Blown Away

There are cars, and then there are special cars. You come across cars of the special kind, chances are you’ll never forget them. I know I’ll remember the second generation Porsche 911 Carrera 4 forever – because it touched me on an existential level. Well, sort of. It reminded me why I love cars in the first place. And why nine out of ten blokes who get to know me for the first time think that I have the coolest job in the world. Now, I don’t know about having the coolest job in the world. I mean I’d maim to do what U2’s Bono does for a living: write songs and save the world along the way, but this much I know, without a doubt, the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 is the ultimate everyday supercar. Here’s why…

Apart from the stunning looks, which are a given, the second generation of the current 997 Carrera 4 model series features three new components which up the ante where driver satisfaction is concerned. The car‘s three new key components are the power unit, the gearbox and the power distribution system.

The new Carrera 4 is blessed with all new engines. The Carrera 4 features a 3.6-liter powerplant and the Carrera 4S packs an even meaner 3.8-liter powerplant. Both engines are some six kilograms lighter than the their predecessors and with the benefit of Direct Fuel Injection, can now accelerate at an even faster pace. The Carrera 4S is even capable of going 0-100 km/h in a mere 4.3 seconds – almost as fast as the 911 Turbo of the 996 model it replaces.

We’re not pulling this from any fancy Porsche manual, mind you. We drove the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S in the Michelin Driving Center in Gross-Dolln, some 60 kilometers north of Berlin. And we drove the cars hard. In one exercise, which was meant to highlight the new 911’s amazing acceleration and braking prowess, we accelerated to past the 250 km/h mark through a 1.7 kilometer stretch before grinding to a complete halt in around 250 meters. The entire exercise lasted for around 12 seconds. But that’s 12 seconds of adrenaline rushing out of our bodies from every pore imaginable. It was simply exhilarating. (Yes, I was jumping for joy like a little kid on a sugar high the moment I stepped out of the car.)

Now, this exercise, aptly called “launch control”, also highlighted the new Porsche’s second new key component, it’s gearbox. The gearbox’s ultimate highlight is the Porsche Doppelkupplungstriebe (love that word!), or PDK. What it is is a double clutch system that alternately connects one of two available gearbox units with the car’s engine. This ensures the steady, consistent and uninterrupted flow of power, making acceleration more efficient than ever. Imagine, with one clutch system opening up to shift gears, the other system already engages the next gear which is pre-selected in advance. The car literally assists you in making its acceleration even smoother. In all honesty, what we did during the exercise was simply floor both brake and gas pedals, release the brake once the tachometer hit 6500 rpm, race to 250 km/h in a straight line, then slam on the brakes once we sped past 250 km/h. The car did all the thinking – and shifting – for us. It was a truly amazing display of technology and superior engineering at work.

The third key component that was highlighted during our test drives was the power distribution system, the highlight of which is the Porsche Traction Management system, or PTM. PTM actively controls the distribution of power between the car’s front and rear axles. PTM intervenes whenever necessary – even before any of the 911’s wheels begin to lose grip. As such, the car will literally “catch” you should you lose control out on the road.

To demonstrate this system’s effectiveness, we were tasked to drive through a very wet and very slick slalom course – with and without assistance from PTM. Naturally, without PTM, 90 percent of the cars flew into directions you’d never want a Porsche to go to out in real world circumstances. With the mere flick of the PTM switch, however, we were suddenly driving like seasoned pros (which many of us were, by the way – just goes to show how big an assist the PTM system is). After all was said and done, our now power-overindulged group was made to drive alongside our Porsche Driving School instructors in a race track. With at least some level of proficiency, we drove the cars so hard, many were complaining of body pains the next day. But, really, we were little boys in real men’s cars. What did anyone expect?

So…going back to my original premise. The new Porsche 911 Carrera 4 blew us away so much that it‘s not going into the backburner of this writer’s memories any time soon. In fact, I’d say I won’t even forget how smoothly it drove out on the streets of rural East Germany – which we drove before and after our hard exercises. If anything, the most pleasant surprise, we found, was that the new Porsche 911 Carrera 4 is not just a monster out on the race track, it can be a very comfortable touring car as well.

What’s that? Do I sound like I was a bit overwhelmed to even find anything wrong with the car? Now hear this. There is one thing really wrong with the new Porsche 911 Carrera 4. It’s just too hard to keep under the speed limit – especially in the stretches of the Autobahn where there actually is a speed limit. The car is simply too responsive, too obedient, too willing to just keep pouring it on to be treated with kid gloves. It’s the kind of car that’s reserved for a privileged few, that’s for sure. And those few…them we can all envy.