Porsche 911 3.8 Carrera 4S first drive

What is it?

As tradition dictates, the four-wheel driven versions of the 911 have received the same mid-life makeover as the standard Carrera and Carrera S.

The new car is pitched as being both better to drive and more efficient, with impressively low consumption and emission figures considering the performance on offer.

Now it Those familiar with the stylistic changes Porsche has brought to the 911 Carrera will have little trouble recognising the reworked Carrera 4. Along with limited number of standard visual updates –sculptured daytime running lights up front and reshaped LED tail lamps at the rear, it also carries an added reflector strip along the trailing edge of the engine lid as well as an extra 44mm of width in the rear wheel arches.

The new Carrera S now sports a high pressure direct injection system for its evergreen 3.8-litre six cylinder boxer engine, which kicks out a gutsy 385bhp and 310lb ft – an increase of 30bhp and 15lb ft.

Buyers also get the choice of either the six-speed manual gearbox carried straight over from the previous 911, or a new, spectacularly efficient seven-speed double clutch unit with remote shift buttons on the steering wheel and a launch start mode.

It is further along the driveline, however, where Porsche has focused much of its engineering efforts with the new 911 Carrera 4. In line with the developments brought to the 911 Turbo, the new car adopts a multi-plate clutch four-wheel drive system.

Called Porsche Traction Management (PTM) and replacing the viscous coupling arrangement in use since 1989, it is capable of apportioning up to 100 per cent of the drive to either the front or rear wheels and, on the S, comes in combination with a standard locking differential on the rear axle.

What’s it like?

The difference on the road is subtle but noticeable. At 1470kg, the new Porsche 911 Carrera 4S carries an extra 20kg over the car it replaces. However, those added engine reserves and even greater traction ensures performance is more impressive than ever. With the optional SportChrono system enhancing the throttle mapping, the 4S is claimed to storm from 0-62mph in just 4.3sec and hit 185mph flat out – pushing it within 0.4sec and 20km/h of the mighty 911 Turbo.

The driving experience is enhanced, too. There’s a more even weighting to the steering, which in combination with a smoother and faster apportioning of power between the front and rear wheels and the locking effect of the limited slip differential promotes supreme confidence.

On undulating B-roads the Carrera 4S feels terrifically well planted and equally as agile as its recently facelifted rear-wheel-drive siblings, although there’s more understeer as you edge up to the car’s limit. It’s equally rewarding to just slot the gearbox into drive and flow along with the traffic; the breadth of ability is quite astonishing.

It is not all roses, though. While we have no qualms with the rapid and highly efficient way Porsche’s new double clutch gearbox channels drive to each corner, the remote shift buttons are too big and get in the way when you wind on a meaningful amount of lock. They also seem to be back to front: Instead of having the upshift buttons on the face of the wheel and the downshift ones on the back, it would make more sense to have them the other way around.