Four-wheel drive makes the 911 secure and precise, but we prefer the handling purity of the standard model
Porsche’s 911, freshly provided with four driven wheels for UK buyers. But does it need ’em? It’s a question that’s been lingering ever since the ‘964’ was introduced in 1989, and – annoyingly – as the generations come and go, it only seems to get harder to answer.Unlike Zuffenhausen’s first all-paw models, the new Carrera 4 and 4S ‘991s’ come with very few associated bugbears. The latest four-corner drivetrain, together with the wider body and fatter rear wheels that are standard on the 4 and 4S, impose a kerb weight penalty of just 50kg on the car; that’s half what it used to be.In the case of our Carrera 4 manual test car, standing start acceleration suffers by just a tenth of a second, and top speed by just two miles per hour relative to the equivalent Carrera – according to the official claims. Carbon dioxoide emissions are higher, but not by enough to lift the Carrera 4 into £460-a-year ‘Band L’ tax disc territory. So the only cost owners really need to concern themselves with is the £6500 price premium.
Four-wheel drive makes the 911 secure and precise, but we prefer the handling purity of the standard model
Porsche’s 911, freshly provided with four driven wheels for UK buyers. But does it need ’em? It’s a question that’s been lingering ever since the ‘964’ was introduced in 1989, and – annoyingly – as the generations come and go, it only seems to get harder to answer.Unlike Zuffenhausen’s first all-paw models, the new Carrera 4 and 4S ‘991s’ come with very few associated bugbears. The latest four-corner drivetrain, together with the wider body and fatter rear wheels that are standard on the 4 and 4S, impose a kerb weight penalty of just 50kg on the car; that’s half what it used to be.In the case of our Carrera 4 manual test car, standing start acceleration suffers by just a tenth of a second, and top speed by just two miles per hour relative to the equivalent Carrera – according to the official claims. Carbon dioxoide emissions are higher, but not by enough to lift the Carrera 4 into £460-a-year ‘Band L’ tax disc territory. So the only cost owners really need to concern themselves with is the £6500 price premium.