Porsche Carrera (2005)

What we liked
>> All-wheel drive grip and PSM
>> Active and passive safety
>> Those engines!

Not so much
>> Tiptronics sluggish
>> Steering rack rattle in Cabrio
>> No spare wheel/tyre

OVERVIEW
We're here to tell you that it's also okay for real men (and women, for that matter) to drive the new all-wheel drive Carrera 4s. If you still have your doubts, there's always the even brawnier Carrera 4S.

Make no mistake, these are potent Porsches. They're capable of blinding performance -- especially the six-speed manual Carrera 4S -- and truly exemplary levels of roadholding to do that performance justice.

If you already know your current-generation Carrera and Carrera S specs by heart, get ready to energise yet more memory cells. You'll need them.

This latest iteration of the 997-series 911 brings with it tasty new specifications, new features and, of course, new pricetags. Both Carrera 4 and 4S are available as Coupe and drop-top Cabriolet. They also can be had with Tiptronic automatic or six-speed manual transmissions.

Coupe and Cabriolet 4 and 4S share the new wider rear look -- most obvious in the rear guards but actually graduating back from the A-pillars -- which now spells: "all-wheel-drive Carrera".

Aerodynamics are improved, too, with the Carrera 4's drag co-efficient now an impressive 0.30 and, thanks to its 10mm-lower stance, the Carrera 4S's Cd an even better 0.29.

Viewed from any angle, the new cars are sleek, purposeful and, to our eyes at least, incredibly desirable. Those shapely rear guards are 22mm wider on each side than the already curvy standard Carrera's. And they house enormous alloy wheels (11 x 18-inch on the C4 and 11 x 19-inch on C4S) shod with fat, low-aspect-ratio Michelin Pilots -- 295/35 ZR-18s and 305/30 ZR-19s respectively.

Apart from their bulges, badges and tyres, the easy way to tell the cars apart is to check their tailpipes: the Carrera 4 has twin items, the 4S has quads.

If you like your sports cars shapely, getting stuck behind one of these in a traffic jam might just make your day.

FEATURES
Easily the stand out feature in both new Carrera 4 and 4S is their smarter (than the previous-generation cars) multi-plate, viscous-coupled all-wheel-drive system. In basic terms, the system delivers 95 per cent of drive to the rear wheels in everyday driving conditions but directs up to 40 per cent of drive to the front wheels when traction deteriorates.

But you pay for the Carrera 4's all-wheel-drive system to the tune of $15,000 over the equivalent rear-wheel-drive 911 models. List price for the six-speed manual 911 Carrera 4 Coupe is $210,200. As with all four Carrera 4 models - Coupes and Cabriolets - Porsche's five-speed Tiptronic automatic adds $8000 to the bill (and 40kg to kerb weight). The manual Carrera 4 Cabriolet costs $229,900.

Step up to the more potent Carrera 4S Coupe in manual form, and you're looking at $236,100. For the manual Cabriolet version of the 4S range-topper, you'll need a lazy $255,800 in your current account. Mind you, you get a hell of a lot of performance - and, some might say, pose value - for your money. More about the performance part of that equation in a minute.

The Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system now standard on all 911 models gets two new functions on the new Carrera 4 and 4S. When it senses you're about to slam on the brake pedal for an emergency stop, the system "pre-fills", or moves the brake pads closer to the discs, ready for action. That way, stopping distances are said to be dramatically shortened.

The PSM system's second new function provides extra brake force on the pedal in an emergency stop.

Other standard equipment includes the PCM Porsche Communications Management system, which now also plays MP3-compressed music CDs. Also standard is a DVD navigation, Bose Surround Sound and electric sunroof. Bi-xenon headlights are standard on the Carrera 4S and optional on Carrera 4.

To paraphrase an old saying, if you have to ask their fuel economy, you can't afford 'em. For the record, their 98-octane combined EU standard figures are: Carrera 4 manual, 11.3lt/100km and Tiptronic, 11.6lt/100km; and, Carrera 4S manual 11.8lt/100km and Tiptronic, 11.9lt/100km.

COMFORT
Front bucket seats are exemplary in terms of comfort and support. As you'd expect, lateral support is especially good. And, crazy as it may sound, 911s have the best left-foot dead pedal in the business. If you're into performance driving, you'll know exactly what we mean.

In terms of seat comfort, the same can't be said about the tiny, token rear seats. To allow enough rear legroom even for children, both driver and front seat passenger need to move their seats forward, perhaps uncomfortably so. Don't even think about covering any great distances with even one adult passenger in the rear. Even if your front-seat passenger is willing to compromise to give minimal rear legroom, there's no rear headroom of which to speak.

No complaints about the instrument binnacle -- with its in-your-face central tachometer -- but increments on the small speedometer to your left are closely spaced. Thankfully (Ed: for Victorians!!!), there's a digital speedo readout housed in the tachometer.

Myriad near-identical switches and controls housed in the centre console take some getting used to, especially when the PSM switches are added into the equation.

SAFETY
In terms of active safety, it's hard to argue with the worth of the PSM's brake pre-filling system that's said to kick in faster than even a professional racing driver can manage. The result? Porsche says stopping distances are greatly reduced. Having stood on the anchors on occasion during Porsche's impressive launch program drive in Queensland, we're not going to argue. In a word, these brakes are phenomenal.

And, of course, there are the considerable active safety benefits to be had from the all-wheel-drive system itself. The launch drive program included skid pan drives of both rear-drive 911s and Carrera 4s, and the all-wheel-drive system -- especially helped by the PSM stability program -- was easily superior.

There's now an optional TPC tyre pressure control system which fits in the middle of the instrument cluster. You can check tyre pressures by pressing a button in the TPC menu. The system beeps if the tyres drop below set pressures.

Passive safety is boosted, too, thanks to three-point inertia-reel belts with pre-tensioners and belt force limiters at the front, and six airbags all up. Two-stage front 'bags are joined by Porsche's progressive POSIP side impact protection system, comprising a thorax airbag in the front seat backrests and, for the first time, headbags in the doors.

MECHANICAL
Coupe or Cabriolet, engine choice is the same: 239kW/370Nm 3.6-litre alloy flat-six in the Carrera 4, or 261kW/400Nm 3.8-litre alloy flat-six in the Carrera 4S.

As with rear-drive 911s, the Carrera 4's engines and transmissions are bolted together to form one drive unit, with power transmitted through dual propeller shafts to the rear wheels. Where the 4s differ, of course, is that power also feeds via driveshaft and a viscous multi-plate clutch to the front wheels.

To accommodate the front-drive system, the body's front bulkhead was moved forward, and the fuel tank straddles the driveshaft, requiring separate fuel pumps for each side.

If you want to know where the spare tyre fits, it doesn't. It's been dispensed with to save both space and weight. Instead, under the bonnet there's a tyre repair kit and room for perhaps a case of wine and an overnight bag (just!).

Brakes are four-piston aluminium callipers acting on enormous cross-drilled, inner-vented discs (the Carrera 4S gets the 996-generation Porsche Turbo's brakes as standard). They're also equipped with a tandem brake servo to reduce driver effort on the brake pedal.

Porsche's PCCB (Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes) -- which weigh about half as much as metal brake discs of the same size and are said to offer a better wear rate -- can be optioned on both models. The system delivers 350mm discs (up from 330mm) and six-piston callipers at the front with four-piston grippers on the rears.

The top-shelf 4S gets Porsche's PASM active suspension system as standard equipment (it can be had as an option on the Carrera 4). The system varies damper settings to suit speed and driving style and lowers the already hunkered-down ride height by 10mm. The optional sports suspension system with limited-slip differential drops the car another 10mm.

And if you're ticking options boxes at a great rate anyway, there's a Sports Chrono Pack Plus which, among other things, delays the Tiptronic's gearshift points by up to 3000rpm and includes a dashtop precision clock for recording lap times.

COMPETITORS
Until now, not many. The serious new kid on the block, however, is Aston Martin's 4.3-litre V8 Vantage. At $236,300, it's landed squarely in 911 Carrera 4S Coupe territory. Mind you, it doesn't offer all-wheel-drive.

What the Aston does offer, however, is a classy, handsome alternative to the iconic 911. Time will tell just how many sales it takes from Porsche.

Other contenders include Maserati's 4.2-litre GT, Cambio and GranSport Coupes and Spyder GT and Cambio. The GT starts at $202,500, and the range tops out with the 4.2 GranSport, at $242,500. Again, no all-wheel-drive, but there's Italian cachet galore -- more power and torque, too.

Over in the Mercedes-Benz camp, there are cheaper and more potent CLK55 AMG Coupe and Cabriolet models ($193,200 and $207,200 repectively) available, together with the potent little SLK55 AMG ($161,900) and the non-AMG-tweaked, and lower-powered SL350 ($209,000). Again, no all-wheel-drive on offer, and with the exception of the SLK, the driving dynamics are not in the same league.

At $270,000 BMW's M6 is a significant step up from the Carrera 4S in dollars. The rarity of the Beemer may appeal to some would-be 911 buyers, however.

ON THE ROAD
This is what the Carrera 4 and 4S are all about. Sure, they look sensational, but the proof of these Porsches is in their fabulous, growling engines, superbly balanced chassis and, well, what in our books amounts to clearly superior dynamics.

On any flowing piece of bitumen you're encouraged to revel in the way these cars dance, squat, grip and howl. And, of course, there's the benefit of push-me, pull-you all-wheel-drive to keep you honest and on course. And, just in case, there's the PSM stability management system on tap. Indeed, it's a defining sensation to arrive at a gravel-strewn corner, set the car up for a traditionally-Porsche rear-drive exit, then feel the front wheels kick in with extra grip.

Porsche claims the manual Carrera 4 is capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in 5.1sec and snarls to a top speed of 280km/h. The manual Carrera 4S is said to offer 0-100km/h in 4.8sec and 288km/h top speed. During a long morning spent revelling in both Coupe and Cabriolet versions of the Carrera 4 and 4S, we have no reason to doubt those claims.

We can also tell you that the six-speed manual Coupes are easily the driver's cars. Even built to Porsche's lofty standards, the Cabriolets didn't do it for us -- especially in Tiptronic form. Indeed, the soft-tops felt heavier than the Coupes and, dare we say, looser. There was even a surprising amount of steering rack rattle on admittedly-choppy bitumen.

We were (relatively) happy to get out of the Cabrios, especially when there was a manual Coupe to be had next.

However, for the definitive proof of all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 versus rear-drive 911 Carrera we're happy to bow to the superior talents of Porsche's former rally champion test pilot -- and the man with arguably the most envied job in motoring -- Walter Rohrl.

The Rohrlmeister's Nurburgring back-to-back times for 997-generation Carrera 2S and 4S were an identical 7:59. His Carrera 2 vs Carrera 4 times were 8:07 and 8:08 respectively. Compare those times to his best laps in the previous, heavier 996-series Carrera 4 and 4S (8:23 and 8:17 respectively) and you'll understand just how much the new-generation cars have improved.

And, if they're good enough for Walter ...