Short Take Road Test
Porsche's 911 is constantly undergoing a bacterium-like evolution that yields many different variations and growth. Now, comparing a 911 to bacteria might seem a tad uncouth, but we have put them up against Corvettes, so it's not entirely unprecedented. That's a joke - lighten up. In any case, life would be pretty unbearable without friendly bacteria, Corvettes, and 911s.
For 2005, rear-wheel-drive 911s received a freshening that left few aspects of the vehicle unmodified. The chassis, the powertrain, and the interior and exterior styling were all given a once-over. All-wheel-drive variants had to wait a year for the alterations, but they've now arrived, and the extra traction requires almost no sacrifice in performance.
The Carrera 4S we spent a couple of weeks with, wished we owned, wrote Santa about, and tested came equipped with the sweet-sounding 355-hp, 3.8-liter flat-six introduced in the 2005 Carrera S. A trip to the track revealed the 4S couldn't quite match the acceleration times of the two-wheel-drive model tested in November 2004 - 4.1 seconds to 60 mph versus 4.3 seconds for the 4S - but it did match the performance of the 911 Carrera S pitted against an Aston Martin V-8 Vantage ("Working Exotics," March 2006). The slightly slower times, compared with the faster Carrera S, could be due to the all-wheel-drive model's extra friction and 138 pounds, or it might just be due to production variation. One thing is certain, the 4S didn't suffer from the severe axle hop - rear tires slip and scramble for traction sending shudders throughout the car - that plagues two-wheel-drive 911s subjected to a hard launch. The all-wheel-drive system alleviates axle hop by sending up to 40 percent of the power to the front wheels. If you get in an argument about which accelerates faster, the rear-drive S or the 4S, fall back on the fact that the 4S doesn't lose as much of its accelerative capability when the road is wet or snow-covered.
Showing surrounding traffic that you've selected all-wheel drive are flared rear fenders that house wider tires. Carrera 4S's come standard with 305/30ZR-19 Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s on 19-inch wheels (the Carrera 4S pictured wears 18-inch wheels shod with snow tires; we tested on the standard 19-inch wheels and PS2s).
Perhaps it was the larger rear tires (unlikely), or maybe it was the more balanced weight distribution provided by the extra hardware up front, but skidpad grip was an internal-organ-crushing 0.99 g, slightly higher than the best figure (0.97 g) we've recorded in a Carrera S. As with the acceleration shortfall, it's unlikely you'd be able to detect the extra grip from behind the wheel. What you will sense is a confidence-inspiring chassis and steering that will make most other cars feel numb.
When asked to perform commuting duties, the Carrera 4S does an impressive job of not making one suffer for its lofty performance capabilities. Although road noise and the humming of the giant rear tires can be heard at highway speeds, the rest of the car coddles and never annoys. All Carrera 4S models come equipped with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), which softens impacts and keeps the ride pleasant, despite the rubber-band-like sidewalls. One of the primary complaints regarding our previous-generation 911 C4S long-termer was that the ride was unyielding to the point of being abusive. Miss the old suspension tuning? Simply press the PASM button or the sport button on the center console, and the track-ready rough ride returns.
Porsche 911s have never been bargain-priced, and the 4S is no exception. A base price of $87,895 gets you behind the wheel, but our tester wore a price tag of $99,075. We could probably do without the Sport Chrono package ($920), the Bose stereo ($1390), and the adaptive sport seats ($2695), but the handsome terracotta and black leather interior ($3795) made sitting behind the wheel even more pleasurable and almost seemed worth the price. In fact, there's enough pleasure and performance to be had in the Carrera 4S that the upcoming 911 Turbo may be unnecessary. Maybe not.
