Aurelia Butler

Porsche has built a new track at its Experience Center in Atlanta, which will open to the public on April 1.The track includes corners meant to emulate the famous Corkscrew at Laguna Seca, Bus Stop at Daytona, and Karussell at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.We sampled the track at a recent media event, along with other features such as a wet skidpad and an autocross course.Seven thousand five hundred miles. That’s about how far you would’ve needed to travel to drive the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca, scythe through the Bus Stop chicane at Daytona, and slingshot around the Karussell at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife—until now. On April 1, a new track at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta that includes re-creations of all three iconic corners will open to the public, part of a multimillion-dollar expansion at Porsche’s North American headquarters.PorscheSince its launch in 2015, the Experience Center has hosted almost 400,000 visitors, according to Porsche. The facility had featured a handling circuit, a restaurant, a gift shop, and a small museum space displaying classic Porsches, but it now adds a new course designed by Hermann Tilke, who has been the brain behind several Formula 1 track layouts such as the Bahrain International Circuit. The 1.3-mile West Track will be used for 90-minute one-on-one lessons in Porsche’s sports cars and can be combined with the original circuit or run on its own, which is how we experienced it during a media event ahead of the official opening. We drove the course in a variety of Porsches—including a 911 GT3 and a Taycan—and also experienced it from the passenger seat of the 1073-hp 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance prototype, which we first rode along in at Porsche’s Experience Center in Franciacorta, Italy, last year. While the new Atlanta circuit doesn’t have a straight section quite as long as in Italy—where we saw the ePerformance top out around 150 mph—it feels more dynamic due to its hilly topography. PorscheThe Track ExperienceExiting the pits, you climb through a series of quick esses before dropping back down for a sharp 90-degree right hander. You then ascend 30 feet to the Laguna Seca–like Corkscrew, which features a stomach-churning 25-foot drop through the chicane. A twisty section on the back half of the track emulates the famous Tail of the Dragon road in the Great Smoky Mountains, before you get to the bumpy and banked Carousel (Porsche opts to use the English spelling), which tries its hardest to unsettle the chassis. Within the confines of the West Track are three other setups that will support other driving lessons. A skidpad, which Porsche calls a low-friction circle, with wet, polished concrete covers 196 feet in diameter and allows drivers to explore the limits of grip and learn how to manage understeer and oversteer. We spent our time on the skidpad holding a prolonged drift in a 718 Cayman GT4 with a goofy grin plastered across our face. PorscheClimbing Ice Hill There is also the Ice Hill, which mimics an icy climb that one might encounter in the wintry months in the northern United States. Tackling its 8 percent slope and watered, polished surface teaches drivers how to smoothly apply throttle, brakes, and steering input in dicey conditions. We sampled it in a variety of cars: a rear-wheel-drive Cayman required a delicate right foot to make it up the hill, while an all-wheel-drive Macan allowed us to execute drifts while easily remaining in control. More Porsche NewsLastly, an autocross course with cones in an expansive paved area allows for a variety of lessons, from practicing launches and heavy braking to precise steering in tight corners. We tested the launch control in a glorious-sounding 911 GT3 and in the hushed but face-melting Taycan Turbo S.When combined with all available track surfaces—including the original circuit—the new handling course forms part of a 2.9-mile road. The track will be open to both Porsche owners and others, and the Experience Center sits just a few miles away from the busy Atlanta International Airport.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

Chevrolet has added the Duramax 3.0-liter turbo-diesel engine from the standard 1500 pickup as an option for the 2024 1500 ZR2.The 3.0-liter diesel engine offers fewer ponies but more torque than the huge 6.2-liter V-8 that comes standard on the ZR2. Outside of engine changes, Chevy included a host of additional updates scattered throughout the 1500 lineup.In the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 family, the ZR2 and the ZR2 Bison are the big kids. Chevy introduced the ZR2 for 2022 and brought the AEV upgraded Bison to market in 2023 for more serious off-roaders. Looking ahead to the 2024 model year, Chevy is eager to offer some mid-cycle updates for the whole lineup. Ezra Dyer|Car and DriverZR2 GoodnessThe 3.0-liter Duramax diesel that is available on the standard 1500 is being added as an optional engine on the ZR2. The gutsy engine offers fewer ponies (305) than the monstrous 6.2-liter V-8 (420) but brings additional oomph from its respectable torque figure (495 pound-feet from the diesel vs. 460 pound-feet from the V-8). We haven’t tested the Duramax since before it was updated for 2023, but in 2019 we applauded how silky and quiet it was in daily use. As far as the V-8 goes, Chevy is adding an active exhaust that can change based on drive mode. Cosmetic Dept.: New Name, Black PackagesChanges weren’t only made in the upper echelon of the Silverado lineup. While the standard 2.7-liter turbo-four is unchanged mechanically, Chevy has decided it will henceforth be known as the TurboMax. The base Work Truck now gets OnStar, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability are now standard, and front and rear park assist will be added to the optional safety package. Starting with the 2024 models, every Silverado will come equipped with a rear seatbelt indicator. The High Country will get adaptive cruise control as standard, as well as an optional Midnight Edition that adds powered running boards finished in black. Speaking of black trim, the Blackout appearance package will now be added to the Custom, Custom Trail Boss, RST, LT Trail Boss, and ZR2. New Lakeshore Blue and Slate Gray metallic exterior paint options will also be added to the 2024 lineup. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

The Porsche Cayenne will receive a mid-cycle update for 2024, bringing a redesigned dashboard.Inspired by the Porsche Taycan, the Cayenne’s new dash features a curved digital gauge cluster, which ditches the analog tachometer. Along with an optional passenger-side display, the Cayenne’s updated interior adds a new steering wheel, a shifter relocated to the dash, and revised HVAC controls.When the 2024 Porsche Cayenne is unveiled next month at the Shanghai auto show, it’ll introduce numerous changes as part of a mid-cycle refresh. However, ahead of that full reveal on April 18, Porsche provides a sneak peek at the Cayenne’s redesigned interior, which took inspiration from the screen-laden scene in the Taycan EV.Inside the updated Cayenne, the driver faces a 12.6-inch curved display that acts as the gauge cluster. Gone is the large centrally mounted tachometer. Porsche says it didn’t take lightly the decision to go fully digital, insisting the new setup provides greater flexibility for the future as well as sticking to its heritage, albeit with a digital twist. The latter refers to a classic view that transforms the screen into Porsche’s iconic five-tube instrument panel.PorschePorsche doesn’t stray too far from its roots in other areas, such as keeping the ignition switch to the left of the steering wheel, per tradition. The steering wheel itself is new, inherited from the 911 and bringing a newly standard drive-mode selector. Purists might be less enthused to learn the Cayenne’s traditional transmission shift lever has been replaced by a stubby mechanism on the dash to the right of the steering wheel. While it isn’t visually appealing, Porsche believes customers will appreciate the space it saves. PorschePorscheDespite ditching some old-school elements, the Cayenne’s updated interior still includes a volume knob and some physical controls for the HVAC system. A series of switches and touch-sensitive buttons with haptic feedback are found on the center console. They adjust the climate settings through an array of reshaped air vents that for the first time don’t feature louvers.At the center of the Cayenne’s new dashboard is a 12.3-inch touchscreen that acts as the hub of the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) infotainment system. It includes all the previous bells and whistles, such as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The infotainment setup is also joined by a newly optional 10.3-inch touchscreen for the front-seat passenger, which for safety reasons can’t be viewed by the driver. Porsche says the in-dash displays can stream movies too, but the vehicle can’t be moving for it to work on the center screen.The other new additions to the 2024 Cayenne’s interior include a cooled smartphone storage bin with wireless charging, a wider array of recognizable voice commands, and several newly added USB-C ports. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

Porsche has released pricing for its 2024 718 Cayman and 718 Boxster lineups, and the whole range is noticeably more expensive than last year.Porsche appears to have shaken up the 718 offerings: the Cayman T and Boxster T are noticeably absent from the configurator.A new version of the Cayman and Boxster, labeled the Style Edition, spruces up the look of the 300-hp base models. Pricing is now available for the 2024 Porsche 718 models, and each trim is considerably more expensive than the previous model year. Prices on most models, from the base 718 Cayman to the Boxster GTS 4.0, have increased by a relatively steep $5100. That figure pales in comparison to the top end of the lineup, where the Cayman GT4 RS tacks on an additional $13,100 for the new year, for a total of $163,650. Learn More About the 718Looking at specific trims, the Cayman now starts at $69,950, while the S starts at $81,950 and the GTS 4.0 starts at $96,850. Those figures all rise by $2100 if you make the move to an equivalent Boxster spec. Pricing for the new Style Edition versions of the 718 remain MIA on the Porsche configurator, but they should be roughly in 718 T territory, somewhere between the base model and the S.PorscheNot Serving the TSpeaking of the T, Porsche seems to have dropped the trim from its lineup in favor of the new Style Edition. Porsche’s laundry list of options has long allowed extensive customization to really personalize your vehicle. The Style Edition is a sort of cheat code with a specially selected set of visual upgrades, and the package ties things together quite nicely. The standard version of the Style Edition adds black 20-inch wheels from the Boxster Spyder along with colored center crests and black sport tailpipes. It adds a heated steering wheel, floor mats with Chalk-colored stitching, Porsche crests embossed on the headrests, and illuminated side sills. If you’re willing to cough up a bit more cash, you can also add black or white hood stripes and side graphics that match with either black or white wheels.The 718 comes with three distinct, and all extremely capable, engine configurations. The entry-level version comes equipped with a 300-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter flat-four. The S variant steps up to a turbo 2.5-liter flat-four with 350 horses. The GTS 4.0 ups the cylinder count to six and the horsepower count to 394. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More