Month: March 2018

Enlarge / Who says an SUV can't be a real Porsche? (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

It's very easy to have preconceptions about a vehicle like the Porsche Macan GTS. Some people will be predisposed not to like it because it's a Porsche. Other people, people who like the marque, may look down on it because they think it's isn't a real Porsche. And I'll admit, I had my own preconceptions, since I am not generally a fan of the small SUV or crossover. So imagine my surprise when, after a week, I was forced to concede that the Macan GTS deserves to be taken seriously. It's definitely a real Porsche. And in fact, it might be the best SUV I've ever driven.

Yes, SUVs can be real Porsches

First off, let's dispense with the idea that SUVs are something outside of Porsche's comfort zone. The first Cayennes started rolling off the production line in Bratislava in 2002, and that model is now in its third generation. What's more, it almost certainly saved the company in the process, subsidizing the sports cars that we normally think of when we think about Porsche.

The Macan joined the lineup in 2013, arriving on these shores in 2014. And it has been quite the sales success, with Macans making up almost a third of the 246,000 Porsches delivered worldwide in 2017. The SUV-obsessed US is an even more important market for the Macan. Last year was a record year for Porsche North America, and the Macan accounted for just under 39 percent of the vehicles it delivered. When we drove the Macan at launch, it was offered in a couple of flavors—the 340hp Macan S and 400hp Macan Turbo. Since then, Porsche has added a base model (252hp, starting at $47,800) and the $68,900, 360hp Macan GTS.

Enlarge (credit: Aurich / Getty)

In January, we launched Ars Pro, which enables readers to support Ars while offering an ad-free experience. For $25 per year or $3 per month, Ars Pro lets you read Ars without seeing a single advertisement. You also get full-text RSS feeds. At $50 per year, we have Ars Pro++ which adds clean-reading mode, a YubiKey 4, and a coupon for 20 percent off any YubiCo product.

The response to Ars Pro has been fantastic, and we have been listening to readers and brainstorming about ways we can make it even better. Today, we are excited to announce the removal of tracking scripts for Ars Pro subscribers.

Websites use tracking for a number of reasons. For one, we need to count visitors, see which pages they read, and determine how long they remain on the site. We use those figures for internal reporting and for our sales team and advertisers. There are other scripts used by advertisers and ad networks as well. In combination, they can slow down page loads, and some people really just dislike them.

Enlarge (credit: Mike Coppola / Getty Images)

According to a recent study, Uber and Lyft drivers earn a median hourly profit of $8.55; study authors revised this figure on Monday from an earlier amount reported last week of $3.37 per hour.

The academic research, which was conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, determined that, after surveying more than 1,100 drivers, many drivers are, in fact, losing money. For at least 41 percent of drivers, hourly profit is below the minimum wage in their state.

It appears that some drivers may not be fully accounting for insurance, gas, maintenance, and other expenses that aren't often immediately obvious to drivers when they first sign up.