lifestyle auto car

While the cosmetic and power enhancements to the upcoming 2009 Porsche 911 line are incremental, the big story is its new dual-clutch transmission, or Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK).

Power from new flat-six engines is is boosted by direct fuel injection, resulting in 20 horsepower gains in the standard model's 3.6liter engine, to 345 hp, and up to 385 in the 'S' variants - good for a top speed of 188 mph, according to the factory. Mild freshening of the front and rear fascias will be evident enough to aficionados to tell who's got the latest model, if not casual fans of the brand. The glass panel on the Targa is now a two-piece setup, with the forward section sliding back under the rear section for open-air motoring. Porsche boasts fuel efficiency is improved by 13 percent in the European ratings.

According to the factory, they (not Audi) developed dual clutch technology a quarter century ago. Regardless who gets the credit, the seven-speed unit in the 09 car knocks two-tenths off the 0-60 times (4.5 & 4.1 seconds for the Carrera and S, respectively) over the six-speed shaker. The PDK transmission is compatible with Porsche's sportchrono package, and all models receive Porsche Communication Management (PCM) 3.0, with its affiliated video and audio services.

The base price of the new babies from Stuttgart: $75,600 (Carrera) / $86,200 (Carrera S). Having a Porsche your wife can drive without trashing the clutch: PRICELESS!

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