Feature
First Look: 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S
Midcycle Update Brings Twin-Clutch Gearbox
You don't hang around for 45 years while perfecting your rare (eccentric?) rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive automotive formula only to get blindsided by a 21st-century technological juggernaut. You are the Porsche 911, and as good as the Audi R8 and Nissan GT-R might be, you are ready for them. Or you will be in the autumn of 2008 anyway.
The 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S bring critical midcycle updates in what will be the fifth year of the 997-generation car. The most important of these is the adoption of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which replaces the former Tiptronic S five-speed automatic. It will be offered side by side with a traditional six-speed manual transmission.
In addition, the 2009 Porsche 911 will also incorporate more powerful, direct-injected versions of the 3.6-liter and 3.8-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder engines. They'll narrow the gap in straight-line acceleration between the 911 and its hugely powerful competition, while also featuring just enough improvement in fuel economy to fend off unsympathetic government regulators for a couple more years.
Revised suspensions promise better ride quality and the optional sports suspension incorporates the company's PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) adaptive damping technology for the first time. There's even fun stuff, like a touchscreen-operated navigation system that's based on a hard drive, a dedicated iPod interface and even ventilated seats. You won't really even have to like driving to like the 2009 Porsche 911.
Twin Clutches
Although we have yet to drive the 2009 Porsche 911 with the company's new twin-clutch automated manual gearbox, we are already fans of the name the company selected: Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK). All it means is "double clutch" in German, but to our American ears, it sounds cooler than that. The Porsche 962 racing car of the 1980s introduced this technology at the end of its life, but Porsche abandoned the concept because of weight and complication.
And while it's hard to imagine a day when we wouldn't want to work the clutch ourselves in a 911, the PDK might make Porsche life rewarding even for the third-pedal-averse. It works like the VW/Audi Direct Shift Gearbox (not to mention the dual-clutch gearbox in the GT-R), wherein you can be accelerating in one gear and have the next gear preselected, so gearchanges take place with minimal interruption in power delivery.
Porsche says the PDK shifts 60 percent faster than the former Tiptronic S automatic. In a 2009 Porsche 911 equipped with the Sports Chrono Package Plus, the PDK is said to deliver even faster response. And in this configuration the PDK incorporates launch control.
Notably, the seven-speed PDK is geared almost identically to the six-speed manual (which itself is basically unchanged for '09), except that 7th gear is an especially tall overdrive ratio. This gives a PDK-equipped 911 a small advantage on the fuel economy front. Porsche estimates the standard 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera with a six-speed manual will return a combined 22.8 mpg on the European test cycle, while the PDK will deliver 24 mpg. On the S, you're looking at 22.1 mpg with the regular manual transmission and 23.1 mpg with the PDK.
Both transmissions have a hill-holder feature this year to keep you from rolling back when starting on inclines. That could be handy. Or you could just learn how to drive.
More encouraging is the fact that both are compatible with the 2009 Porsche 911's optional limited-slip differential — something you could only get previously on the Porsche GT2 and Porsche GT3.
More Power, More Torque
Porsche says that new rear limited slip locks up to 22 percent under power (27 percent on the overrun). You'll put it to good use on both the 2009 911 Carrera and Carrera S, because both the 3.6-liter and the 3.8-liter sixes are making significantly more horsepower and torque. Although both get a new intake manifold and a new exhaust system this year, the adoption of direct injection is a much larger part of the reason for the increase.
Not only does direct injection make for more efficient and complete combustion — which is good for both fuel economy and emissions — it keeps the intake charge cooler. As a result, Porsche has been able to specify a higher compression ratio, now 12.5:1 compared to 11.8:1 last year.
As a result, the base 911 Carrera's 3.6-liter, horizontally opposed six-cylinder is now making 345 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 287 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm, which is up from 325 hp at 6,800 and 273 lb-ft at 4,250 in 2008. If you pair this engine with the PDK, Porsche says you're looking at 4.5 seconds to 60 mph, a couple tenths quicker than the car would be with the manual. Add the Sports Chrono Package Plus, and the company's acceleration estimate drops to 4.3.
The 3.8-liter engine in the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S offers 379 hp at 6,500 rpm and 310 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm, versus 355 hp at 6,600 and 295 lb-ft at 4,600 in '08. This still pales in comparison to the GT-R's totals (480 hp, 430 lb-ft), but bear in mind that the entry-level members of the 911 family are 700-800 pounds lighter than the R35 (GT-R). That weight advantage won't necessarily translate to a level playing field, but it might be hard not to enjoy a 911 Carrera S with a top speed of 188 mph. Porsche says a PDK-equipped 911 Carrera S coupe will hit 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, or 4.1 with the Sports Chrono option.
For 2009, the Porsche 911 engine also has been substantially revised. It's both lighter and stronger thanks to a switch from the former four-piece crankcase to a simpler, lighter two-piece crankcase with integrated crankshaft bearings. In addition, the new design features a closed-deck block, which improves cooling. The dimensions of bore and stroke for these engines have changed fractionally, but the same overall displacement remains. Porsche engineers also altered the camshaft profiles by switching to lighter, smaller-diameter tappets, allowing them to increase maximum engine speed from 7,300 to 7,500 rpm.
Smoother Ride, More PASM
Porsche has evidently been hearing from whiny 997 owners, because the company says it has devoted considerable attention to smoothing out the ride quality of both the base 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera and the S.
Both models see revisions to the springs, dampers and antiroll bars for both the coupe and cabriolet body styles. In addition, the standard Carrera has been fitted with an additional stop spring up front and in back to improve compliance. The 911 Carrera S, which has the PASM setup as standard, sees revisions in a similar vein.
More interesting to us is the integration of PASM with the 911's optional sports suspension, which formerly used conventional dampers. If you check off this option, your 2009 Porsche 911 will sit 0.79 inch closer to the pavement. Porsche helpfully notes that you'll be able to combine the sport suspension with the limited-slip differential and either transmission.
Of course, there will be all sorts of attractive optional wheels to spend your money on as well, but from a functional standpoint, the standard 18-inch rear wheels on the 911 Carrera are wider this year — 10.5 inches compared to 10 inches last year — which means the 265/40ZR18 rear tires can put a slightly more stable footprint on the road.
Porsche has also fiddled with the tire compounds for '09, and the company says the tire-pressure monitoring system is more accurate, too. Apparently, it will show updated psi readings within 3 minutes of air being added to the tires.
Bigger Brakes, Better Lighting
Although both 911s see improvements to their brake cooling measures for 2009, only the base 911 Carrera coupe and cabriolet get a completely new brake system.
Larger, thicker cross-drilled rotors are part of the deal. Up front, the Carrera wears 13.0-by-1.3-inch discs, an upgrade over last year's 12.5-by-1.1-inch set. The rear discs are the same diameter as the fronts, though they're only 1.1 inches thick. (Last year the rear rotors were 11.8-by-0.95-inch.) Four-piston monobloc aluminum calipers were used at each corner in '08, but Porsche says the '09 911 will have the same calipers as the 911 Turbo. Of course, you can still order up a larger but lighter set of ceramic composite brakes.
In addition, there's more technology to help you get your 911 Carrera or Carrera S stopped. The Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system now incorporates brake assist and brake system pre-filling, features already offered on the Carrera 4 and 4S models. The latter feature is similar to technology offered on various BMWs. When you abruptly lift off the gas pedal, brake fluid is pumped to the individual wheels, effectively cinching the pads to the rotors in preparation for a hard stop.
And because you never know what time you'll be ready to go for a drive, bi-xenon headlights are finally standard across the board. You'll have to pay extra if you want them to bend through corners with you, though. And the daytime running lights are now LEDs.
A Gentle Modernization
Although there are now some interesting alternatives to the old man of the sports car world, it's not as if the Porsche 911 is seriously falling behind.
The 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe proved slower through corners than the Audi R8, Nissan GT-R and even the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR in our recent Ultimate Performance Car Test, yet the 911's steering feel and overall dynamic refinement were judged best of the group. Other manufacturers might have figured out how to make their cars go faster than a 911 on a road course or a mountain road, but not many are building cars that feel as good while doing it.
At the same time, Porsche has had to make some concessions to the modern era, as even hard-core drivers are beginning to pass on traditional manual transmissions in favor of slick-shifting dual-clutch gearboxes. What's more, impending fuel economy and CO2 legislation in the U.S. and Europe has made it critical for this performance-focused company to find ways to cut fuel consumption without cutting into the fun. At least for 2009 we won't feel the sting of environmental regulation, as the new direct-injected engines should make the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S quicker, with minimal drivability sacrifice.
We could tell you that the new 40GB hard drive and voice-activated, Bluetooth-enabled nav system with real-time traffic updates are overkill in a classic sports car. But we'd be lying. This isn't 1965, and sometimes even when you're really enjoying the drive and the car, you just have to take that phone call.
Pricing starts at $75,600 for the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe with the six-speed manual gearbox, an increase of $2,300 over 2008. The base price on the Carrera S coupe and the standard Carrera cabriolet is $86,200, while the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet comes in at a rich $96,800. Some things never change.
The 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S bring critical midcycle updates in what will be the fifth year of the 997-generation car. The most important of these is the adoption of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which replaces the former Tiptronic S five-speed automatic. It will be offered side by side with a traditional six-speed manual transmission.
In addition, the 2009 Porsche 911 will also incorporate more powerful, direct-injected versions of the 3.6-liter and 3.8-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder engines. They'll narrow the gap in straight-line acceleration between the 911 and its hugely powerful competition, while also featuring just enough improvement in fuel economy to fend off unsympathetic government regulators for a couple more years.
Revised suspensions promise better ride quality and the optional sports suspension incorporates the company's PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) adaptive damping technology for the first time. There's even fun stuff, like a touchscreen-operated navigation system that's based on a hard drive, a dedicated iPod interface and even ventilated seats. You won't really even have to like driving to like the 2009 Porsche 911.
Twin Clutches
Although we have yet to drive the 2009 Porsche 911 with the company's new twin-clutch automated manual gearbox, we are already fans of the name the company selected: Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK). All it means is "double clutch" in German, but to our American ears, it sounds cooler than that. The Porsche 962 racing car of the 1980s introduced this technology at the end of its life, but Porsche abandoned the concept because of weight and complication.
And while it's hard to imagine a day when we wouldn't want to work the clutch ourselves in a 911, the PDK might make Porsche life rewarding even for the third-pedal-averse. It works like the VW/Audi Direct Shift Gearbox (not to mention the dual-clutch gearbox in the GT-R), wherein you can be accelerating in one gear and have the next gear preselected, so gearchanges take place with minimal interruption in power delivery.
Porsche says the PDK shifts 60 percent faster than the former Tiptronic S automatic. In a 2009 Porsche 911 equipped with the Sports Chrono Package Plus, the PDK is said to deliver even faster response. And in this configuration the PDK incorporates launch control.
Notably, the seven-speed PDK is geared almost identically to the six-speed manual (which itself is basically unchanged for '09), except that 7th gear is an especially tall overdrive ratio. This gives a PDK-equipped 911 a small advantage on the fuel economy front. Porsche estimates the standard 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera with a six-speed manual will return a combined 22.8 mpg on the European test cycle, while the PDK will deliver 24 mpg. On the S, you're looking at 22.1 mpg with the regular manual transmission and 23.1 mpg with the PDK.
Both transmissions have a hill-holder feature this year to keep you from rolling back when starting on inclines. That could be handy. Or you could just learn how to drive.
More encouraging is the fact that both are compatible with the 2009 Porsche 911's optional limited-slip differential — something you could only get previously on the Porsche GT2 and Porsche GT3.
More Power, More Torque
Porsche says that new rear limited slip locks up to 22 percent under power (27 percent on the overrun). You'll put it to good use on both the 2009 911 Carrera and Carrera S, because both the 3.6-liter and the 3.8-liter sixes are making significantly more horsepower and torque. Although both get a new intake manifold and a new exhaust system this year, the adoption of direct injection is a much larger part of the reason for the increase.
Not only does direct injection make for more efficient and complete combustion — which is good for both fuel economy and emissions — it keeps the intake charge cooler. As a result, Porsche has been able to specify a higher compression ratio, now 12.5:1 compared to 11.8:1 last year.
As a result, the base 911 Carrera's 3.6-liter, horizontally opposed six-cylinder is now making 345 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 287 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm, which is up from 325 hp at 6,800 and 273 lb-ft at 4,250 in 2008. If you pair this engine with the PDK, Porsche says you're looking at 4.5 seconds to 60 mph, a couple tenths quicker than the car would be with the manual. Add the Sports Chrono Package Plus, and the company's acceleration estimate drops to 4.3.
The 3.8-liter engine in the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S offers 379 hp at 6,500 rpm and 310 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm, versus 355 hp at 6,600 and 295 lb-ft at 4,600 in '08. This still pales in comparison to the GT-R's totals (480 hp, 430 lb-ft), but bear in mind that the entry-level members of the 911 family are 700-800 pounds lighter than the R35 (GT-R). That weight advantage won't necessarily translate to a level playing field, but it might be hard not to enjoy a 911 Carrera S with a top speed of 188 mph. Porsche says a PDK-equipped 911 Carrera S coupe will hit 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, or 4.1 with the Sports Chrono option.
For 2009, the Porsche 911 engine also has been substantially revised. It's both lighter and stronger thanks to a switch from the former four-piece crankcase to a simpler, lighter two-piece crankcase with integrated crankshaft bearings. In addition, the new design features a closed-deck block, which improves cooling. The dimensions of bore and stroke for these engines have changed fractionally, but the same overall displacement remains. Porsche engineers also altered the camshaft profiles by switching to lighter, smaller-diameter tappets, allowing them to increase maximum engine speed from 7,300 to 7,500 rpm.
Smoother Ride, More PASM
Porsche has evidently been hearing from whiny 997 owners, because the company says it has devoted considerable attention to smoothing out the ride quality of both the base 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera and the S.
Both models see revisions to the springs, dampers and antiroll bars for both the coupe and cabriolet body styles. In addition, the standard Carrera has been fitted with an additional stop spring up front and in back to improve compliance. The 911 Carrera S, which has the PASM setup as standard, sees revisions in a similar vein.
More interesting to us is the integration of PASM with the 911's optional sports suspension, which formerly used conventional dampers. If you check off this option, your 2009 Porsche 911 will sit 0.79 inch closer to the pavement. Porsche helpfully notes that you'll be able to combine the sport suspension with the limited-slip differential and either transmission.
Of course, there will be all sorts of attractive optional wheels to spend your money on as well, but from a functional standpoint, the standard 18-inch rear wheels on the 911 Carrera are wider this year — 10.5 inches compared to 10 inches last year — which means the 265/40ZR18 rear tires can put a slightly more stable footprint on the road.
Porsche has also fiddled with the tire compounds for '09, and the company says the tire-pressure monitoring system is more accurate, too. Apparently, it will show updated psi readings within 3 minutes of air being added to the tires.
Bigger Brakes, Better Lighting
Although both 911s see improvements to their brake cooling measures for 2009, only the base 911 Carrera coupe and cabriolet get a completely new brake system.
Larger, thicker cross-drilled rotors are part of the deal. Up front, the Carrera wears 13.0-by-1.3-inch discs, an upgrade over last year's 12.5-by-1.1-inch set. The rear discs are the same diameter as the fronts, though they're only 1.1 inches thick. (Last year the rear rotors were 11.8-by-0.95-inch.) Four-piston monobloc aluminum calipers were used at each corner in '08, but Porsche says the '09 911 will have the same calipers as the 911 Turbo. Of course, you can still order up a larger but lighter set of ceramic composite brakes.
In addition, there's more technology to help you get your 911 Carrera or Carrera S stopped. The Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system now incorporates brake assist and brake system pre-filling, features already offered on the Carrera 4 and 4S models. The latter feature is similar to technology offered on various BMWs. When you abruptly lift off the gas pedal, brake fluid is pumped to the individual wheels, effectively cinching the pads to the rotors in preparation for a hard stop.
And because you never know what time you'll be ready to go for a drive, bi-xenon headlights are finally standard across the board. You'll have to pay extra if you want them to bend through corners with you, though. And the daytime running lights are now LEDs.
A Gentle Modernization
Although there are now some interesting alternatives to the old man of the sports car world, it's not as if the Porsche 911 is seriously falling behind.
The 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe proved slower through corners than the Audi R8, Nissan GT-R and even the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR in our recent Ultimate Performance Car Test, yet the 911's steering feel and overall dynamic refinement were judged best of the group. Other manufacturers might have figured out how to make their cars go faster than a 911 on a road course or a mountain road, but not many are building cars that feel as good while doing it.
At the same time, Porsche has had to make some concessions to the modern era, as even hard-core drivers are beginning to pass on traditional manual transmissions in favor of slick-shifting dual-clutch gearboxes. What's more, impending fuel economy and CO2 legislation in the U.S. and Europe has made it critical for this performance-focused company to find ways to cut fuel consumption without cutting into the fun. At least for 2009 we won't feel the sting of environmental regulation, as the new direct-injected engines should make the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S quicker, with minimal drivability sacrifice.
We could tell you that the new 40GB hard drive and voice-activated, Bluetooth-enabled nav system with real-time traffic updates are overkill in a classic sports car. But we'd be lying. This isn't 1965, and sometimes even when you're really enjoying the drive and the car, you just have to take that phone call.
Pricing starts at $75,600 for the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe with the six-speed manual gearbox, an increase of $2,300 over 2008. The base price on the Carrera S coupe and the standard Carrera cabriolet is $86,200, while the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet comes in at a rich $96,800. Some things never change.
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