The new Porsche 911 combines impeccable handling with outstanding performance, says Tonio Darmanin.
For somebody passionate about cars, driving a Porsche 911 is always something special. Since it was first built in 1963, it has gained the status of an icon and the company has worked very hard over all these years to maintain this position by always evolving to embrace the changes necessary to remain relevant – but at the same time remining true to the values that customers have come to expect from this car.
I recently flew out to Athens to test drive the latest version of the 911. The previous seven generations collectively sold over one million vehicles with numbers increasing dramatically with the more recent models. As Mathias Hofstetter, director for the powertrain on this and other cars commented, a new generation 911 is always extremely challenging. If you change too much you will attract criticism, as you would if you change too little.
Apart from that, the development of this car started four years ago and at that stage, it would not have been clear how legislation and market forces would be influencing the industry. One of the major current disruptions in the industry is electrification and the team had to build-in the possibility of a hybrid version of this new 911. In fact, certain components such as the eight-speed gearbox are actually hybrid-ready but apparently a prototype for a hybrid version of the 911 weighed in at nearly two tonnes and the prospect of this ever going to production is less than likely.
The Porsche 911 is primarily about performance – so each new model bears the responsibility of claiming better figures than the outgoing one to ensure existing customers find a reason to upgrade and new customers are wowed away from competition. There are plenty of highlights in the all new Carrera S and Carrera 4S. The car is fitted with a 3.0-litre, flat-six twin turbo unit that produces 450bhp (+30bhp on the previous model), 530Nm of torque (+30 on the previous model), accelerates to 60mph for the two-wheel-drive version in 3.5 seconds (down to 3.3 seconds with Sports Chrono Package) and for the four-wheel-drive version in 3.4 sec (down to 3.2 sec with Sport Chrono Package). Top speed for the S is 308km/h while for the 4S, which is 50kg heavier, is 306km/h. The new 911 is five seconds faster than the outgoing car on the Nurburgring.
The new 911 is five seconds faster than the outgoing car on the Nurburgring
The new 911 retains the same wheelbase as its predecessor but the car is generally larger, particularly in width and is slightly heavier although it still offers superior power-to-weight ratios. For the first time, the 911 has 21-inch rear wheels which are larger than the 20-inch front ones. Styling-wise, the standard evolution approach sticking to the features that are essential to a 911 namely the grill-less bonnet sharply sloping forward well below the fenders featuring all new LED headlights and in this case, Porsche drew on the G series for design inspiration.
Looking at the 911 from above, the Coke-bottle silhouette is more evident as the front and rear with on both the S and the 4S and now as wide as the previous generation Turbo. Designers ensured that the sweeping line from the roof to the base of the C-pillar and back out to the fender balanced out proportions in relation to the height-to-width ratio to give the car a sporty, powerful stance.
The width at the rear of the 911 is emphasised by the full-length LED strip light and the high gloss black trim panel integrates with the rear screen to make it seem one complete thing. The vertical louvers incorporate an extremely stylish third break light and the bottom segment is actually a functional spoiler that rests in place at low speeds but rises automatically once certain speeds are reached.
All body panels are completely new and this is the first version of the 911 on which they are all made of aluminium. The most complicated segment was obviously the rear wheel-arch panel but the effort paid dividends in terms of weight savings.
The increased power comes from a number of factors including a new exhaust system with optional sport exhaust and a more efficient intercooling set-up. However increased power needs to be accompanied by driving dynamics that are capable of controlling it. This has been made possible through the revised chassis, performance breaks with a carbon-ceramic option, high-performance tyres and an upgraded steering system which also offers four-wheel steering.
The more innovative technology comes in the form of a standard mode. I had the opportunity to drive both cars on the road through some seriously scenic but also engaging coastal roads and a circuit. Here I could appreciate how the car adapts to the different driving modes and how it combines impeccable handling with outstanding performance.
The new feature that really got me was the wet mode. This utilises an acoustic recognition sensor in the front wheel arch to detect that you have moved onto a road that is wet or covered in snow. This immediately gives a signal to the driver to give them the opportunity to adapt the car accordingly and also activates a number of safety measures to neutralise the possibly uncontrollable effects of such circumstances. I tried this out on a wet segment on the track and I must admit, I have never experienced such an effective automated intervention.
The interior is very much what one would expect. It gets its inspiration for the F series primarily with the five-circle cluster and large, central rev counter. A well-positioned, high resolution 10.5-inch screen and an improved PCM communication management system.
Popular on the option list are the night vision assist, adaptive cruise control, LED Matrix headlights and obviously the sport chrono package.
I drove both the coupe and the cabrio versions of the Carrera S and the 4S. The cabrio’s canvas top is impressive in that from the inside, you hardly notice the difference from the coupe, even at speed. It opens gracefully in a few seconds at speeds up to 50km/h.
Hats off to Porsche once again. They started with a massive challenge to better a near perfect car and I must say, they succeeded.
