TURBOCHARGED ENGINE FURTHER CIVILIZES THE 911
Porsche’s Carrera S Cabriolet provides even more finesse in six-cylinder line
Among the many accomplishments that Porsche AG can boast, none should be more lauded than the finesse they have brought to what is, after all, a backasswards design. For — let us make no mistake about this — if you were designing a sports car, especially one that would eventually end up trying to circumnavigate the most treacherous racetracks at great rates of speed, the last layout you’d ponder would be one in which the motor is hanging somewhere over the rear axle.
For one thing, the weight distribution is all wrong. And then there’s something called the polar moment of inertia, a distinctly complicated engineering term that basically means that when something is difficult to spin, the corollary is that once said spin has started, it can be disastrously difficult to stop.
What’s most amazing about the modern 911 is how completely such wayward behaviour has been eradicated. Indeed, the overwhelming sensation one is left with after driving a 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera S — in my case, a Cab — is, as I mentioned, finesse. Everything — from the newly turbocharged range of six-cylinder engines to the sheer delicacy of its steering — is more refined than any four-wheeler that can remotely claim to be super. So polished is a modern Porsche that, save for its blinding acceleration and stomachchurning cornering forces, a 2017 Carrera S could have been manufactured by Lexus and no one would be the wiser.
That refinement has raised a few hackles. A Porsche should be at least a little brutal, goes the common refrain.
That said, Porsche does face a challenge in making its new range of turbocharged engines as involving as the previous, normally aspirated sixes. Like almost every other automaker reacting to ever tightening fuel economy and emissions regulations, Porsche has downsized the S’s boxer six from 3.8 litres to 3.0, and then added two turbochargers to compensate.
A quick look at the spec chart would seem to indicate a winwin. Maximum horsepower is up 20 — 420 horsepower for the new turbo’ed 3.0 L versus 400 flat for the outgoing naturally aspirated 3.8 L — as is maximum torque at 368 pound-feet. And, thanks to those twin turbochargers, all that torque arrives at 1,700 rpm, the owner of a 2015 911, in contrast, having to wait until 5,600 for its maximum grunt.
Indeed, the first impression of the new Carrera S is of a huge swell of low-end torque as soon as you touch the throttle, no more waiting for the crank to spin up to four grand before the acceleration matches the snarl. Instead, as you touch the throttle, there’s a great swell of torque as two turbochargers force-feed the new, shorter stroke version of Porsche’s classic boxer six.
Nor is there any of the lumpy throttle response common to lesser turbocharged engines, Porsche’s long history of turbocharging allowing it to (sort of ) replicate the linear throttle response of a naturally aspirated engine. If you must turbocharge an engine, leave it to the masters at Porsche.
That said, the noise emanating from the four tailpipes isn’t quite as symphonic as before. Porsche’s sound engineers did a masterful job of choreographing the new engine’s six pistons and twin turbochargers for maximum melody and there are times that the difference isn’t glaringly obvious.
But just when you are expecting the big crescendo when the rev counter passes 5,500 rpm, the whole thing falls a little flat. Indeed, the whole party is over by 6,500 rpm, 1,000 short of redline.
The rest of the car is virtually the same, Porsche’s internal 991.2 designation reflecting the modest changes. There are front and rear fascia tweaks with new headlights, tail lights and bumpers, and the handling is even more precise thanks to a GT3-inspired rear-wheel steering system. Nonetheless, plug in all the standard superlatives — incredible sophistication, precise steering and Lexus-like dependability — as well as the traditional vices — pricey entry point, even more ridiculous option list — and the new(ish) 911 is pretty much the same as the old, save for the aforementioned engine. The navigation system is intuitive, the seats comfortable and the ride comfy. There’s adequate cargo-carrying space.
So, the bottom line in all of this is: a) whether exhaust music matters all that much to you, and b) if it does, does it matter enough for you to switch to a brand with fewer of the aforementioned qualities?
I, too, wish that turbocharging wasn’t the expedient solution that (almost) all supercar manufacturers see as their regulatory salvation. But, complain all you want that the 911 is becoming too civilized, the fact is if you’re shopping for a sophisticated supercar, especially one boasting Teutonic dependability, you don’t really have much choice.