Porsche Carrera 4, 4S

It's an all-new 911!

Wait a minute, you say, didn't we just read about an all-new 911 a few weeks ago? Yes, we did ("Sweetness, Gen II," July 21), but that was the rear-wheel-drive C2, which got more efficient new engines with direct fuel injection, new manual and seven-speed PDK double-clutch transmissions and a meaty new mechanical limited-slip rear differential.

Now, here we have the all-wheel-drive C4 and C4S in coupe and cabriolet body styles, which get those same new engines, transmissions and rear differentials but also an all-new electronically controlled all-wheel-drive system first seen on the Turbo.

Just to confuse you further, the Targa model of the 911, with its 1.54-square-meter glass roof, will arrive soon, too. It's an all-new Porsche-palooza, bombarding us with fabulous 911s. This is a bit unusual for the sports-car maker, but Porsche says the technology is too important to dribble out over time, so we get it all at once. No one's complaining.

As for those new engines, they are 3.6 and 3.8 liters, respectively. Those are the same displacements as before, but the new powerplants are greatly refined for better efficiency and more power. The 3.4 makes 20 more hp, with a peak output of 345, and the C4S improves by 30, to 385 hp. Top speed of the C4S is now 184 mph. Both make more power while using less gasoline-28 mpg and 25 mpg, respectively-and emitting less pollution than the engines they replace.

Yes, yes, you say, patience wearing thin only five paragraphs in, I read all that last month in Vettraino's better-written article about the C2. Tell me something I don't know yet; tell me about the all-wheel drive of the new C4 and C4S.

OK, OK!

The new C4 uses electron-ic controls called Porsche Traction Management to distribute torque to the front and rear axles. If you own a new 911 Turbo, you already have this system. PTM electronically controls electromagnetic actuators to engage a multiplate clutch center differential instead of using the viscous clutch of the previous Carrera 4. The new unit operates within a tenth of a second, Porsche says, gathering data on wheel rotation, lateral and longitudinal acceleration and steering angle quicker than your mind can register, say, the jealousy you feel toward the guy with the Turbo. This torque is distributed in infinite variety to the front and rear axles, something the old unit could not do. While the previous viscous system was doing well to get a 64/36 torque mix, the new one can dump 100 percent to either axle if the electronic brain decides that's best for traction.

While the body-in-white and the suspension geometry are both carried over from the previous Carrera 4, the spring, shock and antiroll-bar tuning are specific to this new ride. The setup is softer than that of the new Carrera coupe but specifically matched to this car. Another new feature is an internal spring in each damper meant to counter body roll. An updated Porsche Active Suspension Management is set up for better filtering of small and medium bumps. It offers both normal and sport modes, the latter lowering the car almost half an inch.

The rear end of the C4 is almost two inches wider to give it a distinct look, as does a light stretching the width of the back end between the taillights. While the front tires are the same 235/40ZR-18s as on the coupe, the rears have 295/35s on 18-inch wheels on the C4 and honkin' 305/30ZR-19s on the C4S.

Our first drive was on two-lane country roads in what used to be called East Germany. Most had smooth new pavement. However, some of the surfaces were horribly skewed cobblestones and nestled blocks. The C4 we drove first sailed over them with dignity, absorbing the small and medium bumps just as the engineers promised.

Next, we drove a C4 on what amounted to an auto-cross course improvised on an abandoned Russian airfield now used by Michelin, Mercedes, Audi and Porsche for driver training and R&D. As instructed, we left all safety systems on so that we wouldn't hit anything, though there was precious little out there to hit. Hammering along on a left-right transition, we did get the back end to start moving outbound once. The PASM, PTM and PSM immediately went to work to get the car back in line. It might have taken longer than the advertised 0.1 second, maybe 0.2 or 0.3. But it was never scary. Not like those old 911s.

There was--again as promised--no hint of forced understeer caused by the front diff closing up, no matter how badly we overdrove into corners. Nor was there any wheelslip from the rears powering out of tight bends. We couldn't detect torque transfer from front to rear, except that it seemed to work quickly enough to keep the car in line.

We did notice some of the same roll of the body and lift at the front end that we noticed the last time we drove a Porsche Turbo, despite the new internal spring meant to counteract this phenomenon. The suspension guy later promised that the company was "working on this."

We got a chance to try the new Launch Control feature on a long runway, switching it on, flooring the brake, flooring the gas, lifting off the brake and--whoosh!--launching down the runway as if taking off. This function works better than any other we've tried.

Then we drove a different C4 on a faster, more open road course and enjoyed the car even more. Purists and ultrapurists still will miss the riveting connection to the ground offered by the old 993 Porsche of 10 years ago. There are many who pine for that car deeply and daily. What might be bump steer to some is excellent road feel to others. This new car is more refined, Porsche engineers assured us, providing more of what you want and less of what you don't want. Who's to say?

Our last drive was in, finally, the more powerful C4S. Suffice it to say that if you have the money, you will almost certainly be happier in the C4S, with all of its extra horsepower and torque pouring on in gobs across the burly tach.

The Carrera 4 and 4S go on sale Oct. 25, priced from $81,700 for the "base" coupe to $102,900 for a C4S cabrio. The C4 will join the C2 and the Targa in showrooms for what your dealer might call "acres and acres" of 911s. It's a buyer's market, full of choices. So, go choose.

SPECS

ON SALE: Oct. 25
BASE PRICE: $81,700
DRIVETRAIN: 345-hp, 287-lb-ft H6; AWD, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT: 3,241 lb
0-100 KM/HR: 5.0 sec (mfr)
FUEL ECONOMY: 23 mpg (est)