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Performance
Usability
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Readers' rating
By Georg Kacher
First Drives
22 January 2013 11:00
Wider rear wheelarches and a thin red light strip across the rump: that's all that distinguishes the new Porsche 911 Carrera 4S from its Carrera 2 stablemates. Time to find out if all-wheel drive makes the impressive 991 even better.
The latest example of the four-wheel drive 911, this wide body, wide track 991 C4S commands a £7000 premium over its two-wheel drive sister models. Porsche still uses two packs of wet multi-disc clutches to relay torque between the axles and the rear wheels – a compact and light set-up – and in normal operating conditions, the C4S drives only the rear wheels, so the 50kg weight penalty has little effect on fuel consumption.
Throw in a slippery surface, and the torque split will vary according to the calculations of Porsche’s Traction Management system (PTM). In an extreme situation, with the rear wheels on black ice and the fronts on dry Tarmac, the 911 will momentarily turn into a 100% front-drive car. You can provoke a torque shift to the front wheels by accelerating hard on slippery ground with ESP switched off – but as soon as the car turns in, PTM will adjust the torque flow so that it does not over-tax the lateral grip of the tyres. Clever, that.
It takes a winding uphill road with added rain, snow or gravel to really feel the advantage of the Carrera 4 over the 2, the former dispatching the oomph to the necessary wheels in a fluent, progressive way. You’d be thankful for it on the final 200 yards to the ski lift or on the bumpy trail to the beach. The optional PDK transmission is very quick, but the standard manual seven-speeder is a haptic delight, the ratios perfectly spaced for optimum grunt and economy.
A C4S drop-top with PDK would make a compelling four-seasons all-rounder and a near-supercar for half the price of a Bentley Continental GTC W12.
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Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (2013) CAR review
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CapScarlet says
RE: Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (2013) CAR review
Really? You seriously want to take 88,000 worth of car out regularly in the winter? Surely there are better single and two car solutions for vastly less money! I have TT-RS plus which does the job very nicely for half the money.
Really?
You seriously want to take 88,000 worth of car out regularly in the winter?
Surely there are better single and two car solutions for vastly less money!
I have TT-RS plus which does the job very nicely for half the money.
27 January 2013 11:31
Sam the Eagle says
@carmobster You make it sound like it is bad, according to all the reviews i've read so far. The fact that you don't like it is a different matter and the only answer to that is: tough. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in favour of too much electronics - far from. But I definitely like balanced comments, made in good faith.
@carmobster
You make it sound like it is bad, according to all the reviews i've read so far.
The fact that you don't like it is a different matter and the only answer to that is: tough.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not in favour of too much electronics - far from. But I definitely like balanced comments, made in good faith.
23 January 2013 19:44
carmobster says
It is horrible compared to 997 and 993 but in absolute terms as steering in modern cars in general no you can't call it horrible. But it is on par with BMW 6 series and Merc SL which ofcourse it shouldn't it should be on level with the Lotus Evora.
23 January 2013 17:22
@carmobster Thanks for confirming that the steering is not 'horrible'.
Thanks for confirming that the steering is not 'horrible'.
23 January 2013 14:11
@Sam the Eagle; well I had a test drive in one last year, great car and the steering was o.k. for a normal sportscar or any road car. But the whole point of the 911 was that the steering was epic, it had the right weight and the steering feel was what made you connect to the car. I had a 993 it was more spartan not vey comfortable but boy was it fun and the steering connected your boy to it. The 991 misses that connection, it is like going digital from analogue. It's all clean and perfect, but without the soul. Porsche 928GTS last production models and still considered to be a bit trailor trash but I am very tempted, very tempted!
@Sam the Eagle; well I had a test drive in one last year, great car and the steering was o.k. for a normal sportscar or any road car. But the whole point of the 911 was that the steering was epic, it had the right weight and the steering feel was what made you connect to the car. I had a 993 it was more spartan not vey comfortable but boy was it fun and the steering connected your boy to it.
The 991 misses that connection, it is like going digital from analogue. It's all clean and perfect, but without the soul.
Porsche 928GTS last production models and still considered to be a bit trailor trash but I am very tempted, very tempted!
23 January 2013 13:46
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