Porsche 911 Carrera 4 to debut at Paris Motor Show

The new 991 generation Porsche 911 will receive its all-wheel drive variant later this year after the new Carrera 4 makes its first public appearance at the Paris Motor Show this coming September. A total of four AWD variants of the 911 will be available – the Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S, each offered in Coupe and Cabriolet bodystyles.

Beyond their abilities to send power to the front, the 4 and 4S are said to be virtually identical to their RWD counterparts, namely the Carrera and Carrera S respectively. Sharp eyes, however, will notice the wider rear wheel arches, extending 22mm further outward compared to the RWD models. The rear tyres themselves are 10mm wider.

Slung over their respective rear ends are Porsche’s renowned flat-six engines displacing 3.4 and 3.8 litres, both naturally aspirated. Standard transmission for all variants is the new 7-speed manual transmission. The PDK dual clutch gearbox is available as an option, although we anticipate that Malaysia-bound units will receive this transmission as standard fit.

Smaller of the two motors go to the Carrera 4, with 350hp on tap propelling the Coupe version to a 4.5-second century sprint, with a further 0.2 seconds needed for the Cabriolet. The Coupe has a rated top speed of 285kph, with official fuel consumption at 8.6 l/100km, and carbon dioxide emissions at 203 g/km. For the Cabriolet, the same set of figures read 282kph, 8.7 l/100km and 205 g/km.

Meanwhile, the bigger 3,800cc motor of the Carrera 4S churns out 400hp to enable a 4.1-second demolition of the century spring by the Coupe version en route to a 299kph v-max. Fuel consumption is rated at 9.1 l/100km, with CO₂ emission of 215 g/km. The Cabriolet hits 100kph in 4.3 seconds and maxes out at 296kph, consuming 9.2 l/100km and emitting 217 g/km of CO₂ along the way.

Complementing the AWD system in the new 4 and 4S variants is a selectable display on the instrument cluster illustrating the actual distribution of torque to all-wheel drive system. A rather cool feature, we think. Other features to take note, some of them optional, would be Adaptive Cruise Control, Porsche Active Safe auto braking, sliding glass sun roof, and Sport Chrono Pack.

Since 2008, Porsche has sold a total of 24,000 all-paw 911s have been sold, accounting for 34% of the previous model’s total sales (facelift variant). After its first public appearance in Paris, Porsche will officially launch the new 911 Carrera 4 and 4S towards the end of 2012.

KON