Less is more in Porsche 911
When it comes to Porsche 911s, less really is better, writes Damien O’Carroll.
These days manufacturers are falling over themselves to jam as many features as possible into their latest car – sort of the automotive equivalent of waving a shiny object to get the attention of a child. But some cars just prove that less is actually more – like the Porsche 911 Carrera.
How does a $217,000 car prove that less is more, exactly?
While your stratosphericallypriced half-million-dollar Turbo, GT3, GT2 and Speedster models are all fine and well (that means ‘‘totally freakin’ awesome’’, by the way), the absolute most basic entry 911 has a purity to it that very few cars manage these days.
Sure, it is still an expensive car, but it is also the entry point to the 911 range so comes with little in the way of trinkets and distractions – simply and exceptionally a wellengineered package.
As a general rule, I have always found the entry-level models to be the most interesting vehicles in any range of cars – loading it up with everything is fine and well, but stripping it right back to the basics tells you more about just how good – or not – a car is.
By that reasoning, the Porsche 911 is an extremely good car indeed.
That’s not a staggering revelation though, is it?
Well, no, after all the 911 has been acclaimed by motoring journos, buyers and fans for decades now in all its forms, but the latest 911 Carrera is arguably the most 911 of all 911s in the current range.
Think about it – the 911 has always been able to seamlessly blend serious performance and remarkable usability into a package that is capable of being a razor-sharp back-road weapon and a docile daily driver at the same time. And that is a definition that the Carrera nails to perfection.
For an ‘‘entry level’’ car it is plenty-fast (0 to 100kmh in
4.2 seconds is very plenty fast), has laser-focused handling and some of the most superbly responsive and accurate steering you will ever come across, yet is as ridiculously easy to live with around town as a Toyota Corolla.
Put it this way; between my home and the motorway on Auckland’s North Shore, there are 15 speed bumps (because, Auckland . . . ).
I simply can’t drive many of the low-slung performance cars on that route – including those aforementioned hyper-911s – because of the horrifying noise caused by grinding hundreds of dollars worth of carbon fibre off front spoilers. Instead, I have to take a longer path that is handily riddled with traffic lights (again, because, Auckland . . . ).
There are no such worries with the Carrera though – it happily crests all 15 as undramatically as a Corolla would.
You’re judging how good a Porsche 911 is by how well it goes over speed bumps?
Well, no, the point there is simply how good the Carrera is at being a convenient and thoroughly usable daily driver.
It is, of course, staggeringly good on the open road as well, regardless of whether you are cruising comfortably or – more likely – thrashing it like a rented mule.
The power from the 3.0-litre turbo flat-six engine pours on in an unapologetically insistent, yet silkily-smooth fashion, surfing that fat 450Nm wave of torque right across its rev range and filling the cabin with that wonderfully evocative boxer-six angry woofle.
It’s all rather restrained compared to some performance cars (looking at you AMG, with all your silly contrived bangs and crackles), but again, it works perfectly for the Carrera.
So it does go around corners well, too? Not just over speed bumps?
Oh, most certainly yes – while sound raises a smile and the acceleration elicits a chuckle, tipping the Carrera into a corner can provoke a gasp, while belting it out the other side the first time sees a very rude word issue forth.
The Carrera’s steering is superbly sharp and accurate, with nose simply remaining incredibly responsive to even the smallest adjustments through a corner.
That razor-sharp accuracy hangs around when you power it out the other side and the Carrera’s back end squats and kicks ever-soslightly as that awesome boxer growl hardens and it projects you towards the next corner in a way that is almost a religious experience.
And because the Carrera isn’t AWD, like the Carrera 4, it is also a more tactile and visceral experience as well.
Surely, though, all the other 911s further up the range are just as good. What makes the entry Carrera the one to buy?
Yep, absolutely, every 911 are damn fine vehciles, but my suggestion earlier that the Carrera is the purest, most 911-ish 911 stands – the lack of big wings, gaping vents AWD systems, and flashy folding roofs leaves the Carrera almost unassuming (or at least as unassuming as a $217,000 sports car can be), particularly in our test car’s subtle silver finish.
The lack of excess buttons and various settings is refreshing and – to be honest – they aren’t really missed.
Purists bemoan the fact that cars are getting too much technology and distractions and, while the Carrera still has plenty included, eschews the need to overcompensate with flashy trinkets, because that basic package is just so damn good.
Is it perfect? No – the infotainment system is fiddly and confusing, while the small trunk limits its true usefulness as a daily driver, but those are tiny objections that literally don’t matter when you get the Carrera on a winding piece of road.
Any other cars to consider?
Nope. If you have a lazy $217k not doing anything more useful and want a single car that can function as an effortless, comfortable daily driver as well as a full-on weapon, then you should only buy a 911 Carrera. Simple as that.