Road Test
Porsche 911 3.6 Carrera
Test date 13 August 2008
Price as tested £63,070
For Scorching performance, relatively good economy, handling, PDK gearbox
AgainstRoad noise, poor paddle shift design, interior finish looks too cheap
No car today has benefited from such consistent and dogged improvement as the Porsche 911. It is nearly four years since the latest 997 iteration emerged, and although still a hugely competitive car with few direct challengers, these latest improvements amount to more than light titivation.
But that’s what you might initially think; only LED running lights, larger front air intakes, redesigned door mirrors, bi-xenon headlamps and new wheel designs identify the exterior of this latest iteration.
The big change lies beneath the bootlid, where a new direct-injection flat six delivers sharper performance and usefully improved economy.
Carbon dioxide emissions fall too, as Porsche tackles one of the biggest challenges facing it today (its model range is nowhere near the 130g/km CO2 corporate fleet average demanded by the EU for 2012).
There are detail improvements besides, but the other big news is the availability of a seven-speed double-clutch transmission in place of the five-speed Tiptronic; it’s this model we test here.
This latest 911 is a mid-life evolution of the 997 series launched in 2004. Unrelenting development has been the key to the 911’s success; it’s a major reason why this 45-year-old design continues to be such a successful sports car.
It might have gained a reputation as the favoured mount of the newly monied, but this is a car with more engineering substance than virtually any other.
Your Say
Comments: 10 Join the discussion