New Porsche 911 goes wide-body

Porsche has revealed the first images – as well as full details and increased prices – of its new wide-bodied all-wheel drive 911 models.

Due in Australian showrooms in the first quarter of next year following its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in September, the new Carrera 4 line-up brings all the upgrades realised by the redesigned 991-series 911, which was released as just the third all-new 911 here in March.

Reflecting the standard rear-wheel drive 911 coupe and cabriolet’s price increases, the entry-level 911 Carrera 4 Coupe manual will cost $255,400 plus on-road costs - $14,200 more than the 991-series version it replaces ($241,200) – meaning Porsche Cars Australia now charges a $25,500 premium for all-wheel drive in its 911 (up from $18,200).

Similarly, the more powerful 911 Carrera 4S Coupe manual now costs $289,400 (up $18,400), while the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet manual is priced at $280,900 (up $17,400) and the S version now tops $300,000 at $315,000 - $21,600 more than before.

As with all new 911s, Porsche’s world-first seven-speed manual transmission is now standard across the range, while the company’s familiar seven-speed dual-clutch automatic PDK transmission costs an extra $5950 on all models.

As before, the AWD models are 44mm wider at the rear than the regular rear-drive 911 (which has a significantly larger footprint than before, making this the widest ever Carrera 4), although the rear wheel-arches aren’t as wildly flared as in some previous C4s – most notably the 993-series 911.

Replacing an AWD model series that attracted some 24,000 buyers since 2008, accounting for a substantial 34 per cent of the previous 997-series 911 range, the latest Carrera 4will also bring new technologies in the form of an optional radar-based active cruise control system.

In PDK automatic models the system also includes an emergency braking function dubbed Porsche Active Safe (PAS), which can automatically apply the brakes to avoid potential front-end collision, and there's also a new screen that displays the all-wheel-drive system’s real-time torque distribution.

Other new features for the latest Carrera 4 family, which also comes with 10mm-wider rear tyres, include the option of a new sliding glass sunroof on the coupe and, for all PDK versions, a new Sport Plus mode that automatically double-declutches (blips the throttle) during downshifts.

Cosmetically, the new Carrera 4 and 4S both feature a new red light strip between the tail-lights, which is designed to accentuate the fat-bodied models’ extra rear-end width.

Of course, the new C4s also benefit from weight reductions of up to 65kg, although the extra rear width and AWD system once again results in weight increases of between 50kg (coupe) and 110kg (cabriolet) over the equivalent Carrera 2 models.

Naturally, the base Carrera 4 employs the same 257kW/390Nm engine as the standard Carrera, which is slightly quicker than before despite downsizing to a 3.4-litre flat six. Same goes for the new Carrera 4 PDK, which is a tenth of a second slower to 100km/h at 4.5 seconds but 13 per cent more fuel efficient than its predecessor, at 8.6L/100km (was 9.9L/100km).

Likewise, the new Carrera 4 Cabriolet PDK sprints to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds (0.1 seconds slower than the rear-drive Carrera Cab), and consumes a combined average of 8.7L/100km – down some 14 per cent from 10.1L/100km.

Finally, the 294kW/440Nm 3.8-litre Carrera 4S Coupe now sprints to 100km/h in just 4.1 seconds and has a claimed top speed of 299km/h (making it as quick as the rear-drive Carrera S), while fuel consumption drops to 9.1L/100km in PDK form (down 11 per cent from 10.3L/100km). The Carrera 4S Cabriolet, meantime, can hit 100km/h in 4.3 seconds and consumes 9.2L/100km – down 12 per cent.