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

Comfort and Equipment

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The new Porsche 911 Carrera is surprisingly comfortable: the standard seats adjust in six directions so there's plenty of flexibility for drivers of all shapes and sizes. You can opt for sports seats or 'comfort' seats that are adjustable in 12 different directions, with an additional a memory facility.

The driving position is almost perfect: you are set down but you do get a proper view of the road ahead, although rear visibility is compromised. The sidewalls on the seats are a bit intrusive and even at their widest setting you do feel a bit hemmed-in, which can be a problem for the more portly among us.

You do get plenty of support, though, and even after an hour or so of driving you can step out of your 911 still feeling pretty fresh.

New ventilated seats - useful on long journeys and in hot weather - are available as an option. These incorporate a separate fan in the seat bottom and in the backrest and there are three levels of adjustment.

The ride isn't harsh, and even on the Sport setting with the suspension firmed up, the 911 manages to absorb the lumps on the road with grace and dignity.

It's well kitted out too: all new versions of the 911 Carrera feature Start-Off Assistant, which means you can perform hill starts without even having to pull the handbrake.

Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), which means you can lower the entire chassis by 20 millimetres for a sportier drive, is featured as standard on the S and available as an option on the basic versions. Tyre pressure monitoring is also available as an option.

The new 911 comes as standard with bi-xenon headlamps, whereas active front lights that change direction to follow the path the car are optional.

The audio and communication system features an even larger touchscreen and it is much easier to use than the previous system with half the number of control buttons. You can upgrade to include a navigation module with a fully integrated 40GB hard disc, a telephone module complete with Bluetooth interface and voice recognition and iPod connectivity.