Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Range
Porsche 911 enthusiasts are a curious bunch. Arguably, the best 911 you can buy will be a base model Carrera with rear wheel drive. In a strong colour like silver. With black leather.
Anything more than this is greeted as something of a guilty indulgence. Still, there are plenty of people looking to indulge themselves. Satisfying this desire for ever more capable 911s, Porsche turned to all-wheel drive platforms at the end of the eighties. The Carrera 4 models have proved reasonably popular ever since and the latest iteration looks set to boost sales still further.
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The fact that the super-focused turbocharged GT2 model junked the all-wheel drive layout in favour of the simpler rear-wheel drive set-up only added weight to their argument. What was needed was a more compelling reason to buy a Carrera 4 other than the rather nebulous claims regarding grip and traction that were often lost on hairy-chested Porsche 911 fans in any case. The latest 997-series take on the 911 Carrera 4 theme answers that particular question. Its fully 44mm wider at the rear, which means that the rear wheels of the Carrera 4 can be fitted with the 295/35 ZR18 tyres and the more powerful S model can wear huge 305/30 ZR19 rubberwear.
It also gives the back of the car some attitude that some would say was missing from the pure and pretty rear wheel drive Carrera. By comparison, the Carrera 4 looks hunkered down and squat. The all-wheel drive system features a multi-disc viscous coupling and transfers between five and ten per cent of drive permanently to the front wheels. Youll be able to feel the benefit of this additional traction when accelerating out of corners, especially if the surface is damp.
Whereas a Carrera will blink its traction control light at the driver as power is cut to the rear in an attempt to regain grip, the Carrera 4 will be able to balance power delivery to all four tyres and use more of its engine power.
"The Carrera 4 majors on capability. Proper Porsche fans should take note"
Power is something Carrera 4 owners will enjoy a fair slug of. This 911 still uses a flat six engine and its still hung out at the back but Carrera 4 buyers will get a 325bhp 3.6-litre powerplant and Carrera 4S customers will be treated to a 355bhp 3.8-litre unit.
The straight line performance of the Carrera 4 is nigh-on identical to that of the Carrera, the extra 6bhp being offset by the additional weight. Both standard models hit 60mph in 4.9 seconds although the Carrera has a 2mph top speed advantage at 177mph. The Carrera 4S is that little bit feistier, and takes a tenth or so out of the two-wheel drive Carrera to 60mph, recording a 4.
6 second figure and loses 2mph at the top end, pegged in this instance to 180mph. These figures are recorded in bone dry conditions. Add a bit of typical British moisture to the equation and the Carrera 4s advantage would widen significantly. Theres also very little performance penalty if you opt for the Cabriolet models.
The chassis has been thoroughly revised in the latest car with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) standard on the Carrera S. This system is built around specially designed Michelin Pilot sport tyres and Bilstein adaptive dampers that can be set in one of two modes, normal and sport. The sport mode also sharpens the throttle action. An optional sports chassis set up offers stiffer springs and dampers, a lower ride height and a more aggressive limited slip differential.
Thus equipped and with an experienced driver behind the wheel, the 997 Carrera S can run a lap of the Nurburgring in under 8 minutes, the true acid test of a supercar. Although the cabin of the 996 was a big leap forward in terms of fit and finish over the 993 series car, it was still prone to a few squeaks and rattles. The 997 takes its quality cue form the Cayenne 4x4 and features a three-spoke wheel and an in-dash LCD monitor. Some aspects are pure 993, however, such as the location of the air vents and the roll top along the upper dash.
Porsche know their history and so do their customers and the design of the 997s cabin pays homage to Porsches of the past. The quality of materials, however, is like no 911 built to date. Expensively slush-moulded fascia materials make a welcome change to the hard plastics seen in the 996 and its possible to specify leather trim. The front seats are bigger and the driver sits 20mm lower and theres a choice of four different seats depending on how racy you want to feel.
Another neat option is the dash top-mounted Porsche Sport Chrono, a stopwatch that can time laps. The Sport Chrono Plus pack is also offered on the Carrera 4 and modifies the engine management characteristics and also alters the control behaviour of the stability control and active suspension systems. With the launch of the smaller Cayman coupe looming large, perhaps Porsche felt they needed to put a bit of distance between the baby coupe and the 911. The Carrera 4 establishes just this distinction.
A more aggressive look and added capabilities are on offer and the prices havent swelled too drastically, the Carrera 4 opening at £62,930 and the 4S at £69,900. There are also glass-topped Targa versions on offer for £70,320 and £77,370 respectively. Next time a 911 bore intimates that your all-wheel drive Carrera isnt the definitive article, wait until it rains, then take him (for its a male thing) for a drive and listen to the hasty retraction.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Porsche 911 Carrera 4 range
PRICES: £62,930-£77,370 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20 CO2 [g/km] / EMISSIONS: 272-285g/km
PERFORMANCE: [Carrera 4S] 0-60mph 4.6s / Max Speed 180mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [Carrera 4] (combined) /25.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, ABS, PSM
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4427/1808/1354mm
