Porsche Carrera 911 4S Car Review

HerCar Rating: Model Reviewed: Carrera 4S Coupe Engine: 3.8 litre Transmission: 7-speed auto PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) Price:  $265,200* Other models priced from: Carrera Coupe $219,300* HerCar 3 word summary: Luxurious, sexy, sporty.

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HerCar Review

There is so much to love about the Porsche 911. No longer should Porsche cars be considered best suited to driving enthusiasts or just a ‘weekender’ car. Today a Porsche is, well, common. And I mean that in the best possible way. From a Boxster to a Cayenne, these days Porsche cars feature on many car buyers’ shortlists. And if you ask me, the roads are better looking as a result. The Carrera 4S Coupe is an incredibly sexy sports car that is easy to drive on an every day basis. And if you are looking for an emotional sports car experience in your every day life, it doesn’t get much better. When it comes to ride and handling, it performs as either Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde, at your discretion.

No, it’s not family friendly, it’s not very big, and it’s certainly not cheap. This car is a sports car legend and its appeal is undeniable. It is so easy to drive and so hard not to love.

Driver Comfort & Visibility

Very comfortable and with surprisingly good visibility, the Carrera 4S Coupe offers a great driving position. The car is easy to manoeuvre in any space and rear parking sensors are very handy. Large side windows and rear side windows give good visibility and the plush, well equipped cabin is understated and serious. The large touch screen makes it easy to control the audio system and in car technology which is simple to operate. Enclosed in a soft leather cocoon and surrounded by a multitude of switches and dials, the Carrera 4S interior is a white linen buffet of all the latest in-car gadgetry.

Performance

With the Sports Plus button activated, the Carrera 4S Coupe catapults you from 0 – 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds. Kids may well be cramped in the back, but they’ll never be late for school again. The brakes are equally impressive, pulling you to stand still well before panic sets in. Porsche all-wheel drive and three self-select suspension settings make for a wonderfully confident and smooth ride. You feel like the car is glued to the road. The body seems impervious to curves and corners – no body roll and no hesitation. Around town I spent most of my time in sports mode with the sports suspension turned off. On the open roads I opted for the hardened suspension of Sports Plus mode and slipped through the gears using the paddle shifts located on the steering wheel. A much more involved driving mode, but still effortless.

PDK. (Porsche Doppelkupplung) is a new technology on the 911 based on a dual clutch system that was originally designed for motor sport. Don’t worry, you don’t have to work the 2 clutches, it’s all automatic! The major advantages include reduced fuel consumption, no loss of speed during gear changes and greater acceleration. Porsche have put together an easy to understand video to explain this further. Click here to view now.

Safety

Porsche Traction Management assists driving tasks such as power distribution, slip control, oversteer and understeer correction. Six airbags include a full-size frontal, side and head airbags for driver and front passenger.

Comfort

Driver and passenger seats are very comfortable and leg room is good. With five different seats on offer, the leather adaptive sports seats (an option at $4,184) in our test car are firm and the contours hug your body. They are fully electric to allow complete customisation which makes the seat memory buttons invaluable.

Storage

Most suited to oversized handbags and undersized luggage, the Carrera 4S is tight on space. The under bonnet storage will fit a large overnight bag and the rear seat backs fold flat to act as a storage shelf. With only two passengers, you have fairly good luggage space. With lidded in door storage, a small centre console and a small in dash storage hole, I’d suggest you adopt a minimalist approach to what you take with you for every day motoring.

Kids’ Comfort

"This is the most uncomfortable back seat I've ever sat in" wined the 11 year old I forced into the back seat. By the end of the journey her opinion had softened, somewhat. If you're any taller than 5'4" you really won’t fit comfortably in the back seats. My head was touching the roof, but leg room was ok.

Green Factor

An unlikely contender, the Carrera 4S is more 'green' than expected. The Green Vehicle Guide awards it 3.5 stars out of five. Average fuel consumption for the Carrera 4S with PDK is 10.5 litres per 100km. It’s CO2 emissions are also pretty good at 247g/km, which is less than that of a Ford Falcon G6E Turbo and a BMW M3!

Overall View

The Porsche 911 ticks so many boxes. It’s a shame that sometimes, size does matter. But, really, you don’t buy a Porsche 911 for its storage capacity.

Test Drive Tips

Enjoy.

If you're considering buying this car you might also like to test drive: Aston Martin V8 Vantage, BMW M6, Maserati Quattroporte or a Jaguar XKR.

Features of Model Reviewed

Airbags:	6. full-size frontal, side and head airbags for driver and front passenger
Seats:	4
ABS:	Yes
EBD:	Yes
ESP:	Yes, Porsche Traction Management.
Driver visibility:
Storage compartments:
Drink holders:	2
CD player:	Bose six CD in dash, USB, iPod, MP3, Bluetooth.
Air conditioning:	Yes
Power windows:	Yes
Power steering:	Yes
Power door mirrors:	Yes
Child restraint anchorage points:	Yes, 3. One in front (with airbag deactivation) and two in rear (under carpet).
Transmission:	7-speed PDK
Engine capacity:	3.8 litre
Fuel type:	98RON
Fuel consumption:	10.5 litres per 100km
Greenhouse rating#:	5/10
Green Vehicle Guide rating:
Warranty:	Two year/unlimited kms factory comprehensive warranty. Ten year corrosion and rust, three year paint warranty, Porsche Assist – 24 hour roadside assistance.
Price:	$265,200*

 

* Excludes on road costs
# All new vehicles sold in Australia (up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass) are tested to determine the level of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions (Greenhouse rating), which are displayed on the fuel consumption label attached to the windscreen of the car. The Green Vehicle Guide rating combines the Greenhouse Rating and Air Pollution Rating and awards a star. 5 stars is the best rating.  For more information, click here.

Information is correct at the time of the review. Please check with your local Porsche dealer for the most recent information.

Date Reviewed: October 2008

Reviewed By: Nadine Armstrong