Burnaby NOW • Monday, December 24, 2012 • A27
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Porsche: Tradition of excellence continues for 2012 model of classic 911 continued from page 26
Performance
As previously mentioned, fans of Porsche have developed certain expectations of the brand’s flagship and this new update meets those expectations. The base 3.4-litre flat-six produces 350-hp, which is five more than before, and 287 ft-lbs of torque to reach 289 km/h. 0 - 100 km/h happens in 4.8 seconds thanks to the industry’s first seven-speed manual gear-box … the PDK equipped models will reach the same speed in mere 4.6 seconds or 4.4 seconds in Sport Chrono trim. Alternatively, if you want your daily driver to venture even further into super car territory, the Carrera S sees its displacement grow to 3.8-litres putting out 400-hp, 15 more than its predecessor, and 325 ft-lbs of torque. The S can hit 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds with a manual transmission or in 4.3 seconds with the automatic. With the push of a button, you can alter various things: the response of the throttle and steering, when gear shifts happen, the feel of the suspension, and even how audible the exhaust is. You also have control over the all new Auto Start/Stop system which shuts the engine off if the car is stopped – for example at a stop light. You can manually override this feature but the system restarts the engine quickly enough for you to get off the line to keep most other cars in their place. These controls allow you to ensure that this 911 will comfortably handle any road and still obtain a reasonable fuel efficiency for such a high-end sports car.
Environment
The new cabin reveals a whole new level of refinement. The Carrera offers so much more upscale features and luxurious items that it will even embarrass luxury sedans. The interior is inspired by the Carrera GT supercar and is sort of a scaled down version of the Panamera, most notably the cascading centre stack. Porsche, never one to follow convention, choose to forsake a dial selector to access different features used by some of its competitors and instead opted for a button for everything. Those who regularly operate a smartphone will feel at ease. This progressive feeling is continued throughout the cabin. Some minor changes include the replacement of the manual hand brake lever by an electronically activated parking brake, and the gear selector is now located higher upon the centre stack. This somewhat diminishes spaciousness, but headroom is actually increased by the repackaging of the sunroof. While this cabin may be a departure from the interiors of old, it is a welcome advancement.
Features
The new 911 Carrera starts at $93,700 and the S version at $110,000, with their cabriolet variants beginning at $106,900 and $123,200, respectively. The all-wheel-drive models enter at $103,900 for the Carrera 4 and $120,500 for the 4S, again with the convertibles at $117,400 and $134,100, respectively. Standard features on the base model Carrera include intelligent light-
weight construction in aluminium/steel-composite; Enhanced Porsche Stability Management with ABS, ASR, ABD, MSR and additional brake functions; auto start-stop-function; on-board diagnostics for monitoring emission control system; power-assisted steering with variable steering ratio; a tire pressure monitoring system; an electric parking brake; an auto-deploying rear spoiler; an instrument cluster with
central rev counter and 4.8 inch TFT VGA display with on-board computer; gear-level display in rev counter; a sound system with nine loudspeakers and a total output of 235 watt; a CD storage box in the glove compartment; PCM 3.1, including extended DVD navigation module, HomeLink, and Bluetooth; a Porsche Side Impact Protection system with side impact protection in the doors, thorax airbag in the
side bolsters of the front seats, and head airbags in the door trims for driver and front passenger.
Thumbs up
The 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera brings a noticeably more upscale interior and fit-and-finish. The chassis and steering changes make it equally comfortable on the track as it is on the road. It’s still the best sports car around.
Thumbs down
Through tireless engineering, Porsche has created a near flawless sports car but there are some minor items that may annoy nonGerman sports car owners, such as ergonomics.
The bottom line
This generation of 911 is the next evolution of the historic brand and is the best sports car in the world.
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Contributed/burnaby now
Inside: The Porsche is performance and luxury both inside and out.