Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S (2009-) Review

On the road

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It's pretty hard to fault the new Porsche 911 Carrera. Both engines offer plenty of grunt throughout the rev range. The 340bhp 3.6 engine on the standard 4 rasps away while you watch the scenery scorch past. Get in the 379bhp 3.8 and it's an incitement to riot.

Both cars have impressive performance stats: with the PDK and launch control, the Carrera 4 will take you from 0-60mph in 4.6 seconds and all the way to 175mph, while the S will achieve that in 4.3 seconds and top out at 184mph.

If you are talking torque, the standard car delivers a maximum 287lb-ft at a 4,400rpm and the produces S 310lb-ft. Throttle response is sharp and engaging, which makes the whole experience not just entertaining, but exhilarating.

As you enter a corner you can feel the four-wheel-drive system moving the torque from the rear to the front, which means you can take the turns with supreme confidence. There's an astounding level of grip but it's not sterile either. Everywhere, the car is incredibly well balanced and even if you're a little too urgent, the traction control will help straighten things out. It's not too intrusive either, almost adding to the driving pleasure.

You get almost no body lean and you might expect that stiffness in corners to yield a jittery or bumpy ride, but the 911 is surprisingly compliant and composed, even on the most uneven of road surfaces.

Steering is direct and quick, although we still found the gearchange a little unwieldy at times, which you get used to. However, this might tempt you into shelling out £2,338 for the PDK automatic gearbox - and when you consider that the seven-speed auto shifts 60% faster than a conventional automatic you could conclude that the auto, with its paddleshift gearchange, is worth the extra outlay.

There's little to complain about behind the wheel: the brakes are smooth and unflustered with more than enough stopping power to reassure you, but you might find the clutch pedal a fraction heavy, which can irritate if you are spending a lot of time in stop/start traffic.