Facelifts are usually minor midlife nip and tucks. Nothing too dramatic. But not in the case of the Porsche 911.
Its latest revision entails noticeable changes to the body, engine and transmission.
Cosmetically, the new generation 911 is hard to miss for its ultra-bright LED pilot lamps. Like in the 911 Turbo, they are situated on the airdam and are built to run in the daytime as well.
The already sleek bodywork gets aerodynamic tweaks that increase airflow for engine cooling while reducing overall drag.
The 911's engine line-up has been revised to meet stricter emission standards.
The engines are newly designed, easier to build and made more robust to accommodate higher power output.
The 3.6-litre and 3.8-litre flat-sixes push out 345bhp (20bhp extra) and 385bhp (30bhp extra) respectively.
Porsche engineers have also managed to lower fuel consumption and CO2 emission by 15 to 16 per cent in the process, thanks to direct fuel injection. More carmakers are adopting direct injection to meet emission standards as well as to maintain decent fuel economy.
The new engines rev freely, thanks to lighter rotating internal masses. The redline is now 7,500rpm, from 7,300rpm before.
The most dramatic change, however, must be the new PDK transmission. PDK is Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe - Porsche-speak for a slick dual-clutch gearbox that will supersede its long-established Tiptronic system.
First popularised by Volkswagen, dual-clutch transmission is hailed as having the best of automatics and manuals.
So much so that Porsche reckons its diehard manual fans will opt for PDK cars.
PDK also contributes to improvement in economy and emission numbers. But most importantly for Porsche buyers, it bumps up performance as the system is said to be 60 per cent quicker than Tiptronic.
Porsche's version has a novel feature: Sport-Plus mode, which is best suited for track or fast road use. In this mode, the PDK shifts only at the redline.
With PDK, Porsche gets seven cogs in its cars for the first time. Its first gear is lower for more powerful take-off, and an overdriven seventh for economy.
Also for the first time, there is a proper launch control feature. With it, the car will consistently achieve a 0-100kmh time of 4.5 seconds - beating the manual version by 0.2 seconds and the old Tiptronic S by 0.8 seconds.
It may have taken some time for Porsche to adopt the dual-clutch gearbox, but it said it wanted to be sure the box could endure the rigours of high-performance sporty driving. Its challenge now would be to match it with the monstrous 911 Turbo.
Driving the new 911 Carrera and Carerra S revealed that they have both moved up the performance scale.
The 345bhp Carrera matches the outgoing Carrera S, and the new 385bhp Carrera S matches the previous one with the Power Pack option.
With prices expected to be just slightly higher than those for the previous cars, the new generation 911s look very tempting indeed.
PORSCHE 911 CARRERA S
Price: To be announced
Engine: 3,800cc 32-valve flat-6
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch semi-automatic
Power: 385bhp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 420Nm at 4,400rpm
0-100kmh: 4.5 seconds
Top speed: 300kmh
Fuel consumption: 15.3 litres/100km (city)
Agent: Stuttgart Auto
This article was first published in The Straits Times on 28 June, 2008
