Porsche majeure

Donggang, Pingtung, TAIWAN—It’s hard to be unimpressed by the sight of a veritable smorgas-Porsche waiting for us at Penbay International Circuit (PIC). Twenty-three vehicles from the famous Stuttgart manufacturer have been made available to motoring media from Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines for the Porsche World Roadshow Taiwan 2013.

The best part is that these lookers are not just here for photo opportunities. We actually get to live out a driver’s fantasy—to grasp the wheel of the whole range of Porsche lookers and roll.

Porsche instructor and test driver Nick Edwards leads a team of professional mentors tasked with helping our group put Cayennes, 911s, Panameras, Boxsters, and Caymans through their paces in what would be a day’s showcase of performance and mettle.

“Over the past few years, we have been the lucky boys traveling all around the world,” Edwards says before sending us out for our itinerary. “The Porsche World Roadshow is Porsche AG’s elite marketing tool. Each year, we travel all across the world, visiting our major markets. We ship all the way from Germany our entire new model range and hold exclusive driving events at driving venues like here at Penbay.”

After a short demonstration on the correct driving position, we break out into four batches to experience various driving experiences laid out for us to specifically highlight the different aspects of Porsche performance.

Our Green (perhaps in figurative sense as well?) group is handled by Edwards himself, who shepherds us aboard a waiting line of Cayenne SUVs. We drive out of the PIC complex and head out for some action on a dirt track, which the vehicles handle with aplomb.

“The Cayenne is not only comfortable (as an everyday ride), you can drive it on off-road terrain as well,” Nick volunteers. That’s exactly right, as the vaunted Porsche Traction Management works in conjunction with the Porsche Stability Management to keep passengers safe – even if not all tires are on the dirt track. The Cayenne also lets you adjust ride height for best handling on the appropriate terrain. You get surprisingly sure-footed performance even on dubious surfaces.

When on a steep incline, you needn’t worry about the car rolling back as the system arrests rollback and assists descent.

After heading back to PIC, we ditch the Cayennes in favor of Panameras and a beastly-strong Cayenne GTS. We take turns at the wheel and throw them around at speed on the track. The Panamera proves itself as a worthy, albeit bigger, sibling of the 911—all performance, and definitely all Porsche. Meanwhile, the growling Cayenne GTS feels as gritty as it sounds—a monster of an SUV that’s both refined and robust.

On the subsequent slalom part of our activity, we each try out the simply sumptuous Boxster S—packed with six cylinders, 315 horses, and 360 Nm of torque—and zigzag quickly through some orange traffic cones to eke out the best time we could muster. I’m happy and surprised to report that I managed the best time in our group—which goes to show the forgiving nature of the Boxster. Even if you’re not an expert, it will willingly yield sterling performance if you trust it.

Next comes a demonstration of ABS emergency braking maneuvers via a 911 Carrera Turbo S. I floor the gas pedal, slam on the brakes, then swerve. Even if your innards panic with the G forces, the Porsche calmly follows your steering wheel command to the letter. That’s technology at work.

We stride away from the two beautiful cars for our final—and most heavenly—activity. We spot some 911s, a Cayman, and a Boxster at the ready by the paddocks. It’s time for some high-speed action again at the track. Paced by Nick Edwards, Vietnamese scribe Vu and I take turns at the wheel to join a parade of Porsches. We push each car on a blissful lap.

What we discover is that this is every Porsche’s raison d’être. It cavorts on the track, it delights in the speed, in crushes the turns.

Later, I sit down with Nick Edwards and ask him what makes Porsche different from other European brands with similar brand values. “Porsche has such a rich, successful history in motorsports,” he narrates. “We don’t have a Formula One history, but we have history in more accessible motorsports racing such as GT racing. People can thus more readily relate their road car, such as the 911, to the cars there.”

Edwards continues that Porsches are more, well, usable. “Aside from being more durable, our cars feature reliable accessible performance. It’s not like buying an expensive, high-performance car, only to find out you can’t drive it,” he submits.

So, is it a misconception that Porsches might prove to be “too much car” for everyday motorists? Is there reason to be intimidated?

“It was a fair point from 30 years ago when we first had the 911 Turbos, which were very difficult to drive due to the imbalance of weight,” Edwards observes. “However, there’s an advantage in having the engine at the back. You get a lot of traction on the rear wheels to push the car forward.”

He continues: “But to answer your question on safety, and if customers should feel they can handle such power and performance—nowadays, absolutely. Our advanced technology, such as Porsche Stability Management, means the car can read thousands of different signals and different aspects of driving from the driver. The car can automatically react to keep the driver stable and safe in the car—even if you’re driving, say, a 550-bhp Cayenne Turbo S.

Porsches are effectively more forgiving and accommodating of all sorts of driving skill levels. Edwards notes that this is part of brand accessibility, as well as safety. “Porsche has spent a lot of time and money to develop the Porsche Stabilty Management, among other features. Not only do we have safer and more stable cars, but they have accessible performance,” he insists. “This is always a big problem if you buy a very expensive sports car but you can’t drive it because it’s unsafe.”

Nick Edwards, who’s directly involved in the development of the forthcoming 918 Spyder, declares that at the heart of every Porsche is a racetrack.

“It’s a motorsport brand,” he underscores, and reveals that Porsches are all tested and developed on the famous Nürburgring’s 20-kilometer Nordschleife (or “North Loop”).

“It’s not just a racetrack, but one of the toughest driving conditions you can put the cars through,” he shares. “The lap is very long, very fast, with lots of elevations and bumps. You can test everything in the car—brakes, suspension, gearbox, aerodynamics. Again, underneath the skin of a Porsche is always motorsports. Filtered in is usability, safety, everyday driving—that something that sets us apart from, for example, Ferrari or Lamborghini. Our cars are way more usable.”

All these things must explain why I can’t seem to pry my hands from the 911’s steering wheel as the sun quickly sets on this day of bliss.