Max Auto Updates - 14/07/2009

Porsche Panamera Turbo fastest Nurburg Sedan?



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Sport Auto reports that a Porsche Panamera Turbo piloted by the legendary Walter Röhrl has lapped the Nurburgring 3 seconds faster than the supercharged Cadillac CTS-V posting a time of 7:56 minutes. As quick as this is, it goes to show what a good value proposition the Cadillac is. It costs less than half of what the Panamera Turbo costs. Even more impressive regarding the bang-for-buck proposition is that the two other rivals in the Panamera's segment, the Aston Martin Rapide and the upcoming Audi A7, are not expected to be any cheaper than the 415kW Caddy.

Porsche itself has not released official Nurburgring times but if these are accurate then the Panamera will officially replace the Cadillac as the fastest production sedan on the 'Ring . CTS fans may take comfort in the fact that ‘Ring times are highly affected by such things as rubber grades, the weather and other factors.

Over the past year or so Porsche has been embroiled in a battle with Nissan regarding the latter's claim that its GT-R is the fastest production car around the Green Hell. This might be a new avenue for Porsche to stake its claim.

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MTM gives 71kW more to Audi S4 3.0 TFSI



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MTM's customers are not interested in the fact that the new Audi S4 with a 3.0-litre TFSI engine makes 245kW. What they are interested in is how much more power their favourite tuner can wring out of the supercharged engine. MTM says it can allow an extra 71kW to be harnessed thanks to its M-Cantronic system. That means the MTM S4 produces 316kW and 515Nm of torque. That is more power than the previous-generation RS 4 which had 309kW and 430Nm running underneath it.

The quattro differential and the 6-speed manual gearbox help the car accelerate from 0 - 100km/h in 4.7 seconds. Buyers have a choice between 19-inch and 21-inch wheels in addition to a height-adjustable suspension system. An exclusive four-pipe oval exhaust system with different optics is also fitted along with MTM brakes.

A6 3.0-litre TFSI owners are not left out either. For them MTM has a special M-Cantronic programme which not only increases their V6's efficiency but gives them an extra dose of 51kW to bring the total to 265kW.

So dynamic is the MTM system that it can be installed and/ or removed in a short space of time, making it ideal for people who are using leased cars as well as outright owners.