New All-wheel-drive Convertibles From Porsche: A Special Kind Of Open-air Experience

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

Porsche is launching two versions of the new all-wheel drive convertible on the market in October. Regardless of whether you opt for the 911 Carrera 4 or the 4S, both vehicles offer an almost limitless driving experience.

Frank Mertens

Porsche is on the road to success - and nothing seems to be able to stop the Stuttgart-based company. While many manufacturers are still suffering from the consequences of the weak economy, CEO Wendelin Wiedeking's company is rushing from record to record. In the first half of 2005, the Swabians were able to record the best result in the company's history with 9850 new registrations. Those responsible could not wish for a better confirmation that they are on the right track with the model policy.

Wider rear part

But the Stuttgart-based company is not resting on this new registration record and on October 22nd, the convertible version of the 911 Carrera 4 and 4S will be launched alongside the 911 Carrera 4 and 4S. And what the Swabians then present will continue the 23-year success story of the open-top 911. After the first driving tests with the two new all-wheel-drive convertibles through the Bergisches Land, there is no doubt about that. After the rear-wheel drive convertible version of Porsche, which was only available nationwide on all markets in April, brought a “real boom in incoming orders” (company spokesman Anton Hunger), it is to be expected that the all-wheel drive 911 will be in no way inferior.

«Since the series launch with the Type 964 in 1988, this delightful combination has enjoyed a steadily growing fan base. Because it combines the special driving dynamics of all-wheel drive with the refreshing driving experience of an open sports car”, says August Achleitner, the series manager of the 911. Sounds good - and applies. Achleitner and his team have developed a car that inspires. It starts with the design: As with the all-wheel drive coupé, the fenders have been widened by 44 millimeters, with the convertible being given an even more dynamic look in conjunction with the design line of the fabric hood.

Optimized shell structure

Let's stay with the convertible top for a moment: It works like the rear-wheel drive car: one press of the button next to the handbrake lever with the ignition on is enough and the fabric hood opens and closes almost silently. The whole process takes just 20 seconds. The convertible top mechanism can be operated up to a speed of 50 km / h. The body rigidity required for a convertible - a prerequisite for precise driving behavior - was achieved by the engineers by optimizing the bodyshell structure. As Achleitner explains, the bodyshell was given additional sill reinforcements and components twice as thick to increase rigidity.

If you then turn the typical Porsche ignition key on the left-hand side with the top down, you will know why Porsche employs sound designers: the sonorous sound of the 3.6-liter six-cylinder with 239 kW / 325 hp in the Carrera 4 is a pleasure - and a reference point for what to expect once the driver has the opportunity to experience this car. It is early in the morning and the motorway towards Olpe is clear - so the conditions for this are ideal: A gentle pressure on the accelerator pedal when entering the motorway is enough - and you are pressed hard into the sports seats. If you accelerate up to 100 km / h in second gear, you will simply go into raptures and understand what Achleitner means by “refreshing driving experience”. It can also be expressed in numbers:The basic Porsche takes 5.3 seconds from zero to 100 km / h.

After shifting through the perfectly working six-speed gearbox and beyond 200 km / h, one is amazed at how little wind turbulence there is in the interior. Achleitner and his people managed that perfectly. However, if you want to reach the top speed of 280 km / h - if the traffic allows it - should close the convertible top. Because the open-air feeling is not really nice at this speed.

But driving a convertible is known to be fun on country roads and not on highways - and when they are as curvy as they are in the Bergisches Land, you can only really appreciate the strengths of this all-wheel drive. Anyone who believes that traction in the rear-wheel drive convertible is beyond any doubt will quickly be convinced of the opposite when driving in the all-wheel drive version: The open all-wheel drive 911 is one more thing and seems to claw its way into the asphalt. The worse the road surface, the more convinced you are of the advantages of all-wheel drive.

Don't do without PASM

If, like the Carrera 4S, the vehicle still has “Porsche Active Suspension Management” (PASM), then you feel as if you are on rails in the new Porsche. The PASM chassis, which is 10 millimeters lower, offers the driver two modes to choose between: the normal and the sport setting. While the normal setting offers a comfortable basic set-up of the damper, pressing the sport button ensures a markedly tighter set-up of the damper systems. The difference to the conventional chassis is convincing, which is why you should also opt for PASM in the basic version: the 1508 euros extra charge is well invested. Which brings us to the prices: For the Carrera 4 the basic version costs 92,865 euros, for the 4S it is 103,073 euros. There are almost no upper limits: If you want it,they can order ceramic brakes, for example, which bring this sports car to a standstill even more bitingly than the brake discs, which are already large at 318 millimeters on the front axle, and 299 millimeters on the rear axle. Incidentally, the price for the ceramic brakes is 7830 euros - other people buy a small car for this.

Of course, one can ask oneself about the purpose and suitability for everyday use of such a car: it is not suitable for families, it is not ecological with a specified consumption of 11.3 liters of Super Plus, and it is expensive, for most of us even unaffordable. That may be anything. But if you try to approach a Porsche purely rationally, you will quickly see while driving that that is not possible. Because there are still the emotions - and they tell you: This car is fascinating and enthusiastic. It will therefore also help to continue the success story of the open-top 911. After all, 50 percent of all Porsche customers opt for a convertible.