Porsche expands 992 Carrera 4S lineup
911 Coupe, Cabriolet and Targa now available with 480hp and four driven wheels
While we like to think that Porsche 911 customers are all opting for two-wheel-drive manuals, the reality is of course pretty different. In fact, Porsche suggests that in Great Britain, around half of 911 Carrera S buyers go for the 4S, ‘drawn to its dynamic capabilities and maximum traction in poor weather.’ So the 992.2 range wasn’t likely to be without a 4S for long.
Here it is, available to order from today in Coupe, Cabriolet and Targa forms. Unsurprisingly the 4S is as per the Carrera S in terms of mechanical spec, so there’s 480hp from the 3.0-litre flat six turbo (essentially the old GTS engine, before its T-Hybridisation) and an eight-speed PDK. While there will be a weight penalty for an additional driven axle, a Carrera 4S is still a searingly quick car: a Sport Chrono’d coupe will hit 3.3 seconds to 62mph, and 191mph flat out. That was Turbo speed really not very long ago.
Standard equipment for the 992 Carrera 4S includes 20-/21-inch wheels from the two-wheel drive car, 408mm front brake discs (380mm at the rear), Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus and a sports exhaust. Which is pretty generous, by Porsche standards. The Coupe is two-seat as standard, with four chairs available as a no-cost option, with the Cabriolet and Targa sold as four-seaters. Interestingly, the Targa (which has now been 4WD only for almost 20 years) is the only one of the three variants to get rear-wheel steer as standard. Perhaps of more interest to Targa customers is the choice of four colours for the roof: black, blue, red and brown. There’s no 60th-anniversary special edition Targa (or Safety Cabriolet as it was back in ‘65) announced yet, though a 4S would surely make the ideal foundation for one as a slightly more traditional take than the T-Hybrid GTS.
The configurator will be your friend for exploring the ‘wide range of options for individualisation’ offered on all three models; safe to say there’ll be plenty of extras available. Matrix LED lights, wireless phone charging and the Light Design Package are included. The new Carrera 4S range kicks off at £127,000 for the Coupe, or £6,500 more than the two-wheel drive car. The Cabrio is £137,000, which means the same premium over a Carrera S; probably the most interesting addition is the Targaat £137,600, as until now that model was GTS only, and from £155k. That’s quite a big difference. And - whisper it - a Targa is better than you’d think these days…
I don’t know if the journos are leant on by Porsche but I have to disagree. It’s too firm, too noisy and not exciting enough and the manual gearbox is, frankly, a pain in the arse (and not particularly pleasant to use). It’s not interesting and exciting enough for a weekend special - like a GT car - and it’s not comfortable enough to be a nice everyday car. It’s meant to be the definition of a jack-of-all trades but just ends up being a bit underwhelming at everything.
I think that’s where the 4S comes in. It’s got the performance of the GTS without the compromises. It doesn’t need to be special, it just does everything well. I look forward to seeing what the price of these .2s is in 12 months times as I think it might be where I’ll go next, maybe in Targa format this time.
bottom photo - the idea of money failing to buy the idea of taste.
And yes, I would not want a black interior, certainly not on a Cabrio/Targa. I had a roadster with a black leather interior and hated it.
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