Reborn Porsche 928 is fronting up!

Get ready for a blast from Porsche’s past! The German firm is developing a luxurious, front-engined grand tourer – a spiritual successor to the 928 built between 1977 and 1995. The ‘new 928’ will be a fifth model line, and is designed to sit above the sportier 911 in the range.

With the compact Boxster and Cayman, the 911, the Cayenne SUV and four-door Panamera, Porsche would appear to have most bases covered. But it’s notable for its absence in the front-engined GT segment. The newcomer will allow the brand to take on rivals such as the Ferrari 599 GTB, Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin DB9. And our exclusive pictures show exactly why the curvy, Panamera-based coupé is set to stun the competition.

Essentially it’s a two-door, short-wheelbase version of the Panamera, which will help to spread the £1.1billion development costs of that model. Its front-engined layout has a number of inherent benefits, too.

A rear-engined 911 has barely more than 100 litres of luggage space, but a similarly sized GT with its motor up front would offer a useful 320 litres – a vital attribute if the new 928 is to be taken seriously as a grand tourer.

While the nose is virtually identical to the Panamera, the shortened wheelbase and 2+2 layout mean the 928 features far smoother lines at the back. One of the major criticisms levelled at the four-door Panamera was its bloated rear, but this model’s muscular haunches and neater proportions should attract a new wave of style-conscious customers.

As you’d expect from Porsche, though, driver appeal remains a top priority. The engine line-up will mirror that of the Panamera, so a 4.8-litre V8, with or without a turbocharger, producing 500bhp or 400bhp, will be available. The naturally aspirated variant is set to come with four or rear-wheel drive, while the range-topping turbo model will be 4WD only.

Thirsty V8s aren’t the only power units on the agenda. The Cayenne SUV hybrid is ready to go on sale next year, with a petrol-electric version of the Panamera following closely behind. As the new 928 shares the latter’s platform, it’s sure to get the hybrid drivetrain, too.

An Audi S4-sourced 369bhp 3.0-litre supercharged V6, coupled to a 38kW electric motor, will give the hybrid 928 fuel economy that breaks the 30mpg barrier. That will make it the most frugal petrol-powered Porsche ever, while still providing hair-raising performance.

The 928 will slot into Porsche’s pricing line-up somewhere between the 911 and Panamera. The four-door ranges from £70,000-£95,000, while the 911 starts a little lower, at just over £60,000, but stretches to £128,000 for the GT2.

With this is mind, expect the 928 to be pitched between £65,000 and £90,000 – enough to safely undercut its Ferrari and Aston rivals when it goes on sale in 2012.

Ford Mustang 2010

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The 2010 Mustang GT is better than ever because it had to be. But competition for the V-6 Stang is also intensifying, so we set out to determine if the V-6 similarly leads the herd.

Entry-level Mustangs start at $21,845, which undercuts the V-6 rear-drive coupes from Chevrolet, Dodge, and Hyundai, as well as comparable front-drive two-doors such as the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. But we upgraded to the V-6 Premium steed, which adds $3000 to the sticker and 17-inch wheels, leather seating and steering wheel, aluminum pedals, and upgraded audio to the options sheet. Mix in $300 for the Red Candy metallic paint and $395 for the Security package — wheel locks and an alarm — and our Mustang V-6 rang up at $25,540.

A Comfortable Cruiser and Quiet, Too
If you're not driving a Mustang GT, odds are you aren't driving a Mustang for all-out fun. Whereas last year's Bullitt suspension and tuning forms the basis for the 2010 GT, V-6 Mustangs carry on with a more relaxed setup. It's ideal for freeway slogs, where the cushy ride keeps occupants isolated from most road imperfections, although abrupt bumps punch through the soft springs and deliver a solid jolt to the structure. As an added bonus, the high-frequency resonance emitted by the GT's V-8 at highway speeds is absent with the V-6, making for more serene cruising.

Although 210 hp isn't much, neither is the V-6 Mustang's 3421-pound curb weight. Acceleration is decent, at 6.6 seconds to 60 mph and the quarter-mile in 15.3 at 93 mph, but in a recent comparison test of the V-6 Hyundai Genesis and Chevrolet Camaro, both beat the Mustang through the quarter by about a second. And the Genesis's base turbocharged inline-four matches the horsepower number of the Mustang's six.

Around town, the Mustang's tall gearing minimizes shifting, which is good because the five-speed manual is as satisfying as a lukewarm pile of Kraft Easy Mac. If you're buying a V-6 Mustang, get the auto. At even 30 mph, anything higher than third lugs the engine. We'd guess the reason is fuel economy — the EPA rates it at 18 city/26 highway, and our observed 19 mpg matches our comparo Camaro and trails the Genesis by 1 mpg.

No Steeplechaser
Venture onto your favorite back road, though, and the V-6 Mustang is as disappointing as Hootie and the Blowfish's sophomore album. It feels as though the suspension bushings are made from the stuff inside Stretch Armstrong, and a heavy foot on the brake pedal induces extreme dive, which might be useful in the winter if drivers hope to employ their Mustang's front valance as a snow plow. Stops of 182 feet from 70 mph trail not only the Camaro and Genesis but also all four competitors in our recent mid-size hybrid-sedan comparo.

Although the steering is quick and direct, feedback through the wheel is a solid zilch. Still, even with the Deadliest Catch-grade rolling and pitching, the car is surprisingly balanced, with the slightest understeer on turn-in. The six lacks the gusto for power-on oversteer, but the throttle can dial the initial understeer into neutrality, and we herded the Ford around the skidpad for 0.85 g. That trails the stick we got out of the V-6 Camaro and Genesis by a marginal amount (0.02 g and 0.03 g, respectively), but the difference in feel is vastly more pronounced. The Mustang just doesn't raise the pulse.

That's the problem with Ford's pony car. There are a lot of reasons people buy cars, but when it comes to coupes, there are really only two — style and fun — and both are emotional. The Camaro looks worlds better in our opinion, and it and the Genesis are more fun to drive. But rumor has the 2011 Mustang getting a vastly more powerful version of one of Ford's newer V-6s, and that — mixed with a little more body control — would put the six-pot Mustang right on par with all threats, foreign and domestic.

Performance Data

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 6.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 17.7 sec
Street start, 5-60 mph: 7.3 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.3 sec @ 93 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 114 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 182 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.85 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 18/26 mpg
C/D observed: 19 mpg