Imagine how life would be for an average guy that was dating a sexy hollywood actress. Maybe they'd bump into each other in a little town where she would be shooting her latest flick, and it would be love at first sight. That's how fortunate I'm feeling as I approach Porsche's new 911 Carrera S.
Imagine the look on the faces of the average guy's beer buddies as he brings his new flame to his Friday night bowling game. But when the actress flies back to California and brings him along, he realizes that it's almost impossible to get intimate and have fun with his girlfriend because they're constantly stalked by paparazzi. That's how unfortunate I'm feeling as I'm driving Porsche's new 911 Carrera S at the posted speed limit.
Growling boxer
As if the base Carrera's 345 horsepower wasn't enough, the S models get a 3.8-litre version of the flat-6 engine that belts out 385 naturally-aspirated horses and 310 lb-ft of torque. Porsche claims 0-100 km/h times of 4.7 seconds, a number we can't double-check as the wintry conditions prevent us from running accurate acceleration tests. And who cares, anyway, as there is no way to exploit its potential off a racetrack.
Over the course of this week, a dozen people asked me: "What? You're driving a Porsche in winter?" To answer everyone's doubts, yes I am, and the 911 is perfectly suited to it. That is, as long as you keep the hard-working stability-control system on guard, which keeps the heavy rear end from breaking loose. The all-wheel drive Carrera 4S model is even more capable. Know that Porsche has a reputation of putting their cars through extensive cold-weather testing.
And despite the high level of performance, the car is rewarding us with a fuel economy average of 12.5 L/100 km, which isn't bad at all.
The 6-speed manual that equips our lovely burgundy test car unfortunately isn't the smoothest-shifting gearbox we've rowed through. The clutch is stiff but works marvellously nonetheless. The suspension is also quite stiff, but that's to be expected in such a vehicle.
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| It's an absolute blast to drive, but only when nobody's looking, which just about never happens. |
Imagine the look on the faces of the average guy's beer buddies as he brings his new flame to his Friday night bowling game. But when the actress flies back to California and brings him along, he realizes that it's almost impossible to get intimate and have fun with his girlfriend because they're constantly stalked by paparazzi. That's how unfortunate I'm feeling as I'm driving Porsche's new 911 Carrera S at the posted speed limit.
Growling boxer
As if the base Carrera's 345 horsepower wasn't enough, the S models get a 3.8-litre version of the flat-6 engine that belts out 385 naturally-aspirated horses and 310 lb-ft of torque. Porsche claims 0-100 km/h times of 4.7 seconds, a number we can't double-check as the wintry conditions prevent us from running accurate acceleration tests. And who cares, anyway, as there is no way to exploit its potential off a racetrack.
Over the course of this week, a dozen people asked me: "What? You're driving a Porsche in winter?" To answer everyone's doubts, yes I am, and the 911 is perfectly suited to it. That is, as long as you keep the hard-working stability-control system on guard, which keeps the heavy rear end from breaking loose. The all-wheel drive Carrera 4S model is even more capable. Know that Porsche has a reputation of putting their cars through extensive cold-weather testing.
And despite the high level of performance, the car is rewarding us with a fuel economy average of 12.5 L/100 km, which isn't bad at all.
The 6-speed manual that equips our lovely burgundy test car unfortunately isn't the smoothest-shifting gearbox we've rowed through. The clutch is stiff but works marvellously nonetheless. The suspension is also quite stiff, but that's to be expected in such a vehicle.
 |
| The S models get a 3.8-litre that belts out 385 naturally-aspirated horses and 310 lb-ft of torque. |