PRO
Fuel economy
Build quality
Slow depreciation
CON
Still prefer a rear
driven version
SPECIFICATION
3.8-litre flat-6
385hp 420Nm
7-speed PDK
0-100 km/h: 4.5s
4.3s (Sports Plus mode)
Top speed: 295 km/h
From RM 930,000
First and foremost I'd like to apologise for not giving much attention to practical cars that are equally as fast. The reason for that is Porsches are relatively practical and most importantly they are more affordable than ever, their 997 crop has dipped below the 300 thousand mark. But for the finest catch from Stuttgart, you will need to shell out quite a bit more for some rather essential equipment. So it is advisable to seek one with as many optional extras as possible.
I still am very fond of the Carrera 4S which I drove not too long ago. The optional Sports Exhaust System is to die for but a package as a whole not really. Well the reason for that is that it has all-wheel-drive capability over a standard one that only drives the rear wheels. Despite being rear biased which can be felt during aggressive turn-ins but there isn't snow in Malaysia so I do not see the point when the standard Carrera already has plenty of grip. What I think of the 4S is that it only burns more fuel and makes the 911 less engaging.
So this time I took the passenger seat to find out what life is like being a co-driver. The first thing I did was drop its back seats to let more noise into the cabin. Personally, I can't help but to think the sports exhaust system makes this a better car. For a change, the 4S was taken into Penchala Link's tunnel for some sound testing, some parts of Mont Kiara then back for more straight line trashing along Jalan Leong Yew Koh.
My favourite settings for the 4S is to put it in Sports, switch PASM to normal and leave Sport Exhaust on. In spite of how linear this flat-6 delivers power, the feeling of acceleration can be brutal.. something I did not notice when in control. Its PDK box did very well on the up shifts but downshifting could still be faster. As for the exhausts, they might not sound loud in the cabin but on the outside, they are. Not Lamborghini or Ferrari loud but not far behind which explained why cars that were road hogging made way for the Carrera.
Other things that are worth mentioning, this one has Porsche crest embossed on its headrests, Alcantara roof lining, Carrera 4S embossed on the lid of the storage bin, Carrara white instrument dials and centre console painted in black. Those are nice to have but merely cosmetic changes which don't make the car any better. It's also got PCM 3.0 and sound package plus but music doesn't sound good on it. What's really worth noting are the sports seats plus which are more comfortable than standard ones, especially in the shoulder area. And oh the adaptive bi-xenon headlamps work a treat at night.