Porsche 911 Cabriolet 2012 Review

Porsche 911 Cabriolet

What we liked:
>> More performance, less thirst
>> Bigger, stiffer but lighter body
>> First folding hard-top also makes 911 Cab the best looking yet

Not so much:
>> Electric steering not as communicative as before
>> Sizeable price hike
>> Winter release timing couldn’t be worse

Like the 991-series coupe – which rides on only the third all-new 911 platform in 48 years – Porsche’s latest soft-top flagship is based on completely new underpinnings and powered by upgraded flat-six engines that, together, make the 2012 cabrio bigger, more rigid and better equipped yet lighter, as well as more powerful yet more efficient.

It achieves these engineering double-acts chiefly via an all-new alloy-steel hybrid body construction, up to 44 per cent of which is now aluminium, which reverses the trend of six previous 911 generations by stepping size and safety while also reducing in weight. As standard specifications levels and crash safety requirements increased, every new 911 chassis since the 901-series original of 1964 has gained up to 25kg of weight, but the 991-series’ body-in-white continues to add spec and safety while being 25kg lighter than the 997 Series II it replaces, at 250kg.

To the Mk7 911 coupe formula the 991-series cabrio adds Porsche’s first folding hard-top roof, concealed under a fabric outer skin that stays true to the fixed-roof model’s silhouette, giving it the most coupe-like profile yet seen on a 911 Cabriolet. Its predecessor’s optional hard-top is no longer available, but the latest 911 cabrio’s quieter, more secure new magnesium and aluminium roof system opens and closes at push of a button in 13 seconds at speeds of up to 50km/h. It also now comes standard with an automatic wind deflector to reduce cabin buffeting, rather.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

Once again the open-top 911 line-up opens with the 3.4-litre Carrera Cabriolet, which is now priced at $255,100 (plus on-road costs) in new seven-speed manual guise, while the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic version costs an extra $5950 at $261,050 plus ORCs. The more powerful 3.8-litre 911 Carrera S Cabriolet manual is priced from $288,300, with the automatic costing $294,250.

Apart from a host of mechanical upgrades, the cabrio now comes standard with a new seven-inch colour-touch-screen infotainment system with satellite-navigation, single-CD/MP3 player and auxiliary input in the glovebox. There is also a new 4.6-inch high-resolution TFT display for all navigation and trip computer functions, while other new standard equipment includes driving light assistant with automatic welcome home function, dual-zone climate-control, Galvano silver interior highlights, an automatic wind deflector and new open and closed storage compartments on the rising Panamera-style centre console.

Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV, which distributes torque across the rear axle by braking and includes a mechanical rear differential lock) is now standard on the Cabriolet S and optional on the base model, while Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM, including 10mm lower ride height, electronic damper control and manually selectable Standard and Sport modes) continues to be so.

All 911s are more handsomely specified as standard in Australia, where the 911 Carrera coupe and cabriolet ride on 19-inch wheels but can be had with 20-inch Carrera S alloys for an extra $5890. The bi-modal sports exhaust system adds a further 3390 to the cost of both models.

The self-levelling Porsche Dynamic Light System (including washers and cornering lights) is a new option for all 911 Cabriolets, while the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) variable anti-roll bar system is now an option for the Cabriolet S.

Yellow joins white, red and black exterior colour options (with metallic paint remaining a no-cost option), while the Platinum grey, Luxor beige and Yachting blue interior colours are new and the all-new soft-top comes in red, brown, blue and black.

MECHANICAL

Like the existing 911 Turbo, all 911s now employ aluminium doors, as well as floors, bonnets, front wings and engine covers, meaning that only the roof, pillars and rear quarters remain steel. Had that not been the case, Porsche says more stringent safety standards and extra standard equipment would have boosted the 911’s weight by almost 60kg. As it stands, the new steel/alloy body construction saves 48kg, while the alloy doors sheds 14.5kg, the interior and suspension (featuring redesigned struts and wheel hubs) are both 5.5kg lighter, the electrical system weighs 2kg less and each upgraded engine is some 10kg lighter.

The result is that while the base 911 Carrera manual coupe has a DIN kerb weight of just 1380kg (1400kg auto) and the Carrera S Coupe weighs 1395kg (1415kg auto – down from 1455kg for the equivalent 997-series model it replaces), the entry-level 911 Cabriolet is also 40kg lighter than before at 1450kg (1470kg auto), with the Carrera S Cabriolet bringing a similar mass reduction at 1465kg (1485kg auto).

The bigger but lighter body helps make both engine variants more fuel efficient, despite the fact both deliver more power. Downsized from 3.6 litres, the 3.4-litre Carrera now offers 257kW (up 3kW) and an unchanged 390Nm of torque, yet consumes 0.2 litres less fuel per 100km at 9.2L/100km in manual form (8.4L/100km auto). Similarly, the 3.8-litre Carrera S Cabriolet now develops 294kW (up 11kW) and 440Nm (up 20Nm), despite returning 9.7L/100km as a manual (8.9L/100km auto – 15 per cent less than before), thanks to a 700rpm-higher (7800rpm) cut-out, revised VarioCam and direct-injection systems, improved airflow, an on-demand oil pump and a lighter billet (instead of cast) camshaft.

Porsche admits the 3.4 delivers less midrange torque than the 3.6 it replaces, but points out that despite being fitted with the same 3.444:1 final drive ratio the entry-level Carrera cab is still quicker than before, with 0-100km/h acceleration in five seconds, reducing to 4.8 seconds as an auto and 4.6 seconds in optional Sport Plus mode with launch control. Likewise, the S Cabriolet now sprints to national highway limit in 4.7 seconds (manual), 4.5 seconds (auto) and 4.3 seconds (with launch control).

Also reducing consumption is idle-stop technology as standard for both the seven-speed PDK auto and the world’s first seven-speed manual transmission, which is essentially a manual version of the PDK auto with a single dry clutch. It reduces engine speeds in top gear by some 19 per cent, delivers its 286km/h and 301km/h (S) top speeds in sixth gear (which is also over-driven), is claimed to offer better shift feel and requires fifth or sixth gears to be used before seventh can be selected. The revised PDK gearbox, meantime, now incorporates a ‘coasting’ function and is said to adapt more quickly to driving styles and offer quicker throttle response, especially in Sport mode.

The automatic stop-start system is claimed to save 0.6L/100km, while also aiding fuel economy is a new thermal management system (saving 0.2L/100km), lower rolling resistance (0.1L/100km) and, not least, the 911’s first electro-hydraulic steering system. The motor-driven steering rack is said to save 0.1L/100km because it eliminates the engine drag of traditional hydraulic power steering systems, which need to be most efficient at low road speeds and are therefore overdriven at high engine speeds, wasting energy.

As with the coupe, the cabrio continues to be available with the $4790 Sport Chrono package, which again includes a dash-top lap timer, a Sport Plus button that liberates more aggressive PDCC and PDK functions, among others, and the all-important launch control, but now also includes the same dynamic engine-mount system – which firms up in Sport and Sport Plus mode to increase cornering performance at the expense of vibration – first introduced with the 997 MkII GT3 and Turbo.

The new 911 S Cabriolet also comes with larger 340mm front brake discs gripped by six-piston callipers, while the entry-level Carrera retains 330mm rotors and four-piston callipers at both ends and the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake option continues to feature four 350mm cross-drilled ceramic discs with six-piston front and four-piston rear callipers.

PACKAGING

SAFETY

COMPETITORS

ON THE ROAD

It would be easy to gloss over the cabrio’s extensive mechanical upgrades given they’ve all been seen before in the coupe, but kerb weight reductions of up to 40kg and fuel consumption decreases of up to 1.5L/100km – in a vehicle that rides on a 100mm longer wheelbase, is up to 20 per cent stiffer, meets more stringent crash safety legislation, comes with more standard equipment and is quicker, faster and more powerful than before – cannot be understated.

Yes, Porsche could have rested on its laurels and reskinned the 997 Series II 911, which was no slouch in any of these areas and so far this year continues to command a dominant 25 per cent share of Australia’s top-shelf sportscar segment.

But instead it has delivered a top-end super-convertible that steps further ahead of its direct rivals in all key areas, by riding on the same significantly larger footprint as the coupe, which also donates its cleaner yet more powerful flat six engines and smarter transmissions.

Yes, the price of this privilege is an extra $10,000 at base level and, yes, the 911 Cabrio employs the same new electric steering system we expressed mixed feelings for after the global 991 coupe launch in California earlier this year, but after a full day’s driving at Eastern Creek’s newly reconfigured Sydney Motorsport Park circuit this week, we can confirm the open-top 911 has an even broader performance envelop than before.

Porsche is right to claim it has eliminated the unnecessary feedback or ‘white noise’ associated with all super-communicative steering systems in its quest for greater efficiency via electric steering, making both the more formidable ability of both the 911 coupe and convertible far more accessible to more drivers than ever, even if 911 purists like us lament the loss of one of the iconic model’s most characteristic driving experiences.

Like the coupe, the new 911 Cab offers all the steering response and precision of its forebear without any of the fuss, making it easier to drive more quickly but slightly less involving. But the bigger, stiffer new body’s greater level of mechanical grip and stability more than compensate for this and the flagship Porsche convertible’s lauded chassis balance and poise remain undiluted, while its new Panamera-style interior reinforces the impression this is the most mature open-top 911 ever.

The 911 has always been one of the few open-top sportscars to feel as rigid as the coupe upon which it’s based and the latest model is no exception, with nary a hint of body flex or scuttle shake evident even at speed over the nastiest of Eastern Creek’s ripple strips. As before, however, the cab befits its intended audience by riding on slightly softer suspension tune than the coupe, which keels over slightly less during hard cornering.

The status quo between the base cabrio and the Carrera S also remains, with the latter punching noticeably harder off the line and out of corners, as well as requiring fifth gear on the main straight while the 3.4 arrived at turn one still in fourth. 

However, as good as Porsche’s automated manual gearbox is (especially with the optional SportDesign steering wheel, which adds larger gearshift pull-paddles mounted behind the rim), we’d settle for the cheapest Carrera manual, which at $255K offers one of the most intoxicating open-top driving experiences money can buy - at least this side of the closely related new Boxster S.

Head to motoring.com.au for more Porsche 911 Cabriolet photos

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