Road Test Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe (Type 991)

After a promising first encounter in December 2011 at the wheel of a brand new car, we meet again with the new 911 Carrera S. 

For this second rendez-vous with the 991 Carrera S, we are headig to sunny spanish skies. Will the 991 confirm our positive first impressions or nuance our point-of-view ? The answer will come from a road trip on spanish roads and an insightful interview with the father of the 991, Michael Schaetzle.

On a very full Swiss flight bound from wintery Switzerland to sunny Valencia, I reflect on the 991. After a full day behind the wheel in December, I came out favorably impressed by the leap achieved by Porsche on this new 911. A longer wheelbase and wider front track have transfigured the chassis, and the new PDK double-clutch transmission is noticeably improved over the version introduced in the 997.2. A few caveats and unknowns remain. First the engine, which appeared more convincing in the upper half of the rev range. Then the contribution of PDCC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, a system that actively fights body roll) to the superb handling of our test car. Finally there is the question mark on the new 7 speed manual gearbox which I am eager to lay my right hand on. On the back country roads surrounding Valencia, the 991 has to confirm the very strong impression it made during our first drive.

In the new Valencia harbor, the America’s cup bases seem abandoned, and the non-permanent F1 track is clearly recognizable through the landmarks that stand out in TV footage, the bridge that crosses the channel and the colored patches. An array of 991 awaits us, perfectly aligned in a glorious display of available colors. All are PDK Carrera S with sport chrono pack and sport exhaust, Porsche’s priority. All manufacturing capacity was allocated from July to October 2011 to build press and dealer cars to these specs, with generous recourse to the options list. Most are also PDCC equipped, but it’s hard to tell without slotting a compact camera behind a front wheel to diagnose what the front anti-roll bar is attached to.

I decisively bag the only car in the pretty anthracite brown metallic, a new paint introduced for the 991, and off we go to our first stop, a small test track area dedicated to launch control. Car set in sport plus mode, PDK in D position, left foot firmly planted on the brake pedal. I mash the throttle pedal, the engine bounces against the limiter and as soon as the left foot side steps the brakes, the car leaps away with impeccable traction. It is unlikely that many owners will try, furtherless repeat, that kind of drill, but it is inspiring to observe the test car repeat the exercize tirelessly. Second stop, a coned autocross track with some slippery portions, covered in first and second gear, starting with tricky conditions: one wheel on slippery, wet polymer, the other on pavement. The limited slip differential handles the trap with ease, powering off the line without a hint of wheel spin. The rest of the course is designed to play with the balance of the car at low speeds. In Sport Plus mode, the electronic nanny leaves ample room for sideways play, but intervenes brutally when yaw reaches a third of a turn of opposite lock. The 991 is surprisingly at ease on a terrain that would suit a lighter Cayman R. Direct comparison with another 991 shows that worn off tires can increase understeer considerably, requiring a lot more precision and attention to weight transfers.

A few more pictures in front of the F1 pits, the shallow, winter sunset light ignites the tones of the paint job. I leave Valence towards the south in the company of a DB9 met in traffic, seemingly intrigued by the styling of this new 911. At our night stop, our discussion with Michael Schaetzle, project leader for the 911 line-up, continues till late in the night. The man is courteous and friendly, sharing thoughts and anecdotes ranging from his first project at Porsche (997) to his latest offspring and the challenges to come (see Q&A summary).

The following morning, the orange grove where we are hosted wakes up under a clear blue sky, our colorful herd of 991s awaits its daily diet of journalists in the brisk morning air. I am first to leave the resort, heading for the twisty back country roads. While its juices warm up, the PDK takes its time to work its way through ratios, as if a little extra care is required to treat the cogs with respect. Satnav is guiding us to a mountainous area with a feast of narrow, twisty and quiet roads, drenched in unseasonal sunshine. Pavement is mostly smooth but it is still tricky terrain with nada room for error and the occasional frosty patch to spice things up. In these conditions, the new 911 is really awe inspiring, its handling putting it on par with the neutrality of a font mid-engine coupe with 50/50 weight distribution, but with a crucial traction advantage when exiting corners. In this give and take conditions, the car inspires confidence to dish large throttle scoops early in corners, as soon as visibility allows, the masses squashing the fat PZeros securing ample traction. No dive-and-squat rodeos anymore, the 991 does not suffer from this chronic understeer when turning in under hard breaking is not a viable option. The front wheels trace, the rear tracts, basta. Entering Dos Aguas at the bottom of a canyon, the temptation to take another serving of this epic menu of grastromobilia is irresistible. I turn around and head uphill for another climb-descent of CV-426 and its endless sweepers and gorgeous scenery. Brakes are tireless, not a hint of fade, but judging by the change in brake pedal travel, S-GO-4065 could use a brake fluid change.

This is a missed opportunity to test the benefits of PDCC. This car like the previous one we tested features the actuators connecting the anti-roll bars to the body, but in doubt, skipping the option looks like a risky bet. We are however taking every opportunity to sample the flat 6 of this well run-in (4350 miles) car. My slight reservations on the new evolution of the direct injection flat 6 evaporate like morning dew. The 3.8L seems worth all of his 440 Nm and 400 hp, pulling with force from 3000 rpm on higher ratios (forget seventh though) and darting eagerly towards the 7600 rpm redline. Throttle response is crystalline, immediacy, a fierce bite that procures a sensation of direct connection between the ankle and torque at the wheels. This engine reminds me in certain ways the 3.6L of my GT3. It revs and sounds in a similar way, but with the refinement that suits a Carrera.

Whether in Valencia’s rush hour traffic, cruising around or in full attack mode, the new PDK box is brilliant. Smooth but quick, serious but playful, it is difficult to find much to criticize. It is a seasoned ensemble, with well-judged clutch actuation, measured throttle blips on downshifts and good tactile feel from the paddles of the optional sport design steering wheel. In manual mode with Sport Plus turned on, the box leaves the choice between bumping into the limiter if the right foot stops short of the kickdown switch, or automatic upshift if the pedal is mashed all the way.

And steering ? In the absence of a 997 as a benchmark, the concerns I had raised after our first drive pretty much vanished. In this new encounter, steering feel appeared sufficient to telegraph grip conditions from the front rubber outposts, and the weight felt adequate. The relatively slow corner speeds were however arguably less demanding than our usual test roads.

Back to the Valencia harbor, a check at the trip computer returns surprising figures. On more than 200km, our computed average is 19.1 L/100km (12.3 US mpg, 14.8 in their imperial equivalent) for an average speed of 46 km/h (28.6 mph), including a few freeway segments at nearly reasonable speeds. On the last 150km, I clocked 20.9 L/100km (11.3 US mpg, 13.5 UK mpg) at a 51 km/h average. These figures are difficult to make sense of, in spite of my communion with the 991 in the back country roads. It is a lot, I would have expected 25% better mileage. In our first test, we had measured 14.3 L/100km, a hair above the displayed 14.0, and there too, the figure appeared high. No matter how impressive Porsche’s figures are in normalized cycles, the 991 seems to have a very robust appetite for super unleaded when it’s driven harder.

I still haven’t been able to sample the 7-speed manual, neither analyze the benefits of PDCC, but flew back from Spain with the conviction that Porsche has played a near perfect game with the 991. An outstanding achievement, a car as competent as it is quietly seductive and void of any real flaw. All there is left is the hope that the rest of the range will strike the Grand Slam.

Main options price(CHF)

Extracts from our discussions with Michael Schaetzle, project leader for the 911 range.

PDK or Manual ? Michael confesses a soft spot for the 7 speed manual, but is quick to point out that the PDK can make use of the electronic limited slip differential in ways that the manual can’t. The difference is most perceivable in slippery or snowy conditions where a manual 991 cannot keep up with a PDK car (a comment which reminded me of the F1-Trac differential on the Ferrari 430 and the software limitations imposed on manual 430s). Michael added that the development of the gate of the manual box was a challenge because of the limited width of the central console.

7’40’’ on the Nordschleife ? Yes. The 991 matches the factory reference lap times of the 997.2 GT3 and Turbo models, and does so with more ease (read less cold sweat) than its predecessors. The winning recipe is a 997 Carrera S with PDK (-1s over the manual), 20mm lowered chassis (1-2s, for aerodynamic reasons), sport chrono pack for the dynamic engine mounts inherited from the GT3, and PDCC. PCCB ceramic brakes ? No difference whatsoever on lap times.

Why such a leap on the chassis ? The 997 project was developed with a restrictive scope: to comply with new crash test regulations by evolving the 996 platform brought severe constraints that made other developments impossible. By opposition, the 991 project started from a blank sheet of paper and thereby allowed more freedom.

Competitive benchmarks ? The benchmark was the 997, it was the car to beat. There is no real competition to the 911, but products that overlap its target audience. Were mentioned: BMW M3, Audi R8 4.2 and (surprisingly) Mercedes SL.

Challenges ? Switching to aluminum for large parts of the body. A relatively new material at Porsche, who did not have as much experience as Audi (for instance) in this area. Building a robust correlation between simulation tools and prototype testing took time.

Acoustics ? Porsche is very happy with the Sound Symposer, this duct channeling acoustic waves from the intake manifold to the rear shelf, so happy that it made it to the standard equipment of the 991. The development of the Porsche Sports Exhaust (PSE) option requires precise calibration of engine mapping at throttle lift off. The recipe includes injecting a small quantity of fuel and synchronizing ignition so that explosion occurs out of the cylinder, 4 to 6 inches into the exhaust manifold, to be audible. Result is then optimal, with these glorious rattles and burbles on the overrun. If the explosion occurred any later/further, the catalytic converters would burn.

Was electric steering worth it ? Michael does not agree with the criticisms on the electric steering rack assistance, in his opinion it provides all the feel necessary to sports driving. The decision was not motivated solely by gas mileage (Porsche claims a saving of 0.1 L/100km), but also to avoid the complexity of running hydraulic lines from rear to front to power the steering rack.

Why the wider front track ? Multiple reasons. Handling first and foremost. The 997.2 GT3 RS allowed to validate these benefits. Use of aluminum also required wider crash zones around the front wheels, preserving boot volume required to push the wheels out. Designers were all for it because of the muscular visual impact on the stance of the car. The Porsche Motorsport engineers were all for it too.

Weight measured at 1519kg ? How can the difference with the 1415kg DIN claimed by Porsche for the 991 Carrera S PDK ? For Michael Schaetzle, the difference is to be credited to equipment. All launch cars are heavily optioned, this should explain the difference.

A hybrid 911 ? Unequivocally no. Too heavy, and of no interest to customers. Fuel mileage has been improved to such a level that it’s not a factor anymore in this segment.

Future versions ? No comment ! But a not so subtle hint at the fact that the 997 model history could be a pertinent predictor for the sequence of upcoming launches. Under these oriented assumptions, we understand: 1) Carrera 4 2) Turbo 3) GT3 and Targa at narrow intervals 4) GT2 5) facelift.

Proud of the result ? Of course ! The 991 revealed quickly itself as better than the sum of its parts, and easily exceeding expectations of the product development team. Michael Schaetzle’s headache is now to define avenues to improve on the 991. Ideas are reportedly scarce, as Porsche made use of all components and technologies available and relevant to such a car. A challenge that Schaetzle and his team will have to overcome.

How does it compare ?

*4.1s with Sport Plus & PDK
**13.6s with Sport Plus & PDK
*** 997.2 Carrera S with 6 speed gearbox and standard seats

Our sincere thanks to Porsche Switzerland.

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