Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S
We've just crowned the Porsche 911 Carrera S our 2012 Motor Trend Best Driver's Car, but you can be assured the engineers in Stuttgart (while no doubt delighted) aren't even remotely done. They're busy remixing "the best 911 yet." As with the 997-generation model before it, a parking lot full of 991 series variants are on the way, starting with the all-wheel drive 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S making their world debut at the 2012 Paris auto show. Other than the latest version of Porsche's all-wheel drive system, most of the other mechanical bits of the Carrera 4 and 4S are identical to that of the fantastic new 911, including the suspension, brakes, electromechanical steering, and flat-six engine out back. That means both cars will be powered by the same direct-injected flat-sixes used in the their rear-drive siblings, with the Carrera 4 getting a 3.4-liter engine rated at 350 hp and 287 lb-ft of torque and the 4S fitted with the 3.8-liter mill making 400 hp and 325 lb-ft. A seven-speed manual is standard transmission for both models, with Porsche's PDK seven-speed dual-clutch automatic available as an option. All told, the numbers represent a power boost of 5 and 15 hp respectively over the outgoing 4 and 4S models.
In addition to more horses, Porsche made sure the 991 Series 911 was also lighter. The automaker claims the new 4 and 4S are up to 143 pounds lighter depending on the equipment and body style (both will be offered as a coupe or convertible). Porsche claims the 4S coupe will accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds, a couple of ticks better than the outgoing car, although the automaker doesn't specify which transmission achieved that time. The PDK-equipped Carrera S coupe is also estimated at 4.1 seconds, although we recorded a 3.7-second time during the 2012 Best Driver's Car test runs. We expect to see the advantages of the Porsche Traction Management (PTM) system on our figure eight course. The rear-drive Carrera S posted an excellent time of 24.2 sec @ 0.84 g, we should see similar or better numbers from the all-wheel drive cars. The latest version of PTM will no doubt come in handy should you get too overzealous on your favorite canyon road.
Like the outgoing models, unique visual cues will include rear fenders widened by 0.87 inches each, pulled out to accommodate the wider rear tires (stretched by 0.4 inches). A red light bar is placed above the central 4 or 4S badges, and is flanked by the two slender taillights. Inside, a new menu can be found on the instrument cluster display, which shows how the PTM system is distributing power to the wheels. Additionally, Porsche is using the 4 and 4S to debut a few new upgrades that will also trickle down to the rear-drive 911s, including the automaker's adaptive cruise control system as part of its Porsche Active Safe suite of collision avoidance technologies (PDK models only). And models with the manual transmission and Sport Chrono pack also receive a new Sport Plus mode feature that automatically double-declutches on downshifts.After the latest 911 variants debut at next month's Paris auto show they're expected to reach U.S. showrooms in February.
The Carrera 4 will start at $91,980 for the coupe and $103,880 for the cabriolet (including $950 destination fee). The 4S coupe and convertible will begin at $106,580 and $118,480, respectively. So which new 911 variant can we expect next? We're not sure, but now that the all-wheel-drive foundation has been laid, it's only a matter of time before Porsche adds a turbo or three.
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