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Listen to the Porsche Macan's exhaust note ahead of its LA debut

As if we need further proof that the Porsche Macan won't just be another small CUV, it'll be a small Porsche CUV, the German automaker has released a video of the vehicle's raucous exhaust note. In short, the Macan will sport a far racier soundtrack than most of its competitors.
The raspy sound coming from one of the Macan's two turbocharged V6 engines sounds great (the video isn't clear as to whether we're listening to the base 3.0-liter or the Turbo model's 3.6-liter engine), and it's accompanied by a nice crackle on overrun. It isn't like a 911 or other flat-six model, but it is more or less what we expect a Porsche to sound like. We'll have all the details on the newest member of the Porsche lineup when it debuts later this month at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show. Scroll down for an official press release from Porsche, as well as the video of the Macan, and be sure to turn your speakers up.

Porsche looks back on very first 911 Turbo

Porsche has really hit on a winning formula with its series of videos going inside its vault. So far, we've seen the V8 911 prototype, mid-engine test mule and aerodynamic prototype. The company is sticking with the 911 theme in the latest entry, but this time it's an actual production car - the very first 911 Turbo ever made.
Being the first Turbo would make it important enough, but the car was also a birthday present for Louise Piëch, daughter of Ferdinand Porsche and sister to Ferry Porsche, and she regularly used the car. The family didn't just hand her a random car off the assembly line, either. She got to make it her own with some interesting modifications. She supposedly even painted landscapes from inside the car.
You have to wonder what Piëch thought of her present. The early Turbos had a reputation for being a bit of a handful to drive. The boost tended to bring the power all at once, which wasn't always welcome when cornering. She deserves some honor just for driving the car on the curvy, alpine roads. Scroll down to learn about this important Porsche, and we can't wait to see what car the brand showcases next.

Hyundai, Porsche top J.D. Power APEAL study

Just as they did in the Initial Quality Study, Porsche and Hyundai have taken the premium and non-premium crown, respectively, for the 2014 J.D. Power APEAL study. This is the tenth consecutive year for that Porsche has been rated the best premium make in the APEAL study, which attempts to figure out how pleased owners are with their purchases. For 2014, it asked 86,000 owners of MY2014 cars to rate their vehicles in 77 different categories 90 days after their initial purchase. The resulting figures were plugged in deliver the APEAL score, which is rated on a 1,000-point scale.
The industry average sits at 794 points for 2014, although that's a one-percent decline over last year's rating. In this year's study, premium brands averaged 840 out of 1,000, while non-premium makes average 785. For their part, Porsche netted an impressive 882 points, while Hyundai earned an 804. Interestingly, only four non-premium brands (Hyundai, Ram, Volkswagen and Mini) finished above the industry average for 2014.
It's also interesting to see the clear delineation between premium and non-premium brands, with an eight-point gap between the non-premium champ, Hyundai, and the lowest-rated premium brand, Volvo.