保时捷兄弟车型对决：路试见高下

    保时捷（Porsche）就能免受供需规律的影响吗？请看以下快讯：

    •尽管全球经济遭遇滑坡，这家豪华运动车厂商2012年的销售却比2011年增加18%，并且它预计自己2013年还将继续增长。

    •保时捷已成功克服品牌迁移和产品结构调整这一棘手的挑战，以运动车为基础，开发出四门轿车和SUV，同时保住了自己的忠实用户。

    •保时捷一反常规经济模式，旗下的高价跑车销量是其相对便宜车型的四倍。

    •保时捷的单车利润业内最高，是量产车厂商的三倍，是一些豪华品牌的近两倍。

    为什么会这样？为了更好地了解保时捷成功的奥秘，我与保时捷北美分公司约好长时间试驾两款最新车型：911卡雷拉S敞篷车（Carrera S Cabriolet）和博科斯特（Boxster）。考虑到保时捷的运动基因，我自行设计了竞速计划，以更好地检验每款车的性能。本次试驾结果如下：

竞速先锋：2012款 911卡雷拉S敞篷车

    这款911搭载一台后置的Boxer引擎，是一款经典版的保时捷。这款车的原型约半个世纪前问世，现在算是第三代。新款车更长更宽，装有电子控制设备，是一款更宽适的跑车，但是它高达400匹马力的引擎、七速手动变速箱，以及快如闪电的响应速度都使它保留着经典的运动车气质。新款911精致、舒适，既适合日常通勤，也能轻松用于周末度假。

挑战飞车：2013款博科斯特

    20世纪90年代中期，由于911系列定价过高，保时捷开发了更年轻化的子系列车型。这种车的引擎置于底盘中部，车顶为织物材质。现在，这款名为博科斯特的跑车终于羽翼丰满、全新亮相，它变得更长更宽，采用了更多铝材以控制整车重量。在我设计的这次试驾中，让博科斯特与它的大哥抗衡显然不太公平，但博科斯特的中置引擎构造使它更富运动感，而且很多人表示，这让它更富驾驶乐趣。

试驾路线：水路，红杉林和葡萄园

    为了让试驾路线和保时捷一样经典，我选择了以旧金山为起点，一路北上到加拿大的温哥华，试驾路线长达1200英里。试驾途中，至少前三分之二的路段符合我的期望。驶过金门大桥后，GPS就引导我们顺着101高速公路，沿着荒凉的太平洋海岸一路向北，驶过参天的红杉林，来到俄勒冈州威拉米特河谷那规划得整整齐齐的葡萄园。抵达那儿后，我们把911换成了博科斯特继续开，直到西雅图，再穿过加拿大边境到达温哥华。

    Is Porsche immune to the laws of supply and demand?

    Item: Despite the global economic slowdown, the luxury sports car maker expects to sell 18% more vehicles in 2012 than in 2011, and it is forecasting another increase in 2013.

    Item: Porsche has pulled off the tricky business of moving beyond its sports car roots into four-doors and SUVs without alienating its devoted followers.

    Item: Turning conventional economics upside down, Porsche's more expensive sports car outsells its cheaper sibling by four to one.

    Item: Porsche's per-car profits are the highest in the industry, with margins three times those of volume producers and nearly double that of some luxury marques.

    Why is this so? To better understand the dimensions of the Porsche mystique, I arranged with Porsche Cars North America to spend some extended time driving two of its newest models: the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet and the Boxster. Given Porsche's racing heritage, I devised my own competition to better examine the merits of each car. Here are my findings:

The contender: 2012 911 Carrera S Cabriolet

    With its Boxer engine mounted behind the rear axle, the 911 is the archetypal Porsche, the third generation of a basic design that was introduced nearly a half-century ago. The new model is longer and wider and festooned with electronic control devices, making it more of a grand touring car, but this 911's 400-horsepower engine, seven-speed manual transmission, and lightening-quick reflexes have enabled it to retain its traditional sporting character. Refined and comfortable, the new 911 handles a weekday commute as easily as a weekend romp.

The challenger: 2013 Boxster

    When 911s got too pricey in the mid-'90s, Porsche developed its younger sibling by moving the engine to the middle of the chassis and fitting the car with a fabric roof. Now fully grown, this year's Boxster is all new, longer and wider, and built with bigger doses of aluminum to keep its weight in check. Putting the Boxster up against its big brother for this drive may seem patently unfair, except that its mid-engine layout makes it sportier and -- many say -- more fun to drive.

The route: Water, redwoods, and wine country

    To devise a route as classy as the cars, I plotted a 1,200-mile drive from San Francisco north to Vancouver, British Columbia. At least the first two-thirds lived up to my expectations. After crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, GPS guided us north on Highway 101 along the wild Pacific coast, then through giant stands of redwoods and in to the geometrically precise vineyards of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. There, we swapped the 911 for the Boxster to make the run up to Seattle and across the Canadian border to Vancouver.