2012 PORSCHE 911: Smooth, sleek and sexy

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This article was published 20/01/2012 (5219 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

STUTTGART, Germany — The new 911 is the best 911 of all time.

It’s a bold statement made by Porsche president and CEO Matthias Muller, but he may be right. There’s no arguing with the fact this is the lightest, most fuel-efficient and powerful 911 of all time. And it looks stunning.

There will be two versions of the new 911: the Carrera and Carrera S.

In terms of the technology, almost 90 per cent of the components in the 911 have been redesigned or redeveloped. It has a new aluminum-steel lightweight body, new suspension systems and an improved Porsche Intelligent Performance system providing enhanced driving dynamics and 16 per cent lower fuel consumption and emissions.

The Carrera achieves a fuel consumption of just 9.0 litres per 100 kilometres, based on the New European Driving Cycle. With the PDK, fuel consumption drops to 8.2 L/100 km. The Carrera S reports fuel-economy ratings of 9.5 L/100 km and 8.7 with the optional PDK transmission.

New components include electro-mechanical power steering and the new Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC). Providing the automaker’s trademark precision and feedback, the new electro-mechanical power steering also reduces fuel consumption and increases comfort, says Porsche. The system requires power only when steering, saving about 0.1 L/100 km.

PDCC, available as an option on the Carrera S, is an active roll-compensation system that detects the instant the vehicle begins to roll when cornering, virtually eliminating it, says Porsche.

Making its debut in the 911 Carrera S, Porsche Torque Vectoring provides even better tracking and stability, together with reduced sensitivity to load changes, the automaker says.

Porsche’s new on-board electrical recuperation system also has the potential to save a further 0.15 L/100 km, says Wolfgang Hatz, executive vice-president of research and development at Porsche.

The system can save fuel by recovering kinetic energy and converting it to electrical energy and storing it in the starter battery when the car is decelerating. The new auto start/stop function, which prevents idling in traffic, offers potential savings of an additional 0.6 L/100 km. It can be fun to save fuel, Hatz says.

But how does this new improved fuel efficiency affect the car’s performance? Not at all, according to Porsche.

The Carrera boasts 350 horsepower from its 3.4-litre boxer engine, which has been downsized from its previous 3.6 litres. But, according to Porsche, the 3.4L delivers more power from its smaller displacement than its predecessor.

The new Carrera will sprint to 100 kilometres an hour in just 4.8 seconds with the seven-speed manual transmission and 4.6 seconds with the PDK, says the automaker. With the Sport Chrono Package, the time is shaved to 4.4 seconds. Top speed in the Carrera is 289 kilometres an hour.

The 400-h.p. Carrera S with the 3.8L boxer engine can perform the zero-to-100-km/h run in a mere 4.5 seconds and just 4.3 seconds with the PDK. With the Sport Chrono Package, the Carrera S flies to 100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds. Top speed of the Carrera S is 304 km/h.

And the new 911 is no slug on the track, either. Recent testing at Nurburgring clocked the Carrera S at seven minutes, 40 seconds, says Hatz.

Visually, the new 911 is smooth, sleek and sexy. Although it appears to be wider and larger, it isn’t much bigger than the current car.

We wanted to create a vehicle “that is true to itself,” says Michael Mauer, director of style at Porsche, adding there are three steps at the beginning of the design process: proportion, styling and details.

“Proportion rates very high on our agenda,” Mauer says. The new 911 has larger wheels, a longer wheelbase (by 100 millimetres) and a slightly lower roofline (seven mm). Although the front track of the new 911 was widened slightly, overall width of the vehicle did not grow, says Mauer. In terms of styling, he says, “You see immediately that this is a Porsche 911.”

The body is only 56 mm longer and the overhangs have been shortened by 32 mm at the front and 12 mm at the rear. The Carrera has attractive new headlights, larger side air intakes and a wider rear spoiler. At less than 4.5 metres long and 1.8 metres wide, the Carrera is still the most compact sports car in its class, says Porsche.

The sumptious leather interior features a centre console that rises up to the front, with the high-mounted gear selector located close to the steering wheel. The round dials and the slim dashboard give the driver a feeling that he or she is sitting in a sports car, says Mauer. To help enhance that sporty feel, Porsche has added new driver and front passenger sports seats with electric four-way adjustment.

The new 911 will be available in Canada in February. The Carrera will be priced at $93,700, while the Carrera S will sell for $110,00.

— Postmedia News