All-new Porsche 911, New Gearboxes And Better Suspension

Just about everything on the new Porsche 911 Carrera (code 997) is new and yet everything appears to be almost the same. Sure, the car does look different, there is a 3.8 liter flat-six as well as the 3.6 unit we all know the smaller one is uprated. The suspension has been improved mechanically, and benefits from continuously adjustable dampers. Solid development is what you get. And you get more help to cover the ground faster and keep the car on track.

As always, the 911 is fast. Although the new models released so far both lack turbochargers they can still reach top speeds of 177 and 182 mph. No 155 mph limiters here. The cars get to 60 mph in about 5 seconds, and 125 mph in around the 17 second mark. Combine that with the fact that the 911 is the most practical of all supercars, and you can see why the engineers and marketers at Porsche didn't want to change too much. It is still not very wide, and is taller than most supercars.

Still rear-engined?

'Still rear-engined', you wonder? Yup. There are just too many satisfied customers out there to risk changing that, even though the rear-engined layout is dynamically inferior to a mid-engined layout, which was adopted for the Boxster. There is just too much weight at the rear for the best handling and braking.

However, in the past, by adopting much wider rear tires than front ones, and with other wizardry, Porsche has been able to overcome this disadvantage. There is now more electronics to help us all drive 911s faster and more safely.

Restyled, but it's a new body

Porsche wanted to make the car be clearly recognizable as a 911, but better in all respects. The 997 is a completely new body, and it looks it; it's wider than the old one, and the extra width makes it look more powerful. At the front, it wasn't a return to the old headlamps instead of the odd but clean shape of the previous model as some observers have suggested. It's true that the lamps are oval, but whereas the old ones protruded at the front of separate fenders, the new ones are much flatter. They also slope back more sharply, with the nose merging more with the fenders than before.

And it looks terrific!

At the front, the three low grilles replace one wide one of the previous 911 Carrera. The back end has flared wheel arches, a large louvred engine cover, which also lifts up to act as a spoiler, and higher rear lamps. Forget the details, just look at the lines of this supercar. It looks terrific!

Low wind resistance and lift

'Mere details,' you're saying, and who could argue? As usual, the engineers at Weissach have paid a lot of attention to the detail design to reduce both wind resistance and lift. The drag coefficient has been reduced from 0.30 to 0.28, which is very good, and there is now almost no lift at high speed.

One important but invisible change is the ducting of the outlets from the twin radiators. Air now goes straight into the open part of the wheel arch, instead of heading straight for the wide tires and having to find the way out. There is also a full under tray beneath the power train, with small air inlets to the gearbox and axle gear housing.

Porsche engineers pay more attention to weight than most, and although the body is steel as on all mainstream Porsches the hood is now aluminum, which has saved 13 lb in weight. The new engines are also slightly lighter than the old one.

Inside, there is a new instrument cluster, which is easier to read, with the rev counter right in the middle. The steering wheel has a large padded boss, and the central console now has space for a navigation display. It all looks pretty neat.

Revised engines now up to 3.8 liters from the boxer six

Of course, the heart of any Porsche is its magnificent engine, and the new 911 Carrera and Carrera S are no exceptions. There are 3.6 and 3.8 liter flat-six engines a super arrangement for a sports car. There's a bit more power,and the car hasn't had to be made bigger for a bigger power train. Thank goodness Porsche resisted the temptation of building the new 911 around a 5 liter V-8 or something.

Anyway, these engines have been developed further for more power and torque, so the performance at normal road speeds is just as hot as when racing up to 7,000 rpm. Of course, they are both all-aluminum units, with four valves per cylinder.

One feature not found on many cars is integrated dry-sump lubrication. The oil is pumped away from the sump into tanks, and then delivered as needed to the engine. This means that oil gets exactly where needed and that it doesn't slop around away from the pick-up on fast cornering as can happen with a normal wet sump. That might seem a detail and an expensive one but it could be vital in protecting your engine. It also makes the engine lower.

Plenty of power with a new type of variable valve timing

These new engines churn out plenty of power: 325 bhp at 6,800 rpm for the 3.6, and 355 bhp at 6,600 rpm for the 3.8, with the red line at 7,300 rpm. Maximum torque of the smaller engine is 273 lb ft at 4,250 rpm, while the bigger one can turn out 295 lb ft at 4,600 rpm. Plenty of mid-range power.

The biggest innovation in the new engines is the use of VarioCam Plus variable valve timing. The earlier VarioCam system changes the opening point of the valves, but VarioCam Plus has dual cams actuating each valve one operates at low speeds, and the other at high speeds. This is similar to the VTEC system pioneered by Honda.

Very high compression ratio

Amazingly, the 3.8 litre engine has a compression ratio of 11.8:1, which improves power and fuel consumption 10:1 is the maximum on most engines these days, but with the aid of special knock sensors, Porsche can go much higher; it's 11.3:1 on the 3.6 liter engine. These levels would have been unthinkable ten years ago.

Low-speed performance is also improved by modifications to the intake system, and the use of knock sensors that can detect which cylinder is about to knock, and adjust the ignition system accordingly. Certainly, these seem to be pretty masterful engines.

Deep-throated sporty sound from 911 Carrera S

To improved the rortiness of the engine noise on the Carrera S, there's a thing called a Helmholtz resonator built into the intake system. It resonates between 5,000 and 6,000 rpm to give the engine the deep throated roar we all associate with powerful engines. You'll enjoy that.

Because of the extra torque produced by these engines and other versions that will be forthcoming in the future, they are coupled to a new six-speed gearbox. Although the gears and shafts are larger than before, the weight has not been increased. Better synchromesh means that you don't need to move the lever so far to shift gear, too.

There is also a Tiptronic five-speed automatic on offer. Shifting is faster than before, and shift speeds have been increased to 7,200 rpm from 1st to 2nd, for example. And it has various modes of operation, so you can drive fast or very fast.

Electronics improve suspension

The suspension has been changed in detail only, but now gets plenty of electronics to improve ride comfort and handling. The multi-link rear suspension has been set to give more negative camber, and a side benefit is the 25% more anti-squat effect on acceleration.

Rack-and-pinion steering with variable ratio is a step in the right direction. There are only 2.62 turns lock to lock instead of 2.98 but the ratio around the straight ahead position is the same as before. At high speeds, the steering is forgiving, but when full lock is required, the driver can get it quickly.

PASM or sports suspension you choose

Strangely, there are two electronic suspension options. The 911 Carrera S comes as standard with PASM, an active suspension system, but the sports suspension is an option on the 911 Carrera, or instead of PASM on the S. So what will these do for you?

PASM has Normal and Sport modes. In normal mode, the damping is softer, which is better on long journeys, and as you'd expect, in sport mode the damping is firmer, reducing body and allowing the driver to corner faster. But it gets better: in Normal the dampers get progressively stiffer as the driver starts to hustle a bit.

Also, when the driver suddenly turns the wheel as when changing lanes the dampers are stiffened. The dampers are also stiffened during cornering and braking. To ensure that the wheels retain grip on bumpy surfaces when braking, the dampers are softened a little after a short period. Overall, the combination of adjustable dampers and a comprehensive control system, getting information from several sensors, improves the suspension quite a lot. You don't need to be quite such an expert driver to get the most out of the car as before.

What about the sports suspension?

The sports suspension is more traditional: you get stiffer springs and dampers not adjustable. The suspension is lowered 0.79 in (20 mm), and you get thicker anti-roll bars. On top of that, the different is fitted with a mechanical l lock. This one is for the sporty driver, who will relish the reduction in under steer when accelerating out of bends, for example.

To cope with the extra power, the Porsche Carrera S has larger brakes than the Carrera, and the discs are cross drilled. On both models, Porsche's ceramic discs and special pads are available. These reduce unsprung weight by 34 lb, are more resistant to fade, and last longer than normal brakes. But they're expensive.

Stability control

ABS and traction control are combined in the Porsche Stability Management (PSM), which helps the driver maintain control when cornering very fast. It can be switched off by the confident driver.

Actually, it sounds a lot of fun, because as you drive faster, so the system modifies its reactions. For example, it allows you to spin the wheels a little more coming out of a corner, and also lets the rear end slide out more than normal. All under control but not your control!

Finally, the car is about 10 lb lighter than the previous model. That doesn't sound much, but the car is larger, and most cars are about 50-100 lb heavier than their predecessors, so Porsche is doing well. Not as light as if they had adopted an aluminum frame, of course.

Driving impressions

It's just natural; slipping into the new 911 is like putting on a favorite pair of gloves. The wheel comes to hand, you can see the instruments clearly, and the view ahead is good you don't get the prominent fenders of the old 911s, but the way ahead is still clearly defined.

You ease the clutch in, and it is as smooth as silk, taking up the drive just like on a shopping car. And the 911 is far from ordinary; low speed ride over ridged surfaces is a bit on the harsh side, but as soon as you get the chance to put your foot down, off you go with the noise level increasing smoothly with the revs, and you're being pushed back into the seat. Just as you'd expect.

Turn in is quick and responsive. You don't have to wait for the steering to wake up, it just turns into the bend, the car riding very flat. You can push hard into a tight bend, and accelerate hard out, because the PSM helps you corner fast.

The steering, now with variable ratio, is well weighted, and you can keep your eye on how fast you're going with the digital speedometer. It is inset in the large central rev-counter, which tells you what you really want to know. Brakes seemed good, too. Some feel that Porsche is going soft adding PSM, but you can turn it off if you want. In any event this is one very, very fast car with the handling. We'll have to wait and see how it performs as a Grand Tourer.

Nevertheless, this latest 911 isn't just the latest with the 911 pedigree, but is almost certain to be a class leader, offering super performance and practicality and not at a ridiculous price.