4 MOTORS
Friday, June 12, 2009
★★★★
MOTORS
roadtest
Porsche 911 Carrera 3.6 Coupe
Everyday supercar
road
TEST
with MIKE TORPEY
I
S it really possible to make the latest Porsche 911 any more cool? The answer has to be a resounding yes – that is if you have a registration number like A 911. Forget the initials of some wealthy entrepreneur or poser who squeezes the digits together or dots the I’s and T’s, this is serious street cred. No wonder Porsche secured the rights to this number, and slapped it on one of its signature models. The 911 has long been acclaimed as one of the world’s finest sports cars, and the latest generation continues an evolution now in its 46th year. Four new models – two coupes and a pair of cabrios – make up a range that’s both faster and greener than before. They don’t look too dissimilar to the previous line-up, the only real difference being larger rear view mirrors, bigger wheels, bi-xenon headlamps and LED daytime driving lights. The main changes though are under the skin, and the most
speccheck MAKE: Porsche MODEL 911 Carrera 3.6 Coupe ENGINE: 3,614cc 6-cylinder POWER: 345bhp @ 6,500rpm PERFORMANCE: 0-62 in 4.7 secs, top speed 178mph ECONOMY: 19.6mpg Urban, 40.4 Extra Urban, 29.4 Combined CO2 EMISSIONS: 225g/km BiK RATING: 35% INSURANCE: Group 19 PRICE: £65,408 on the road WHAT’S HOT: Supreme style, performance and image WHAT’S NOT: Cramped rear seating, dislike of bumpy surfaces RATINGS (out of five):
LOOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RIDE AND HANDLING . . . . . . . . . PERFORMANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VALUE FOR MONEY . . . . . . . . . . . .
SERIOUS STREET CRED: The Porsche 911 – still one of the world’s finest sports cars significant is a real tongue twister – Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe. This isn’t some virulent form of dengue fever, but a seven-speed double clutch system that replaces the previous Tiptronic S auto set-up. And it’s a belter. PDK (a £2,338 option) was first developed by Porsche for motorsport in the mid 1980s and works in a way that has the second clutch preparing to select the next gear while the first is being engaged. As a result it shifts gears
’S R E FF !!! O E TH E STAR TH
mix of fuel and air directly in the combustion chamber, the result being more horsepower and torque from less fuel. It also means a 15% drop in CO2 emissions – clean and green, yet still wickedly fast. Inside, everything is trademark Porsche – all high quality and sophisticated design – though the communication system now has a simplified control panel, larger display and uses touchscreen technology for the first time.
up to 60% quicker than a conventional automatic box and makes it even faster than the six-speed manual arrangement. And in the case of the tested, entry level, 911 Carrera coupe that means an acceleration figure of 0-62 in a fleeting 4.7 seconds. Another development in the latest range is that the cars are powered by new flat-six engines of 3.6 and 3.8 litres featuring Direct Fuel Injection. The idea is to achieve the perfect
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No surprise though that the compelling feature of the latest 911 is its wonderful driving characteristics. I could wax lyrical about this car forever, suffice to say that it switches seamlessly from motorway flyer to suburban runaround. And that speaks volumes for the 911. Okay, you’ll feel every bump on an uneven surface, but by and large it’s a terrific everyday car – there’s even a couple of rear seats for the kids.
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