Porsche Driving Experience – belting it all again

It’s more of a technological showcase than anything else, if I can be honest. Like every other track day organised by other car brands, every course here is structured and outlined by orange traffic cones that enforce rules set by the organisers so it flatters the car’s technology and abilities more than anything else. Today belongs to Porsche and the Porsche Driving Experience.

Nearly the whole garage is here on a hot day at the Sepang International Circuit. We have the Cayenne S Diesel, the Cayenne GTS and the Panamera making up the four-door brigade, while from the sport stable, the Boxster S, 911 Carrera 4S and the Cayman S are here to add heat to the day’s heady schedule.

The day starts with a stint behind the wheels of the Cayenne GTS. In front of it is something that is called the Moose. The challenge, if you can call it that, is simple. Stand on the accelerator as hard as you can, imagine a moose crossing into your path (or cow, to make it more local), release the pedal as if it were a piece of hot coal, swerve left (or right, depending on imagination), swerve back into the lane and hit the brakes. Sounds easy peasy, only that it isn’t. With 420 hp and 515 Nm of torque from the 4.8 litre V8, things can go wrong, and having the SUV to come out on its side is a real possibility.

The Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) and Porsche Stability Management (PSM) are on showcase here. Little sensors and algorithms read the SUV’s current driving dynamics and alters itself accordingly, mainly to negate sway. Swerving the 2,085 kg vehicle causes some roll to occur, but it isn’t as much as you think. Even as the rubbers screech from one apex to the next, it is all accomplished on a very stable and even keel. And without the smokey drama that you’d expect.

For the second exercise, I jump into another SUV and find myself inside the Cayenne S Diesel. Another simple one that needs instant reaction, as opposed to careful consideration. And so, I stand on the accelerator once more. The eight-speed gearbox sends 850 Nm into all four wheels in an instant. I take off from standstill. Speed feels as if it is already at the doors of the triple digits but I don’t have time to look to confirm. Half a second later, the middle pedal is bearing my full body weight.

The ABS kicks in, quickly slowing down the S Diesel, but I’m running out of orange cones that make up the pseudo-road. To come to a full stop, I need to slip this rather large SUV into another tiny pseudo-road. This one is tough, it is as if I am threading a pinhole with a canvas rope. Failure results in mangled traffic cones; we can’t have that now.

I twitch the steering just a little to the right, and it’s all the Cayenne needs to slip into the lane; mission accomplished. The PDCC keeps the SUV from tipping; the Porsche Traction Management (PTM) keeps the vehicle from breaking grip and making sure the nose is always pointed forward. Which, if this happened in real traffic, could have at least prevented an accident.

The next session promises fun: slalom. Except that this isn’t the normal kind of slalom where you thread through arranged traffic cones. The track that lays before me looks more at home at an Autocross event instead. And the car, with its long-wheelbase, looks ill-suited for the course.

The Panamera that awaits brought several murmurs of it being too long and may not have the agility to complete the course without cone casualty. Thankfully, I’ve done this in the previous year in the Panamera and know that the super sedan is more than capable.

In spite of its length, the car feels light and tight, much like how a hatchback would feel. It’s no stretch of the imagination, as the Porsche Stability Management maintains the Panamera’s stability and cancels out bouts of oversteer and understeer. Only human error would upset the car’s balance.

Then, it is time to upset the car’s balance. My mission, after the slalom, is to complete a figure-eight in the Boxster S. To make things simpler, traction control will be switched off and a mixture of slippery stuff and water is poured on the skid pad, making the task even harder and messier.

The makeshift track is too slippery and trying to find purchase with the rear wheels is nearly impossible. Nearly, because there are places where the rear rubbers do bite, sending the tail in front. I countersteer and dab the throttle to control power on the wheels only to lose all bite an inch later. With no grip in the front as well, I started to pirouette off course. Not exactly graceful, I agree. That said, I somehow manage to complete half of an ‘eight’ before it turned into scores of ‘zeroes’.

Next, I leave the skid pad and dive into the pits. The immediate future promises a better time. Helmet on, I slip behind the wheel of the Carrera 4S; it’s the four-wheel drive version of the 911, for those not in the know. I mash the Sport Plus button and the 3.8 litre flat six barks to life, the 911 now in its element.

The Porsche’s most aggressive setting suits the situation very well. The flat-six engine revs without restrictions and continues till the redline, where the gear shifts to the next cog to pick up where it left off. Speed comes too easy. In spite of the fact that this 911 is not even the most ‘blistering’ 911, the car is still fast on the straights.

However, it is on all 15 turns of the track that the Carrera 4S properly shows off its talents. While the four-wheel drive system is still very much biased to the rear, the nose feels even more planted than its two-wheel drive stablemate can ever hope to be.

So, the 4S is plenty fast on the long corners, especially coming out from Turn Four, going into the long left of Five then transition into the sharp, yet quick Six. It carves the corners flat and stable; I can’t help but feel that I could have gone much faster. I begin to ponder the places where more speed can be squeezed out of the 4S.

And most certainly, the technical sections of the SIC didn’t even worry the 911. Deft steering meets quick throttle response to take apart Turns 11 through to 14 with clinical precision. Only an error from the driver, me, can throw off the entire balance of the car. Which I didn’t, so all is good.

Out on the track again for another three laps, including an out and an in lap. I agree, that doesn’t give me much time with the car but I do what I can, what I must. The car now is the new Porsche Cayman S. Once again, Sport Plus is engaged.

The engine in the Cayman S is smaller compared to the 911 I just returned, but the 3.4 litre flat-six fixed to a six-speed PDK is no less fast. The 275 hp and 290 Nm numbers may look modest, even the 5.7 seconds it needs to reach 100 km/h may seem docile for a sports car, but the coupe is, without a doubt, a pure track weapon.

For one, the handling is spot on. A slight twist of the wheel and the Cayman S immediately points its nose into where you want it to go. Feedback is not just limited to the steering wheel, which by the way has plenty of chatter. The sensitive throttle lets you know in increments how much power you can put down. And the hot seat tells you the adjustments needed to be made.

Indeed, the level of knowledge the car offers is remarkable. You feel involved, one with the machine. You quickly learn where the limits are and how much room you have before man and machine end up in the gravel. This is very much a thinking man’s sports car.

However, there is only so much I can squeeze in these three laps. There’s the underlying feeling that the Cayman S has so much more. It’s irritating to know that testing the car in the Sepang International Circuit isn’t ideal, especially when the public roads outside are less than perfect. The question remains if Porsche’s latest is just as potent on the road as it is on the track. Answers will come soon, fingers crossed.

For what is worth, today is a good day indeed. Porsche has made some technological advancements and have shoehorned them into their cars to greater effect. As much engineering these cars have been though, each vehicle still retains the characteristics that make it a Porsche. And that is a really good thing.

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