Review: 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S
by Michael Harley on Jan 21st 2009 at 11:58AM 
A 1980 Porsche 911 SC Targa was deposited in my driveway during the spring of 1999. A good friend left it in my care while a contractor remodeled his garage. I'd never driven a Porsche, let alone a 911, but I would tend his car for three full months. With a 3.0-liter flat-6 hung way out back, the 180-horsepower engine was noisy, its open chassis flexible, and the whole thing smelled like dirty motor oil. Regardless of its rudimentary technology and semi-backwards handling tendencies, it was an absolute challenging thrill to drive. One decade later, déjà vu, as a brand-new 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S is sitting in the driveway. A direct descendant of the classic SC, it represents the pinnacle of Porsche engineering and the latest iteration of the rear-engine sports car. A week with the car reveals some surprises, exposes a few pitfalls, and confirms many theories. Read about all of them after the jump...
All photos Copyright © 2009 Michael C. Harley / Weblogs, Inc.
The increased fun of the "S" model starts at $86,200. If you reside in a part of the country that experiences actual weather, or you just happen to like four paws clawing for grip instead of two, the German automaker offers the Carrera in all-wheel-drive guise ("C4"). The full-time performance-oriented AWD system carries a roughly $6,000 premium over the rear-wheel drive model, along with a weight penalty of about 130 pounds. All but transparent in operation, the electronically-controlled system is able to send 100 percent of the engine power to either axle, depending on where it is needed.
Dipped in Porsche "Racing Green Metallic" paint over full "Sand Beige" leather, our 2009 911 Carrera 4S ("C4S") was a real looker. Compared to the standard rear-wheel drive model, the C4S features a red reflector strip between the tail lamps and a nearly two-inch wider rear end. Those fat fenders struggle to hide the massive 11x19-inch rear alloys wrapped in 305/30-19 rubber (front tires are 235/35-19). The classic Porsche lines still remain, even more than four decades after the first 911 rolled off the assembly line. Our all-wheel drive vehicle had a base price of $92,300. Nearly a dozen options (including power comfort seats, XM radio, Bose stereo, and the "You gotta smell this car" full leather package) ratcheted up the tab to $102,855 (including destination). Without a doubt, that is some serious coin regardless of your economic stature.
Cost aside, the iconic Porsche 911 remains the only production vehicle on the market with its engine hanging out beyond the rear wheels. In early 911s, the placement of the powerplant made for very interesting moments if the throttle was dumped mid-corner (Google "911 snap oversteer"). These days, the Germans have massaged, tweaked, and tuned the wild beast into a docile pussycat even in the hands of an inexperienced driver. Don't assume this means Porsche has gone soft. The Carrera 4S will perform as eagerly on a race track as it will during your morning commute.
The 3.8-liter engine buried in the 911's backside may "only" be a flat-6, but any doubt about its masculinity is instantly dismissed once it runs through the swept range of its tachometer. Thanks to excellent pedal placement and a willing transmission, shifts are light, quick, and very accurate. Clutch out with the right pedal to the floor and the Carrera pulls strongly and smoothly up to redline. The sound is pure Porsche mechanical synchronicity – never to be mistaken for the growl of a V8, or a turbine-smooth V12. While a front-engine vehicle sings in stereo (mechanical notes from the front, exhaust notes from the rear), the 911 is monophonic in delivery. All of its audible notes permeate the cabin from behind your spine and work their way up to your ears. The sound of the engine at redline is both enjoyable and enslaving.
All Carrera S models are fitted with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) suspension. Think of the standard suspension as being fixed on a medium setting. The PASM system allows the damping in "Normal" mode to be soft and in "Sport" mode to be firm (along with lowering the car by nearly half-an-inch). Overall, it rides very well without the harshness often associated with most sport suspensions. Unless you find yourself on the grid at your local race circuit, there really isn't a dire need to switch to "Sport" mode, as the intelligent system will immediately stiffen things up if it senses emergency maneuvers, heavy braking, or aggressive driving.
Porsche's "Big Red" brakes are standard on the S models too. The huge 4-piston calipers clamp down on meaty 13-inch cross-drilled and ventilated rotors front and rear. With the vehicle's mass hung optimally low over the rear wheels, braking hunches the car down immediately with expected results. Some cars can brake really hard once or twice before the pedal goes soft, but with stability control and anti-lock assist, the 911 C4S decelerates like it has snagged an arrester cable on the deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson. There is no such thing as fade.
Enjoyed on the same mountain roads as the Porsche Cayman S and the Nissan GT-R, the Carrera C4S eagerly dances from corner to corner with aplomb. Sophisticated electronics divided the available traction to effectively blot out nearly all full-throttle wheel spin (as if tire slippage were possible with most of the weight over those two steamrollers in the rear). Under the hardest braking, with the inertia reels in the seatbelts locked by sheer force, the sticky Michelin Pilots only hint at ABS threshold. The non-intrusive traction control system (nearly always left on) allows a joyous amount of fun before it shuts down the party.
Surprisingly, the 3,263-pound C4S feels much lighter and smaller the harder it is pushed (the stout GT-R edges 3,900 pounds at the scales). The weight penalty of the all-wheel drive system seems to disappear as the pace increases. It's not as tossable as a Cayman or a Boxster (their mid-engine balance and lighter curb weight take it by more than a nose), but the 911 edges out its siblings with pure brute strength when it really matters. Compared to the GT-R, the all-wheel drive system of the C4S is nearly transparent (you can feel the front wheels clawing at the pavement in the GT-R). The machinery and computer wizardry of the Nissan overwhelm the driving experience, while the Porsche lets the occupant of the front left seat make the delicate decisions. The Nissan GT-R is faster and ultimately more agile, but for this pilot, the Carrera is more involving and much more rewarding to drive.
The Porsche is also more accommodating. The front seats are very supportive and comfortable, and this 6'-2" 195-pound frame had more than enough head and legroom in the cabin. The cockpit of the Cayman and 911 are very similar (think family... like the Boeing 757 and 777 jetliners), but the flagship 911 is slightly roomier, less claustrophobic overall, and it is fitted with a more comprehensive instrument panel. The quality of materials, from the stitching on the leather to the Alcantera headliner, is first-rate and worthy of a vehicle in this price bracket.
The view from the driver's seat is excellent. Unlike most sports coupes, outward visibility from a 911 has always been strong point, and the latest 997-generation is no exception. An upright seating position, large windows, and exterior mirrors with a slight convex curve offer a commanding view of the outside world. Backing up, with that huge rear end, would be easier with a parking-assist system (optional, but not fitted to our test car). It is worth noting that Porsche's HID headlights on the C4S are some of the best we have ever experienced. Superior illumination, with locomotive-worthy high beams, these units turned night to day as we drove home across the Mojave from our desert photo shoot.
Pushed into family service, the 2009 Porsche Carrera C4S does exceedingly well. Most 2+2 press fleet coupes end up staying at home during family outings for meals or soccer tournaments. The Carrera C4S attended all of them, with style. The rear seats accommodate two children (in this case, 4- and 10-years-old) with elbow room to spare. The kids liked it, but no legal-age significant other will sit back there while still breathing. The front trunk is large enough to swallow up a decent-sized carry-on suitcase or several cases of beer, but not both. Larger items may be stowed in the back, with the small seatbacks folded forward. Overall, the Carrera offers a surprising amount of utility for its size.
No, the Porsche 911 is not the perfect sports car for everyone. In fact, it is very easy for naysayers to immediately point to the rear of the 911 and question what that powerplant is doing back there. Front-engine placement offers much better overall packaging, while a mid-engine vehicle arguably handles better. That age-old rear-engine configuration is partly responsible for the intrusive road noise in the cabin and the lack of room for additional cylinders under the rear decklid, but who really cares? Do fighter pilots moan about the deafening roar of their F-16 jets, or feel embarrassed because they only have one engine when nearly everyone else has two?
This enthusiast took his first sip of Porsche's Kool-Aid when that 1980 911 SC arrived in the driveway nearly a decade ago. The primitive rear-engine bliss lasted just ninety days before my friend arrived to retrieve it. The 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S faithfully matches the salivary gratification of its predecessor, but thirty years of engineering has made the brew vastly more powerful, unquestionably more refined, and far safer. There are arguably much better (and less expensive) drinks out there, but that P-Car nectar still remains one of the sweetest on the shelf.
All photos Copyright © 2009 Michael C. Harley / Weblogs, Inc.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
TurboPanzer 12:04PM (1/21/2009)
Sweet car!! Enough said.
Reply
Jared 1:21PM (1/21/2009)
Is it true if you raise the handbrake 1 click in these, it disables the FWD portion?
Quattroporte 2:27PM (1/21/2009)
@Jared
In four wheel drive models with PDK, yes, but not manuals.
TurboPanzer 2:36PM (1/21/2009)
Jared & Quattroporte: Apparently so, but it might only work if you get the Sports Chrono package. Don't quote me on that though.
Mursin 12:06PM (1/21/2009)
One beautiful car, i love that ass on the 911
Reply
TurboPanzer 12:07PM (1/21/2009)
Oh but get ready for the usual douchebag comments such as:
"it looks different?"
"but it's 40 years old!!"
"engine's at the wrong place."
"Porsche designers are the laziest in the world."
"it's overpriced POS. Gimme a (the name of the car you're a total fanboy of) instead."
Reply
tupark 12:31PM (1/21/2009)
This overpriced POS looks different? it looks the same as it did 40 years ago, with its engine in the wrong place. must be because the porsche designers are the laziest int he world. Gimme a datsun 510 instead!
Christian 12:33PM (1/21/2009)
They ARE overpriced. They were eclipsed by other top marques YEARS ago. The fact that a GT500 was as fast in the Lightning Lap as a 911 Turbo (07), and the wanky little Datsun GTR is as fast on the 'Ring tells you about all about all you need to know about Porsche's supposed automotive prowess.
How do they respond? A Porsche station wagon for 6 figures. Hilarious.
rocco 1:14PM (1/21/2009)
said by the guy who has never driven one. Drive a Porsche before you bash it, or quote a lot of idiotic magazine articles.
now ferraris---they are overpriced.
Geeky1 1:34PM (1/21/2009)
Christian:
Drive one.
You make a valid point, but I think you've missed the mark with it. I've owned/driven a whole host of high performance automobiles, some of them faster than the 911 C4S. But none of them drive the way a 911 does. The way the Porsche goes down the road, the way it responds in a corner, is totally unlike any other car I've driven; the only thing I can compare it to is a go-kart, and that doesn't really adequately describe it. You need to drive a 911 to understand it.
If you can drive the car and walk away bored by it and thoroughly unimpressed, more power to you. There are, as you point out, a number of cars on the market that cost less and perform better. But as I pointed out, none of them will feel like a 911. And for some people, that fact alone renders your (completely valid) point utterly irrelevant.
TurboPanzer 3:03PM (1/21/2009)
tupark & Christian: You two forgot to sign in on the guestbook of the Douchebag Club.
Christian: I don't ever recall a production-based Mustang or GTR winning races outright such as the Daytona 24 hours or the Dakar Rally. I can't seem to find proof on that, can you help me find such facts? Umkaythxbye.
Valentino Amoro 3:15PM (1/21/2009)
Geeky,
I've drive both the 911 (997) and Boxster.
The Elise of Mini S feel like Go carts. Those dont.
Agreed with Christian, the Porsches are just overpriced machines that folks by for the Pedigree and Brand name.
Christian 5:06PM (1/21/2009)
Uhhhh, the 996 and 997 have been owned by both BMW and Mustang for pretty much all of 2005-2008 in Grand-Am/Koni Challenge. Mustang won the triple crown (team, driver manufacturer) in 05 and 08. That's spec racing, production frame, body, transmission, and production-based engine and suspension.
A production-based Porsche hasn't won a 24h race outright for years and years
Good try tho.
My friend has a 911T4 (07). Nice car, but that money? lol.
Geeky1 5:09PM (1/21/2009)
Valentino:
I haven't driven the Elise, and I haven't driven a Mini any
appreciable distance. If the opportunity presents itself, I certainly
intend to, although neither one is a car that I have any desire to
own, for various reasons.
I don't doubt that both of them feel more like go-karts than the 911
does. The 911 is also a much heavier car. It feels much more agile,
in my opinion, than say, the Corvette Z06 (which weighs about the
same) does.
Again; your point is valid to an extent but to say that these cars
have nothing going for them beyond the heritage associated with the
brand is ignorant. Willfully so, if you've driven one. They're not my
kind of car right now either, to be perfectly honest; the Carrera
S/C4S is more money than I want to spend on my next car and is too
slow, I don't want a Turbo (used, obviously), and the GT3 (also used,
of course), as far as I've been given to understand, becomes a
miserable little car if you press it into serving as a daily driver.
AND you have to be a quadruple jointed monkey to work on them. But
they're still credible-if expensive-performance cars and to discount
them as anything less is, in my estimation, out of ignorance or
willful subjectivity (read: idiocy) in your analysis.
TurboPanzer 11:36PM (1/21/2009)
@Christian
Koni Challenge? Is that the best you can do? One of the most inconsequential and the least watched out of many North American racing series. I'm willing to bet if you go ask 10 people out in the streets what "Koni Challenge" is, maybe 1 or 2 people will say they've "heard of it," if you're lucky.
Speaking of a racing series that people actually know and pay attention to, Porsche won the SCCA Pro Racing Speed World Challenge (Speed GT Championship for short) overall in manufacturer and driver points standing. Here's a link to show your beloved Mustang sitting in second place, behind the Porsche 911 GT3 that you disliked so much. http://www.world-challenge.com/events/points.php
And ALMS (that's American Le Mans Series for you), the 911 GT3 RSR also won the GT2-class championship in manufacturer, team AND driver point standings.
"A production-based Porsche hasn't won a 24h race outright for years and years"
This just showed how ignorant and hateful you are towards a damn car. Or maybe you just weren't paying attention, aside from the Koni Challenge that no one else watches.
A 911 GT3RS won the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona OUTRIGHT in 2003, that's OVERALL, or IN FRONT of all the faster prototypes, in case you don't understand.
And this is just RECENTLY, the 911 GT3 won the 24 hours of Nurburgring OVERALL in 2008, 3 years in a roll in fact. You know, the Nurburgring? The place where your beloved Datsun is testing the car at?
My point is, if you don't like the 911, that's fine by me. But calling it an "overpriced POS" because you can't afford one is just hating, as simple as that. Price/value is purely subjective, and what's seemingly overpriced to you is "money well spent" to someone else.
Just get your head out of your behind and think about what I said. Seriously.
Have a good one. :)
TurboPanzer 12:04AM (1/22/2009)
@Valentino
"Porsches are just overpriced machines that folks by for the Pedigree and Brand name."
Well based on your assumption, same can be said for the Elise/Exige, and even more so for the Mini (I assume you're referring to the BMW Mini, not the classic Austin Mini). If it's true that people buy Porsches just for the pedigree or brand name, then what makes you think buying a modern Lotus or Mini is actually okay since there's NO PEDIGREE whatsoever from those two?
If it were back in the days, then it makes sense since Lotus used to do actual racing, but not anymore. Granted that the Lotus guys always produce/tune wonderful cars even to this day, but then they stop short of actually PROVING their cars' worth on the race tracks, where winning and reputation and proving its performance and reliability actually matter. Since all that translates back into the road-going cars that you purchase and drive.
This is why a Porsche is rather expensive, because whatever its engineers/designers put into its cars are PROVEN in the most extreme of scenarios (racing, rally, etc), just so you can be sure that the car can survive a mere pothole.
Compare to the cars from Ferrari, a Porsche is a steal!!
Christian 1:05PM (1/22/2009)
All that TurboPanzer has proven is that he's a certified Porsche fanboy.
Please explain why Porsche got owned in a production series against "lesser" marques BMW and Mustang for 4 straight seasons. Inconsequential? lol. Why then is Mopar and Chev putting their new muscle cars to work in the series? Why is BMW debuting the new M3? So no one can watch? Its a highly lucrative support series for Rolex Series.
Everyone knows SCCA is a Porsche race, they are nearly all Porsches. Same with ALMS GT2 class. lol Its a one-car class.
As for GT3 wins, i think you are a little liberal with your interpretation of "production-based". Does that include that race transaxle, bored out non-production motor, and tube frame construction? Please, we both know then the "production based" Astons and Vettes are way, way faster.
TurboPanzer 4:04PM (1/22/2009)
Which also proves Christian is an anti-Porsche fanboy, or just a Mustang/Datsun fanboy. Am I correct? Although you're not "certified", since you have no idea what you're talking about, as my previous reply to you had proven.
"Please explain why Porsche got owned in a production series against "lesser" marques BMW and Mustang for 4 straight seasons."
Maybe because the teams running the Porsches didn't have a stellar driver lineup? Since, you know, the drivers make up for the other half of what a car can do?
"Why then is Mopar and Chev putting their new muscle cars to work in the series?"
Shouldn't they be doing that, like, earlier? Mopar and Chevy also race their cars in SCCA and Speed GT series too, you know. But hey, it's fine if you choose to ignore that.
"So no one can watch? Its a highly lucrative support series for Rolex Series."
You just answered your own question there. It's a "support" series, to "fill in" time for the actual Rolex Sports Car Series that people pay to watch.
"Everyone knows SCCA is a Porsche race, they are nearly all Porsches."
Wow, seems like your level of ignorance has yet to reach bottom. Take a look at this, and then come back and tell me "they are nearly all Porsches."
http://www.world-challenge.com/files/competitors/2008_GT_Appendix_A_Ver_10.pdf
"Same with ALMS GT2 class. lol Its a one-car class."
Man, do you even watch ALMS? I have a feeling you don't, since you don't know shit. Aside from Porsche, there're also Ferrari F430, Panoz, and Spyker. This year will be even more exciting with Corvette, Aston Martin and BMW. But continue to watch your Koni "support" series, that is if you actually watch racing at all.
Dan L 8:42PM (1/22/2009)
Mustangs in Koni Challenge are factory backed tube framed race cars. The 911s are privateer off the shelf production-based GT3 RSRs. Same goes for Grand Am GT races... the Pontiacs tend to dominate because the share nothing but the shape with production cars (and they're factory backed). They even move the driver/engine towards the back in those cars. Again the 911s are all privateers... mostly "gentleman" racers.
Money wins those race, and the factory teams spend more, straight up.
TurboPanzer 10:23PM (1/22/2009)
@Dan L: Thanks for the info, very interesting to know. I guess "you learn something new everyday."
And please don't mind the hatoraid-drinking troll of a Mustang fanboy. I had submitted a comprehensive and factual response to his last reply a while ago, but AB's server didn't add the comment maybe because it was too long. Or too much facts, which will overload the hater.
Ah well, not really worth my time to get it working.