read all about him in my designer series in the Toronto Star by clicking here.

2011 Porsche 911 GTS: Yeah, I could live with one of these ...

Loud, fast, rumpity and mean - what's not to love? Well, there were a couple of minor things ... read all about it in my Autos.ca review by clicking here.

I guess all is forgiven ...

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it funny that when you use the navigation system in the Porsche Cayenne -- a German automobile -- the voice that gives you directions has an English accent?

Porsche 911 Turbo S: better than ... well, you know.

I spent last week as one of about 70 judges, all auto writers from across the country, who were testing vehicles for the Canadian Car of the Year awards.

I focused primarily on the lower-priced models, because I like to drive the cars that consumers primarily buy. But I was wearing a ball cap that said "More power, more speed" and so of course I went over to check out the Porsche 911 Turbo S.

If I win the lottery, I'm buyin' me one of these, boy howdy. Bang the throttle and your eyeballs bounce off the back of your skull. Zero to 100 km/hr in 3.3 seconds. Eighty to 120 km/h in 2.7 seconds. Yes, you read that right: two-point-seven seconds. Of course, I'd need to win the lottery, because this particular car is $201,470.

Still. A friend came back off the track and said, "This car is better than sex."

I immediately corrected her. That's nowhere near enough. This car is better than sex with George Clooney. Oh yeah, baby, it sure is.

Porsche Panamera: Live at Testfest!

I'm at Testfest, the annual event held by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, where we test brand-new models back-to-back to determine the Canadian Car and Truck of the Year.

And where else but at Testfest could you find not one, but two (and actually there are more than that here, but they were elsewhere where I snapped the photo) dirty Porsche Panameras passing in the mud?

There are some great cars here, but the Panamera was the week's surprise for me. Four-door sedan -- well, yes, it's a Porsche, but it's a four-door sedan. And then I drove it. I took it onto the track, pointed it straight down the runway, and put my foot to the floor. I know I said a couple of words over and over that I won't print here. Then I spun it around the cones, and said a couple more. Never in all my life did I expect it to be this good. What a job well done.