An Eye for Fun
11 Aug 2016|6,845 views
You would expect it in a sports carmaker - the kind that consists of buyers who are so loyal, big names like Ferrari and Lamborghini couldn't even have them as owners even if they gave them a huge discount on their cars. The kind of sports carmaker that would stick to its roots of having only low-slung two-door sports cars in its lineup because it was born out of the highest ideals that were made possible by the foresight of ambitious leaders, passionate engineers and car enthusiasts.
Then in a bid to keep up with the competition, Porsche - one of the most entertaining, luxurious and sportiest carmakers as you would have already come to know - started rolling out cars like the Cayenne Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), a cash cow for Porsche that caused an uproar amongst purists. And to add salt to the wound, the four-door Panamera, a sports car disguised as a saloon, as well as the Macan compact SUV, which followed suit.
But being the sensible brand that it is, there are different variants to each of its models. While the Turbo and Turbo S remain to be the sacred choices for road mass destruction, you cannot discount the fact that the GTS selection is, in fact, one of the most entertaining variants to drive, regardless of whether it's an SUV or a saloon.
The two cars that you see here are perfect examples that epitomise fun. With their lowered ride heights over the regular variants that allow better cornering, performance boost that gives you the necessary oomph on the straights, and more aggressive exterior designs that will remind you how special these cars really are - they force you to ponder on your little exchanges with them on a race track.
And it's more than just about performance figures or speed limits that will set you thinking while spending time circling the Sepang International Circuit in these two cars. Inevitably, we wind up disillusioned that when the car isn't the top-of-the-line, the fun and sporty factors in a car get bogged down, with different ideologies of what a sports car should and can do proving impractical.
But somehow, our bone-deep pragmatism endures and purists thrive under the influence that oxymorons like the Panamera GTS and the Macan GTS are actually the ideal Porsche cars to have if you're looking for a sports car that balances form and function with enjoyment and energy.
It could be an emotional thing for me. It could also very well be the fact that I, like most Porsche drivers out there, enjoy cars like these that differentiates me from, say, a typical supercar owner. You can invest in hardware and head-turning designs yet still lose out if you don't take human feelings into account. Perhaps we are supposed to find some solace that these days, there are still sports cars out there that can give you the kind of emotional appeal and fun without appearing to be trying to hard.
And it seems Porsche has gotten it right with these two oxymorons.
You would expect it in a sports carmaker - the kind that consists of buyers who are so loyal, big names like Ferrari and Lamborghini couldn't even have them as owners even if they gave them a huge discount on their cars. The kind of sports carmaker that would stick to its roots of having only low-slung two-door sports cars in its lineup because it was born out of the highest ideals that were made possible by the foresight of ambitious leaders, passionate engineers and car enthusiasts.
Then in a bid to keep up with the competition, Porsche - one of the most entertaining, luxurious and sportiest carmakers as you would have already come to know - started rolling out cars like the Cayenne Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), a cash cow for Porsche that caused an uproar amongst purists. And to add salt to the wound, the four-door Panamera, a sports car disguised as a saloon, as well as the Macan compact SUV, which followed suit.
But being the sensible brand that it is, there are different variants to each of its models. While the Turbo and Turbo S remain to be the sacred choices for road mass destruction, you cannot discount the fact that the GTS selection is, in fact, one of the most entertaining variants to drive, regardless of whether it's an SUV or a saloon.
The two cars that you see here are perfect examples that epitomise fun. With their lowered ride heights over the regular variants that allow better cornering, performance boost that gives you the necessary oomph on the straights, and more aggressive exterior designs that will remind you how special these cars really are - they force you to ponder on your little exchanges with them on a race track.
And it's more than just about performance figures or speed limits that will set you thinking while spending time circling the Sepang International Circuit in these two cars. Inevitably, we wind up disillusioned that when the car isn't the top-of-the-line, the fun and sporty factors in a car get bogged down, with different ideologies of what a sports car should and can do proving impractical.
But somehow, our bone-deep pragmatism endures and purists thrive under the influence that oxymorons like the Panamera GTS and the Macan GTS are actually the ideal Porsche cars to have if you're looking for a sports car that balances form and function with enjoyment and energy.
It could be an emotional thing for me. It could also very well be the fact that I, like most Porsche drivers out there, enjoy cars like these that differentiates me from, say, a typical supercar owner. You can invest in hardware and head-turning designs yet still lose out if you don't take human feelings into account. Perhaps we are supposed to find some solace that these days, there are still sports cars out there that can give you the kind of emotional appeal and fun without appearing to be trying to hard.
And it seems Porsche has gotten it right with these two oxymorons.
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