NEW 911 CARRERA QUICK AND SNARLY
It may be the entry level to the lineup, but this Porsche makes no apologies
I was taking photos of the 911 on a quiet street, when a young boy rode by on his bicycle, nodded approvingly, and yelled, “That's a real sexy-ass car!”
My first reaction was to think a young boy shouldn't even know such a phrase. My second reaction was that he was right on the money: this is a real sexy-ass car.
I was in the Carrera, the new entry-level model in the 911 lineup. Of course, “entry” is a relative term, because my coupe started at $113,000. And this being Porsche, there are many options to add, and mine was equipped to $143,310 before freight and taxes.
You get a twin-turbocharged flat-six engine, making 379 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. The 911 Turbo makes 572 hp, and the Turbo S spins that up to 640 hp, but the Carrera still pulls hard and smooth, and will get you from zero to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds.
I like it because it isn't a brute. For that matter, I've always preferred the Boxster/cayman to the 911; its power-to-weight ratio feels better balanced, and that's pretty much the same with this entry version. I'll take driving delight over bragging rights any day.
For now, there's only one transmission, a dual-clutch
PDK (which stands for Porsche Doppelkupplung). I do love a manual transmission — and it's coming — but I was nursing a right-shoulder injury and for once was happy to see that little shifter. This new PDK is now an eight-speed rather than seven and it's a glorious unit, shifting instantly and smoothly whether on its own or with the steering wheel-mounted paddles. It keeps the engine right in its sweet spot, measuring out torque through the gears on acceleration, and then dropping down the revs in eighth gear for better fuel economy at highway speeds.
This new 911 is longer and wider than before, with wider front and rear tracks for even more hunkering down and flatter curves. The steering is sharp and tight, the brakes are exceptional, and power is just right for a combination of weekday driving, and then weekends on an open road. The ride is firm; it can be tightened up even more with the sport setting, but it never gets so harsh that it's uncomfortable.
Styling gets a refresh, with a full-width grille and tail light, and a squared-off front trunk lid that used to have rounded edges. The Carrera is differentiated from its more powerful siblings by its rectangular exhaust tips, instead of the Turbo's two round pipes.
The cabin is strictly 2+2, and while the rear seats won't work for anyone with legs, the seatbacks can be folded down to create a parcel shelf. Up front, my tester had 18-way adaptive sport seats, a $3,960 option that took the comfort and support level up a notch. If there's any complaint from the captain's chair, it's that the instrument cluster is very wide, with five dials stretched across it, and you can't see them all because the steering wheel's in the way.
The centre stack and console are an unusual combination of beautifully-knurled metal buttons and dials — including a handsome row of tabs for the drive modes and shock-absorber settings — and a few plasticky bits, although not enough to detract from it overall.
I like the relative simplicity of the controls. Most of the 911's climate, heated seat and volume controls are dials or toggles, which makes sense in a car that's supposed to be about the driving experience, not the tap-screen one. But the blank panels on either side of the shifter are gloss black to match the control panel, and they're blinding if the sun hits them the right way.
The Carrera may sit at the entry level of the 911 lineup, but it doesn't have to apologize for that. It's quick and snarly, and carries that power beautifully.