The 997 design takes direction from the Cayenne 4 x 4 whilst staying true to the traditional design belonging to the Porsche name. The quality of materials, however, is like no 911 built to date.
Expensively slush-moulded fascia materials make this Porsche stand out. The frontseats are roomier and the driver sits 20mm lower. The 997-series take on the 911 Carrera 4 theme is fully 44mm wider at the rear than the Carrera 2 body.
The all-wheel drive system features a multi-disc viscous coupling and transfers between five and ten per cent of drive permanently to the front wheels. You’ll be able to feel the benefit of this additional traction when accelerating out of corners, especially if the surface is damp. Whereas a Carrera will blink its traction control light at the driver as power is cut to the rear in an attempt to regain grip, the Carrera 4 will be able to balance power delivery to all four tyres and use more of its engine power. Power is something Carrera 4 drivers can enjoy to the max.
This 911 still uses a flat six engine and it’s still hung out at the back but the Carrera 4 S has a 355bhp 3.8-litre unit. The straight line performance of the Carrera 4 is nigh-on identical to that of the Carrera, the extra 6bhp being offset by the additional weight.
The Carrera 4S takes a tenth or so out of the two-wheel drive Carrera to 60mph, recording a 4.6 second figure and loses 2mph at the top end, pegged in this instance to 180mph.
The car is built around specially designed Michelin Pilot sport tyres and Bilstein adaptive dampers that can be set in one of two modes, normal and sport. The sport mode also sharpens the throttle action. An optional sports chassis set up offers stiffer springs and dampers, a lower ride height and a more aggressive limited slip differential. Thus equipped and with an experienced driver behind the wheel, the 997 Carrera 4 S can run a lap of the Nurburgring in under 8 minutes, the true acid test of a supercar.