DRIVEN: Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S sampled in the wine region of Lower Austria

CabrioCoupeWeb

I understand if you can’t tell the difference but trust me when I say that this is the all-wheel drive Porsche 911 Carrera launched sometime back in August. That’s right, this isn’t the rear-wheel drive car – it is the one that runs with all paws on the ground.

Unconvinced? When I first set eyes on it in Austria, where the media drive was held, I thought the same. The most obvious visual cue is the tail light ribbon that runs east to west, bridging the gap between the skinny tail lights. And if your eyes are acute enough, you’ll also note that the all-wheel drive 911 adds 22 mm to the wheel arches and 10 mm to the tyres. Which effectively increases the rear track width of the Carrera 4 by 42 mm and 36 mm on the Carrera 4S.

The bodywork has also been reworked albeit ever so slightly. From the side, it’s the black recessed sill panels that make the difference. The nose, especially in the air intakes, now wears sleeker lateral screens.

Cabrio-04

Open the doors and you’ll find there isn’t much to differentiate between the RWD and the AWD models. It’s all the same – wrapped in skin and accentuated with metal, with plenty of options to customise your 911. Importantly, every car that rolls out of Zuffenhausen will smell of luxury.

The only major difference, and this one is mainly for the tech geeks, is the graphics that display in real-time where the Porsche Traction Management (PTM) is sending the torque to. By the way, PTM is Porsche’s way of saying four-wheel drive, much like how xDrive is to BMW and 4Matic is to Mercedes-Benz.

Interior-05

Another new gizmo, if you can call it that, is the optional Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Porsche Active Safe (PAS). In a nutshell, the 911 can now stop and start itself in traffic with the ACC. While the PAS uses the front radar to alert the driver of impending collisions with light and sound, and full braking if the driver’s reaction time is slower than a snail. This has to be part of Porsche’s customer retention programme.

Let’s get back to the PTM. Situation normal, the 911 sends 99 percent of torque to the rear axle and down to the back wheels, which makes the car drive like its two-wheel drive counterpart. Hit a patch of black ice, or an oily-wet road (which is more relevant to us), and the multi-plate clutch sends the twist into places where traction is needed the most.

And it accomplishes the transfer so smooth and quick that by the time you suck in your breath, and hope you don’t become part of the landscape, the car would have already done the math. The computer will graze the brakes on some wheels and pass the torque to the other wheels to keep the car honest to the electromechanical steering. In very extreme situations, the 911 becomes 100% front-wheel driven.

Coupe 06

Safety aspects aside, the PTM also gives the 911 the ability to carry more speed into the bends. It lets you brake a little later and power out of the corner a little earlier. This also means that you can be braver and a little faster, especially when you throw the car around the narrow and twisting roads that connect one remote village to another. The nose does not twitch unlike the rear-wheel drive counterpart, which makes it easier to drive closer to the limits. Unexpected hints of understeer do creep up now and then, but only if you deliberately unsettle the car.

Don’t be fooled though. This is still a 911 and the engine is still at the back. So let this be a fair bit of warning: drive it like an overzealous monkey and you will exit the corner tail first and tucked between your legs in spite of the car’s best efforts. The ‘slow in, fast, out’ philosophy is still very much applicable – it is still a Porsche and must be treated as such.

Two engines are offered – you know them – the flat-six in 3.4 litre and 3.8 litre guises. The 3.4 litre gives out 350 hp and 390 Nm; the 3.8 litre has 400 hp and 440 Nm on tap. In both cases, the engine deletes the 50 kg weight penalty incurred by the all-wheel drive system.

Both engines can be paired with the seven-speed manual or the PDK. The PDK is, without a doubt, faster than the manual clocking in a 0-100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds. Although the seven-speeder is slower by 0.2 seconds and lacks the rapid-fire shifting that only a well-oiled machine can achieve. Yet, I’d go for the stick shifter; there’s an unexplainable fizzy-buzzy sensation every time I move through all seven forward ratios.

Coupe-02

Perhaps, here’s another reason to go with the manual – double declutching. It piggybacks with the Sport Chrono Package (which shaves off 0.2 seconds more from the century sprint time) and not available with the PDK. Downshift and the engine blips and the exhaust brurp-brurps, and the acceleration seconds after is explosive. Did I also mention it makes you feel like a driving hero? Double declutching: it does great things to the ego.

You can have the Carrera 4 and 4S in coupe and cabriolet body styles. The cabrio has a soft top that, when closed, retains a shape similar to the coupe, which also lets the cabrio retain the coupe’s aerodynamic benefits. One more thing: having the top down is the best way to listen to the glorious noise the boxer makes.

Cabrio-06

It is speedy too, the roof, taking only 13 seconds to fold or unfold. And since it’s a soft top, which means you don’t need to stop and put it up, the roof is operable up to speeds of 50 km/h.

So, this new iteration of the 911 Carrera is easier to handle and safer to drive. However, as the PTM takes away some of the nervousness, it also takes away some of the brilliance that made the 911 Carrera great. A contradiction, I know, but take nothing away the fact that the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S remain great cars to drive.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Chris Ng

Chris Ng believes that all cars are made equal, and each one has its own unique story to tell. As such, the ex-advertising man is here doing what he truly loves, which is authoring the allegories and anecdotes of automobiles. Having served time in a motoring mag, he believes there's nothing more sublime than keeping the pedal floored and things burbling in top gear.

 

Comments

  • Sam Loo on Dec 28, 2012 at 10:22 pm

    Meh…. RV will drop like shit

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 28
    • Kalun on Dec 29, 2012 at 8:27 am

      Then buy the limited edition one la!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • Meh….Atleast some people can have the luxury of driving a sports car and the premium brand not like someone who knows only Rv in his vocabulary……if they have the money to buy these brands….they have tons of money…..why need waste time think about Rv…..douschebag

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 1
    • Jimmy on Dec 29, 2012 at 10:07 pm

      I hope one day this gentleman will grow mature when he earns millions and stops seeking attention by creating an icon for himself.
      Those who will buy luxurious vehicles will buy anyway, as long as he suka, those who will not buy will not.
      Instead of a semi-D of RM3Mil, if you stay in a bungalow worth RM8Mil, how much you lose per month?
      Even if a 5L car at RM1.2Mil has 100% resale value after 5 years, how much the owner lose per month?
      RV? What are you talking about in luxurious car pages? Does it sound intelligent?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 1
    • sam loo cousin on Dec 30, 2012 at 9:55 am

      Sam Loo i suggest you advise them about fuel consumption too lah. This car cannot get 13km/l in traffic jam like vios lah

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • vietcong on Dec 30, 2012 at 10:22 am

      you kidding right? have you seen the ridiculous prices the used porsches are having in the market?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Jimmy on Dec 28, 2012 at 10:28 pm

    Somehow I just like the look of Porsche sports cars, authentic if you like.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 1
    • Speeder on Dec 29, 2012 at 3:42 pm

      The current design is very well done. It has subtle aggressiveness while appearing pleasant enough to kids and older members of your family.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • My dream car, the 911 Carrera S. No need 4WD.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • skyrim on Dec 29, 2012 at 8:28 am

    Now this is THE CAR!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Dear writer. Kindly don’t confuse ‘double-declutching’ with ‘heel n toe’ driving.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 1
    • Yups. Double-declutching can be done while up-shifting or down-shifting while the heel-and-toe is only done during downshifting while braking.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • works on Dec 29, 2012 at 11:06 am

    “PTM is Porsche’s way of saying four-wheel drive, much like how xDrive is to BMW and 4Motion is to Mercedes-Benz.”

    4motion is for volkswagen, 4matic is for mercedes benz…correct me if i’m wrong…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • Chris Ng (Member) on Dec 30, 2012 at 2:01 am

      You’re absolutely correct. Thanks for the spot.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • yuhuu on Dec 29, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    Iphone 4 and Iphone 4s.. lalalalala~~~~

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
  • How does the shift-pattern of the seven-speed manual look like?

    R-1, 2-3. 4-5, 6-7?
    or
    R, 1-2. 3-4, 5-6. 7?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • The second one, R, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7. And to avoid mis-shifting during ‘spirited driving’, the 7th can only be engaged from the 5-6 row. So you will never hit 7th when you want to shift from 4th to 5th. Clever stuff.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Thanks! I read somewhere that Ferrari (or was it Lamborghini?) has “R-1” in one row, making it somehow difficult to change from first to second gear during quick acceleration.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
        • I never seen that kind of positioning in Ferrari or Lambo. Or maybe there is, in any 1970-1990s model that i don’t know. But the R-1 in one row usually found in old cars, vans and trucks if i’m not mistaken.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • Mercedes 190E.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • Mr. “Name” is right, the Mercedes 190E-2.5-16-EVO-II had R-1 in one row:
            http://i.auto-bild.de/ir_img/7/2/3/8/8/2/Mercedes-190-E-2-5-16-EVO-II-729×486-a7fa8ab8183bef56.jpg
            And you’re right too, the EVOII was sold in 1990 only, it’s an old car.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • shawal on Dec 29, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    saw 1 in KL the other day , what a beauty ….and manly tears was shed…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
  • shawal on Dec 29, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    nicely written article too!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • vee-oh on Dec 30, 2012 at 12:28 am

    beautiful & macho at the same time..especially from rear

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
    • gayboy on Dec 30, 2012 at 8:34 am

      yup..u like to take it from the ‘rear’ dont u…hahahahah..fag

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 6
  • Sam loo on Dec 30, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    RV….RV….. It’s all about the resale value. Use after 5 years no syok d must get the latest gen.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • memang lah cantik, padanlah ngan harga..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • shafik on Jan 11, 2013 at 11:20 pm

    isn’t better to get the basic speedy car rather than having such a waste buy for a porsche ???

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

Add a comment

required

required