On this episode of Behind the Wheel, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member John Oates joins us. The quieter half of legendary duo Hall and Oates is a Porsche guy with more than a couple in his garage, so we decided to let him get in the driver’s seat of the 2016 Porsche 911 GT3RS, a 520-horsepower track machine that’s surprisingly comfortable to drive on the streets as well.
With a base price just shy of $190,000, the GT3RS is most at home on the track, where it can hit a top speed of 194 mph, and jumps from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds. The naturally aspirated, horizontally opposed 4.0 liter 6–six-cylinder engine produces power the instant you hit the gas. Both quick and nimble, the track -uned suspension delivers precise control and dynamic feedback.
Digital Trend’s video series, Behind the Wheel, takes you inside some of the fastest, most exotic, and most unique cars on the planet. Join host Tim Walbridge as he shares his expertise and excitement for cars. You’re along for the ride in modern supercars like the McLaren 720S, American classics including a restomodded ’48 Ford Convertible, and everything in between. Celebrity guests regularly get behind the wheel with Tim and share their favorite car stories.
On what he calls the best day off he’s ever had while on tour, Oates joined host Tim Walbridge at the 503 Motoring headquarters in Portland, Oregon, for a not so leisurely summer drive. These two Porsche devotees steer the GT3RS around the hilly, twisty roads outside of Portland and reminisce about some of their favorite Porsche stories, including John’s trip to the Porsche Experience in Atlanta.
Bonus car: John takes the 2017 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe out for a spin. After driving the GT3RS, the Alfa is essentially a $60,000 go-kart. The two rides are worlds apart in design and horsepower, but each is immensely enjoyable.
Tim Walbridge is the president and founder of 503 Motoring, a luxury and exotic car dealership and customization center in Portland, Oregon. With over 20 years of industry experience, Tim has driven just about every exotic — and not so exotic — car there is. His expertise and down-to-earth attitude show in all of his projects, including hosting Behind the Wheel.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.