WALLACE, N.S. — It didn’t take long to accept the invite to drive the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S. Ten auto writers from Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax would be the first people to drive the Carrera 4S on Canadian soil. The frosting on the cake? It would take place in Nova Scotia!
We drove the new sports cars from Halifax airport to Peggy’s Cove, and from there to the shores of the Northumberland Strait. The fall colours were in full bloom, the weather was great, and the latest generation of the venerable 911 showed why this sports car continues to be among the most revered in the industry.
Canadians love Porsche. We are the seventh largest market for the marque globally. This is the 55th year of the 911. The 992, as the eighth generation it is known internally, is new from road to roof and bumper to bumper. Of course, it looks very much like the outgoing model. Porsche designers have perfected making the new look like the old. The hood of the 992 has a recessed centre harking back to the air-cooled 911 days. The front end is wider by 45-mm in order to accommodate larger wheels and tires. The side is almost unmarred by the electrically-activated door handles. Carefully recessed into the body, they pop out as you approach. The rear lights run the full width of the vehicle.
The redesign
Overall length is up a scant 20 mm. There is 33 per cent more aluminum in the body, cutting 20 kg. from its weight. But overall weight is up 48 kg. because of extra equipment, a larger cooling system, and bigger brakes and wheels.
Inside is where the major changes are found. A new 28-cm touchscreen occupies a central position. The driver faces a big tachometer flanked by a pair of thin frameless electronic displays. New technology abounds, including onboard WiFi.
Lateral dynamics was the core theme during development. The front track is 46 cm wider and staggered wheels are standard, 21-inch wheels at the rear and 20-inches in front. Spring rates are up 15 per cent in front and 14 per cent at the rear, the steering is 10 per cent more direct. The PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) has been upgraded, reacting within 100 milliseconds.
The turbocharged flat six has been updated as well. Twenty per cent of the parts are new, including the heads, turbochargers, fuel injection system and intercoolers. It remains at the rear of the vehicle, but sits 20-cm further forward than the outgoing model. It produces 443 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque, increases of seven per cent and six per cent respectively, thanks to the new turbos.
The mind-reading PDK automatic transmission now has eight forward gears, up from seven last year. That is enough to get the Carrera 4S to 100 km from a dead stop in three seconds flat with the aid of launch control. The quarter mile passed in 11.8 seconds at 208 km/h on the way to 256 km/h before I ran out of room on the airport runway. It was still pulling strongly at that point, so I see no reason to question the claimed top speed of 306 km/h in sixth gear.
Massive (245/35/20 front and 305/30/21 rear) performance tires and a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system ensure maximum grip under a wide variety of conditions, from using launch control, powering through a high speed (155 km/h) slalom course, or navigating a slippery winter road. The grip and balance during the slalom, in Sports Plus mode, put a smile on my face and tested the bolstering on the sport seats. The same suspension, in “normal” setting, soaked up some pretty nasty secondary roads.
The brakes are beyond impressive, erasing speed with complete ease — time and time again with no sign of fade. The steering could be described as talkative — constantly letting you know, accurately, what was going on beneath those two front contact patches. The solidity of the chassis is readily evident when a nasty bump is encountered.
Let there be no doubt, this is a high-performance automobile!
Good manners
But it can also be a pussy cat, content to poke around town or in heavy traffic with no complaints. The exhaust note is always there, but subdued until you press the loud pedal or toggle the switch to activate the sport exhaust system. There is a new “wet” mode that, when it acoustically detects water on the road, warns the driver and preconditions various systems to cope with the reduced grip and likelihood of aquaplaning.
The new 911 Carrera came to these shores a few months ago, followed by the Carrera 4. Both are available as coupe or convertible and are powered by a 379-horsepower, 3.0-litre turbocharged flat six mated to the new eight-speed PDK.
The latest arrivals are the Carrera S and the 4S we drove; they get the larger 4.0-litre engine and other upgrades.
The Carrara 4S starts at $137,100. The one I drove had $32,400 in options, bumping the tag to $169,500 before delivery and taxes!
That is how you get to be the world’s most profitable car company.
The specs
Model: 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S coupe
Engine: 4.0-litre, six-cylinder, 443 horsepower, 390 lb.-ft. of torque, premium fuel
Transmission: eight-speed dual clutch automatic
NRCan rating (litres/100km city/highway): N/A
Length: 4,519 mm
Width: 2,024 mm
Wheelbase: 2,450 mm
Weight: 1,537 kg
Price: $137,000 base, $171,100 as tested, including freight
Options on test vehicle: Heated steering wheel, $370; Alcantra roof liner, $1,560; leather interior, $4,370; rear axle steering, $2,390; sport exhaust, $3,370; sunroof, $2,280; Porsche crest on head restraints, $370; Carrera Classic wheels, $1,430; Porsche comfort access, $630; electric folding mirrors, $420; interior painted in exterior colour, $1,440; LED matrix headlights, $3,730; Sport Chrono package, $3,100; red tachometer face, $480; BOSE audio, $1,820, red seat belts, $620; power seats with memory, $2,650 ambient lighting, $630 and Sport Chrono clock face in red, $480
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