2009 Porsche PCM: Does Performance or Luxury Rule?
When Porsche unveiled a refresh of its Boxster roadster and Cayman coupe at the Los Angeles Auto Show this past week, there was one addition (along with some minor exterior changes, engine updates and the new PDK transmission) that the Porsche folks were keen on showing off: A new touchscreen interface with various techno-features including optional iPod and USB connectivity.
We'd seen the updated system, dubbed "Porsche Communication Management" (PCM) earlier this year on the 2009 Porsche 911. It can include the types of features you'd come to expect from Mercedes or BMW such as navigation, XM radio with real-time traffic and Bluetooth. An optional audio interface adds glovebox-mounted iPod, USB and auxiliary ports - the first time these connectors have been available on any Porsche. A large touchscreen in the center stack is lined with a series of relatively intuitive buttons - a refreshing departure from the single, annoying knob favored by some German manufacturers.
To some, the introduction of these gadgets seems like a natural progression. To others, it's more evidence that the day of the pure sports car is over.
In the past, Porsche - by its own admission - developed its electronics only as a means to improve their cars' performance. I hear the words of the German engineer in my head: "Ven ve vant music, ve listen to ze engine."
But the symphony of a flat-6 isn't enough for most people anymore. Porsche got to work on the new PCM and iPod adapter after focus groups told them they just couldn't live without their MP3 players in their cars. That comes as no surprise to some of us who live in Los Angeles, where the typical Porsche customer is less like Joerg Bergmeister from the Flying Lizards and more like Adam Davies from Entourage. But it is a point of contention for certain enthusiasts to see Porsche's no-nonsense, race-bred reputation become increasingly concealed beneath bundles of wires and buttery-soft leather.
Yet there are some ways in which Porsche retains an obstinately purist view about its cars. For example, the 911 can come equipped with Sport and Sport Plus buttons which change suspension settings and throttle mapping, but Porsche's steering remains purely mechanical (unlike the adaptive steering favored by many performance luxury brands today). And the people at Porsche say it's going to stay that way.
It's doubtful the addition of a little iPod plug will create the sort of outcry from die-hard enthusiasts as when Porsche switched from air-cooled engines to water-cooled engines in 1998 (and don't broach that topic at a Porsche club track day unless you've packed your Xanax). In fact, many will welcome it -- even Lotus offers a 32-pin connector in its bare-bones Elise. But for others, it's another small reminder that people no longer want racecars. They want luxury cars. Or, rather, they want both, and that's a difficult balance to strike.
Still, although the 2009 Porsche 911, Boxster and Cayman can be fitted with a world-class sound system, "ze engines" won't be ignored. The 911, in particular, pits the throbbing speakers in the cockpit against the roar from behind the passenger compartment, a battle which could yield driver and passenger sore ears - and for the sing-alongers, a very sore throat.
We realize not many people are rushing out to buy a high-performance coupe or convertible these days. But if you could, what would be your soundtrack? Hi-fi? Or a high exhaust note?
- Posted by
- Laura Burstein November 26, 2008, 11:44 AM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Technorati Tags:
- 2009 Porsche 911, 2009 Porsche Boxster, 2009 Porsche Cayman, iPod Integration
Doesn't bother me. How "performance-oriented" is that leather-covered dashboard? Porsche has stood for performance *and* luxury for a long time, this is just a little progress, long overdue. It's not like it adds a lot of weight, that little USB port. Technology is what luxury buyers want, and any $100K car being outdone by the Ford Focus needs to get with the program.