Porsche’s Power of Four DOING THE MATH The Tesla Roadster Sport was recharged the day following our Chicago to New Buffalo round trip. The recharge consumed 55 kilowatthours (kWh) and took 8 hours, 22 minutes at 240 volts/30 amps. At the national average of 10 cents per kWh, the recharge cost $5.50. During that same time, premium gasoline averaged $3.00 per gallon. With that, spending $5.50 would buy 1.83 gallons of gasoline. To travel 176.5 miles on 1.83 gallons yields 96.45 miles per gallon. At the Chicago rate of 9.3 cents per kWh, our trip with the 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport acquired the cost equivalent of 103.8 mpg. –RICK COTTA
After 60 years, the German automaker known for building high-performance sports cars adds two more doors and a new model with the arrival of the 2010 Porsche Panamera. Panamera, named after a world-class auto race in the 1950s, is Porsche’s first four-door car. Exterior styling reflects the f amily resemblance of Porsche 911 in Panamera’s front end followed by a hint of Porsche Cayman in the tail lamps and hips of the rear quarters. And because the interior has to keep what the exterior promises, form follows function with plush quad
seating split by a classy full-length center console. Porsche’s newcomer arrives in three front-engine models: Panamera S rear-wheel drive and 4S all-wheel drive, powered by a 4.8-liter V-8 engine to deliver 400 horsepower priced at $89,800 and $93,800 respectively. Panamera Turbo is infused with a 500-hp twin-turbocharged 4.8 L V-8 and all-wheel drive for $132,600. A seven-speed double-clutch transmission with steering wheel shift controls governs Panamera’s dynamic driving experience. –JIM JACKSON
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Now, everybody can go along for the ride across town or crosscountry in a sports car for four.