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Porsche 911 Carrera 4S road test report

Carrera 4S

Cars come and cars go, but not Porsche’s seemingly everlasting 911. First produced way back in 1964, the current ‘type 997’ version was launched some 40 years later, and with a minimum of 345bhp and four decades of constant development and refinement, the 911 remains the GT car to beat.

Road Test Reports Says 5 star rating
A front-facing image of the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S

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TOM SAYS

Performance Performance - 5 stars

I’ve tested quite a few 911s, but the most recent was a 6-speed manual 4S – the ‘4’ signifying 4-wheel drive with the ‘S’ meaning an extra 186cc and 40bhp, or 3,800cc and 381bhp in total. The claimed figures are 0-62mph in 4.8secs and a top speed of 186mph, and having seen an oh-so-easy 175mph on the speedo (abroad) I don’t dispute those figs for a moment, even though my test car was fitted with an optional (£8,000) power upgrade kit. More important is the 3.8’s impressive low-down torque, massive flexibility, sublime smoothness and linear power delivery coupled with a super-smooth gearchange (and clutch) and glorious exhaust note.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 5 stars

This is one fast car, but the 911’s chassis, steering and grip is more than up to the job. The ride quality at normal speeds errs just on the firm side of ‘absolute comfort’, but when the pace hots up then Porsche’s ultra sophisticated, two-program Active Suspension Management really comes into its own. The steering is perfectly weighted, has terrific feel and allows the car to be placed with pinpoint accuracy, so forget all that negativity about the 911 being rear-engined because for 99.99% of the time you’d never know, or care. Throw in a perfect driving position and the 911 is about as close as it gets to man (or woman) and machine in perfect harmony.

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 5 stars

Back in the early ‘90s the type 993 911 had lovely smelly leather, soft carpeting and an impressively solid build. The 996 which followed was at least as well built, but the plasticky interior was little different to the cheaper Boxster’s. Fortunately the 997 marked a return to the 993’s values, only with much better ergonomics and a far better designed and more luxurious interior. The doors close with a reassuring thunk, while the fit and finish everywhere is pretty much impossible to fault.

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 5 stars

At a little over £70,000, you’d rightly expect a lot, and you get it. The 911 has six airbags, including two double-stage full-size frontal airbags as well as Porsche’s Side Impact Protection system with a thorax airbag on the outer side of the front seat armrests and the first-ever head airbags in the doors. It almost goes without saying that there’s also Porsche Stability Management (Porsche’s ESP), plus sophisticated alarm and immobiliser systems.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 4 stars

As 186mph GT cars go, the 911 is pretty impressive. The small, 135-litre boot under the front bonnet is plenty big enough for a weekend hold-all plus a bit, but it’s the large, useable space behind the two front seats that separates the 911 from the crowd. The backs of the two rear children’s seats can fold flat (individually) which frees up enough luggage space on top for a week away for two, plus some now concealed loadspace under the rear seatbacks for smaller items. There are also door pockets, and even clever cup holders neatly concealed in the dash, if you can find them.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 4 stars

Although by no means inexpensive, the 997 911 is less demanding on the wallet to run than its predecessors. Service intervals are up from 12,000 miles to 18,000 miles, so given average annual mileage of 9,000 miles, this means less time at the dealer and 25% less regular maintenance over a four year period. Porsche has also worked hard to significantly reduce the cost of repair after minor bumps and accidents, while the combined mpg figure for the manual 3.8 4S is a very reasonable 27mpg. In short, the 911 is an automotive masterpiece and definitely the supercar I’d buy, though it would be the rear-drive 2S because I don’t drive in snow that often.

Submitted: 01/10/2008 10:17:06

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