Porsche 911 Carrera S 2012 Review

Porsche 911 Carrera S

Playing around with the key ingredients of such a vitally important model was fraught with peril. Getting this model wrong could confine the entire brand to the pages of history once and for all. But fortunately an extensive redesign and significant mechanical improvements ensure the 991-series Carrera S is faster, better handling, more powerful and ecologically friendlier than even we expected.

Okay, so you’re still going to pay plenty for your new 911, but considering the increase in technology offered, the price hike is as relative as it is marginal. Porsche said that retaining the four brand pillars of Emotion, Performance, Efficiency and Design were key to making the new 911 a success. And after just a few short hours behind the wheel we discovered each of these elements makes its presence known with outstanding effect.

PRICE & EQUIPMENT
-- More bling means more cah-ching
Just one variety of 911 was available to sample at the Australian launch, the 3.8-litre Carrera S Coupe with PDK (Porsche Doppel Kupplungsgetriebe) seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Starting at $263,100 for the seven-speed manual S, Porsche’s nifty “automatic” adds a $5950 premium to the list price. Our Carrara White [no, that’s not a typo] test vehicle was also optioned with an electrically operated tilt and slide sunroof ($3890), dynamic headlamps ($1690), tyre pressure monitoring ($1590), heated seats ($1050), parking sensors ($890) and SportDesign 20-inch alloys ($890).

We could spend the rest of this review listing the options and pricing available for the new 911, but we won’t. Adding only that the popular Sports Chrono Pack is $4790, Sports Exhaust is $5890, Ceramic Brakes $19,690 and Porsche’s Dynamic Chassis Control is $7690. Adaptive dampers and Porsche Torque Vectoring are standard fare on Carrera S this time round.

Other standard equipment includes Bluetooth telephony, idle stop-start, sat nav, 20-inch alloys, cruise control, BOSE audio package with seven inch touchscreen, dual-zone climate control, LED tail lamps, and auto bi-xenon headlamps.

The counterintuitive push-pull transmission shifters from the 997-gen cars are offered on the steering wheel as standard with proper paddle-style shifters available only in conjunction with the no-cost option SportDesign steering wheel. Why Porsche wouldn't tick this box for all Australian-delivery 911s is beyond us.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the “standard” 3.4-litre Carrera will be priced from $229,900 for the seven-speed manual or $235,800 with PDK.

MECHANICAL

The snapshot is that the new 991-series Carrera twins feature engines evolved from those that joined the 997-series late in its lifecycle. The horizontally-opposed (or flat) six-cylinder engine now displaces 3.4 litres in Carrera (down from 3.6 litres) and 3.8 litres in Carrera S (unchanged).

Improved thermal management, a clever electrical recuperation system, idle stop-start, recalibrated fuel-injection, an on-demand oil pump, lighter valve gear, reprofiled camshafts, an increased redline allowance and changes to the way the engine breathes have all played a part in not only extracting more power from the powerplant, but in also significantly bettering its environmental credentials.

Output for the S is rated at 294kW at 7400rpm and 440Nm at 5600rpm -- an 11kW/20Nm improvement over the exiting model.

The mid-rear mounted/rear-drive orientation is, of course, retained. The 911 is suspended by a MacPherson sturt (front) / multi-link independent (rear) arrangement coupled to dynamic anti-roll bars and adjustable dampers.

Drive is maintained via a fully variable locking differential on PDK-equipped Carrera S. The system is capable of splitting torque by as much as 22 per cent, effectively braking the inside wheel to aid cornering. In the variant tested, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission handled cog swaps. It is equipped not only with close ratios for increased performance, but a clever coasting function that drops the engine to idle to save fuel off-throttle.

Controversially, electrically-assisted power steering has been adopted in the new 911. The rack and pinion arrangement features a “helper motor” to retain the feedback necessary (and wanted) to the driver, while also offering a higher level of assistance at maneuvering speeds.

Braking is handled by 340mm cross-drilled discs fore and 330mm discs aft. These are grabbed by six-pot and four-pot monobloc calipers respectively and hide beneath 20-inch alloys measuring 8.5 inches in width at the front and 11 at the rear.

Porsche 911 is shod with 245/35 front and 295/30 rear rubber.

In spite of the extra distance between the axles, Porsche says the cabin space is unchanged. The engine bay is bigger, the body growing in length not only to cater for aerodynamic improvements (note the rake on the windscreen), but to allow more space in the engine bay should it be required later in the model’s life.

The interior is still a 2+2 proposition, and storage limited. Oddment storage is marginal, but the glovebox and centre bin are adequate for the car’s intended purpose. A pair of cupholders deploys neatly from above the glovebox, but flop annoyingly from side-to-side in bends.

The seats are lower set than before in recompense for the lower roofline, though the sunroof now slides externally to liberate valuable millimeters [it’s worth mentioning that the rear spoiler angle changes when the sunroof is opened to maintain drag, simple and clever].

The centre console takes on a Carrera GT portico, rising to meet the centre stack and also housing the subwoofer. A concise array of buttons sit both here and below a colour screen in the centre stack, controlling HVAC and infotainment amenities.

The braking system is bolstered by antilock electronics, brake assist and a clever pre-filling system for improved reaction under duress. Stability and traction control (which we might add is switchable through three modes) is also included, as is an electric parking brake. Porsche says it will generate 0.8g of braking if activated in an emergency.

Carrera’s body uses a mixture of aluminium and varying grade steels for greater strength. The doors comprise POSIP (Porsche Side Impact Protection System) including side impact beams for improved resistance to lateral intrusion.

Front and rear ends are deformable with both bumpers mounted on impact absorbers to take the jolt out of low speed collisions.

Seat belts are all of the three point variety, the front pews adding pyrotechnic pretensioners and anti-whiplash head restraints. Two full-size (front) airbags are also offered as standard. There are also chest airbags incorporated into the seats and door-mounted head-protecting airbags.

The British bad boy can’t hope to compete with the nimble German hooligan in terms of outright grip. It’s also slower and thirstier, despite offering 27kW/50Nm more output -- and two additional cylinders. Of course, styling is subjective, and the old-school ambience of the Aston’s cabin is something to behold, but in terms of bang for your buck, Carrera S has it licked.

Fellow countryman and Volkswagen Group relation Audi really pulled one out of the hat with R8. Distinctively styled and with a personality only a mother could love, R8’s eight-cylinder engine is less fuel efficient than the 911 and offers 10Nm less torque, despite adding 22 extra kilowatts to the cause. Acceleration is slower than both Carrera S and V8 Vantage S, but V8 fans will adore the engine note [I know I do] and daily drivability.

Then there’s the new(ish) kid on the block: Nissan GT-R. Billed as Japan’s answer to everything, Godzilla offers all-paw grip, more power (+96kW), more torque (+172Nm) and, arguably, more technology.

Despite being less fuel efficient, it is cheaper by more than $100,000 [that’s a lot of petrol]. Oh, did we mention it outguns Carrera S to 100km/h by a lazy second? [Ed: Porsche of course, vehemently maintains GT-R is not a 911 competitor. Yeah. Sure…]

Steering reaction too is immediate, perfectly accurate and brilliantly weighted – the best electrically-assisted unit we’ve yet driven. The front end is crisp and communicates readily any slack between the rubber and the road. The moment the car is settled you can get on the throttle with confidence as Carrera S sprints from the apex -- too much and the car begins to oversteer, just as it should. It’s surprisingly well balanced considering the placement of its engine.

The tacho swings swiftly through a the sonorous midrange, all the while developing more and more speed. As revs increase, the cabin fills with an intoxicating guttural yowl that could only come from a well-tuned flat six.

Tapping through Porsche’s insistent PDK, gear changes are blisteringly quick. Not once did it make any clumsy false moves, disagreeing, or flaring when challenged.

Deceleration is equally impressive. The meaty discs provide Carrera S with rapid stopping power.

At cruising speeds Carrera S is quiet -- especially once the engine drops to idle in a fuel-saving 'coasting' mode. There’s an expected amount of road noise, but wind noise is quite literally nonexistent.

It’s rare to jump in a car and feel an instant connection, and though our time with Carrera S was [all too] brief, it left us wanting more.

The talkative chassis’ adept use of what felt like every last kilowatt, the car’s glove-like fit, and its quick witted reaction to every input prove beyond doubt two things.

One, Porsche has embraced change, and absolutely nailed the 911.

Two, we simply must have another drive.

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