The backup title for this piece, which is to be mostly about the new PDK (Porschedopplekupplung- egestribe) transmission, was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. After driving the base Carrera with PDK it would have been appropriate, however, to go simply with Dr. Jekyll. Don’t get me wrong– the added refinement in this latest 911 is more than a little welcome. I have it on good authority, though, that the marked improvement in ride quality I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in three separate 2009 911s is as much the result of the soft snow tires they were rolling on as any actual softening of the joints. A final verdict on ride quality will have to wait for a spin in the cars on their sticky, stiff shouldered summer rubber. A pretty good excuse to do this all again, I’d say.
Even more taming than the squishy snow tires was the PDK gearbox. Both quicker and smoother than the old Tiptronic automatic, with which it doesn’t share its basic engineering concept, let alone any actual parts, PDK is also quite subdued. The gear changes are almost imperceptible and, while commendable as an engineering achievement, they are so uneventful as to make the drive a bit boring. If I wanted a seamless boring car I’d get a Lexus LS460, not a Porsche 911. That was Dr. Jekyll, now on to Mr. Hyde.
On the face of it, the C4S PDK I drove wasn’t Mr. Hyde. There is a bit more edge to the exhaust note with the 385-hp S than in the 345-hp base car. The engine has a bit more character, too, with a lumpier idle and noticeably more urge down low and up high. Mr. Hyde surfaced when I depressed the optional Sport+ button on the centre stack. Don’t even get me started on the fact that you need to pay more money to get a button to activate a software program to make your 911 more fun to drive. It’s wrong on so many levels. If you think about it it will undoubtedly just piss you off. Instead, I would recommend simply checking the option box and resigning yourself to being yet another hapless car enthusiast sucker. Tempting and expensive options are what allowed little tiny Porsche to buy Volkswagen Group after all.
Once depressed, the Sport+ button wakes up the transmission’s computer from its somnolent default setting. The throttle is sharpened and gear changes are cracked off instantaneously and with a savage shock to the drivetrain. In the automatic mode it’s frankly more than a bit too much. The engine is kept in the 4000-7000 rpm range at all times and that’s just ridiculous. Slip her into manual instead and crack off gearchanges at will. Now you’re driving a Porsche and it’s exhilarating.
The only thing that could make it better would be actual shift paddles in place of the strange steering wheel-mounted buttons Porsche has convinced themselves to use. With large hands at the 9-and-3 position on the wheel, they are almost impossible to use. An after-market wheel can fix this, and apparently there’s a paddle-shifter equipped Porsche Techquipment part on the way as well.
Sharp:
-Lightning fast PDK
-C4S’ AWD stability on any road, any time
-Classic style, faultlessly well crafted interior
