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    911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    Porsche 911 Carrera

    Autocar: First Drive


    Test date: 12 June 2008

    What is it?

    "You do wonder sometimes whether Porsche isn't a touch too understated for its own good, particularly when it comes to the mid-life revamping of its various models. Take the latest 'heavily revised' 997 as an example.

    Here is a car which, to the untrained eye, looks all but identical to the original 997 of 2004, yet under the skin it has a brand new range of direct injection flat six engines, not to mention the gearbox Porsche has been threatening to put into one of its road cars for the last 25 years - a road going version of the double clutch (PDK) unit pioneered by Weissach's Le Mans cars in 1982.

    On the surface the only items that telegraph just how different this car is compared with its predecessor are, wait for it, a pair of slightly bigger door mirrors (wow), some LED lights front and rear and, oh yes, a mildly new design of 18- and 19in wheel.

    Deeply committed 997 anoraks might also spot that there is no longer a big central radiator to be seen behind the front grille, the new engines being so much more efficient at self-cooling that they no longer require the centrally mounted front radiator of old. But while such styling restraint is actually quite refreshing in an era of increasingly garish fast cars from Audi, Mercedes et al, in this instance you can't help thinking that Porsche's designers have undersold the achievements of their colleagues in engineering. Surely a car this new and this significant technically deserves a few more visual cues to prove its point?

    No matter, the 2008 model year 997 may well be one of the most unobvious redesigns of the modern era outwardly, but inwardly it's a seriously impressive piece of work. The big news on the engine front is the fitment of a Bosch direct injection system, which, claims Porsche, improves emissions and economy as much as it does pure horsepower.

    The base 3.6 now produces just 225g/km, a 15 per cent reduction compared with the previous model, but at the same time it boasts an extra 20bhp, making 345bhp at 6500rpm in total. The 3.8 unit from the 'S' model jumps 30bhp to 385bhp, and in both cases the cylinder blocks are an incredible 22 per cent stiffer thanks to the fact that there are, says Porsche, around 40 per cent fewer moving parts.

    Arguably of even more significance is the car's optional new seven-speed PDK (Porsche Double Clutch) gearbox, which, at Pounds2338, could well be the best value option Porsche has ever offered on a 911. Porsche pioneered the idea of the double clutch gearbox with its Le Mans cars a quarter of a century ago, but it hasn't produced one for the road until now because it wanted to 'entirely perfect' the system before its release.

    It works in a similar way to Audi's DSG gearbox, with the odd ratios (1, 3, 5 & 7) being separated from the even gears (2, 4, 6) on separate shafts, each set of gears having its own individual wet clutch. This effectively enables the system to pre-select and deliver full bore up or downshits shifts at less than 200 miliseconds, and without a break in the power.

    What's it like?

    If the new PDK gearbox sounds complicated on paper, in reality it works beautifully, except for one thing; the buttons themselves aren't especially intuitive to use. Unlike rival systems that feature an upshift paddle on the right and a downshift wand on the left, Porsche has chosen to fit upshift buttons which you nudge with your thumbs on top of the wheel on both sides, with the downshift buttons again on both sides at the back. To begin with you may find yourself flicking the left hand downshift button to change up, and all sorts of other odd combos.

    Once acclimatized to the way in which the system is accessed, however, the gearbox itself really is something special. Upshifts are almost seamless, even when changing from second to third at 7400rpm. And on the way down it's arguably better still, blipping the revs perfectly to match the lower ratio, and doing so faster and more precisely than any human ever could.

    I tried the entry model with the 3.6-litre flat six engine, yours for Pounds63,070 before items like PCCB at Pounds5439 and PASM at Pounds1030 have been added, as they had been to the test car. The new engine is notably smoother and more refined than It was which is, in the main, a very good thing. It suffers from less vibration across the whole rev range, the throttle response is keener than ever, and the relative lack of noise on the motorway is clearly a step forwards.

    What's perhaps not so welcome is the lack of aural character of the new engine, Porsche having done such a good job at improving refinement that it is now hard to tell how many cylinders there are and what sort of formation they lie in. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration but, either way, the flat six soundtrack has definitely been toned down a decibel too far. Mind you, it's nothing a factory fit sports exhaust couldn't sort.

    Should I buy one?

    At Pounds63,070 before options the latest entry level 911 isn't cheap; the test car I tried cost over Pounds74,000 on the road thanks to the fitment of PCCB, PDK etc. And the more powerful Carrera S will set you back Pounds70,360 before you so much as set eyes upon the options list.

    It's also no secret that Porsche is struggling to shift metal in the current economic climate, sales in the UK being over 20 per cent down compared with this time last year. Which means this new, hugely improved model won't arrive a moment too soon when it hits the showrooms on July 5.

    Though it may look similar to the old car it's almost a brand new model, and apart from the absence of aural thrills, it's an absolute peach to drive, especially when fitted with the PDK gearbox. It won't, but it deserves to solve Porsche's sales problem all on its own; it really is that good on the road."

    (Autocar - Steve Sutcliffe)

    Autocar_911_First_Drive_Link



    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    PDK technology...

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    Bosch direct injection system...

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    You've got to hand it to Porsche's history of engineers for continually finding new ways to tweak and improve the 911 for over 60 years now.

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    The genius of the engineers at Dr. h.c. F. Porsche continues to show itself!!

    Wish I had the spare change to get an "S" with the PDK right now. But hopefully I will quite soon.

    Jim

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    Really a shame they didn't install paddles but a crap thumb button system for PDK.

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    Quote:
    Moogle said:
    Really a shame they didn't install paddles but a crap thumb button system for PDK.



    Why is that so important? Have you considered that this system may actually be more natural? Its left/right duplication adds redundancy and is quite useful.

    Why the reaction against this design, arguing that it's against the established trend? what trend? P-car owners should know that PAG does not follow trends - witness the engine hanging from the rear axle and the ignition key on the left side.

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    I can understand why some prefer the paddles to thumb buttons, but I am more used to using thumb buttons myself. Maybe Porsche can offer an option for either "thumb buttons" or "paddles." Why not? Unless the paddles are held on a patent, they should be easy to duplicate (for a price).

    Jim

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    60 years? What year is it? How long have I been asleep?

    (I think the 911 was first intro'ed in '63)

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    Quote:
    Jim48 said:
    I can understand why some prefer the paddles to thumb buttons, but I am more used to using thumb buttons myself. Maybe Porsche can offer an option for either "thumb buttons" or "paddles." Why not? Unless the paddles are held on a patent, they should be easy to duplicate (for a price).

    Jim



    Buttons belong on Playstation and XBox, not a sports car. The old button system on the SL55 was H O R R I B L E! More than 1/2 a turn and if you needed to change gear you were screwed. It really isn't a natural way to do things. And I'm convinced Porsche marketing said "Screw convention, let's make it different even if it's inferior".

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    Quote:
    daking said:
    60 years? What year is it? How long have I been asleep?

    (I think the 911 was first intro'ed in '63)



    Porsche (PAG) - the company - was founded in 1948 - 60 years ago.

    The 911 was introduced in 63 - it is now 45 years old.

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    any reports on performance times? I was hoping to see 0-60 nearing 4.0 with PDK and DFI.

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    4.3 secs 0-60 and 9.3 secs 0-100 for the S, I believe.

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    I suppose it's just being used to paddles on Open wheel cars, BMW SMG (The higher variants), Ferrari F1, Aston SS... the list goes on.

    Historically, thumb buttons were used in leiu of paddles on cheaper, non ///M BMW models with the older SMG.

    I suppose its not that big a deal considering how long it took them to introduce PDK... maybe its to save parts development costs because they developed a similar system for the older TIP porsches?...

    The buttons on the 330CI versus the paddles on the M3 was one of the bigger reasons I chose the M3- either car would have served as my commuter.

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    Come on guys lets start being serious and end this useless debate about buttons and paddles. The Porsche system will work fine as it was developed by some of the best engineers and test drivers in the world. They could have easily fitted ready-made paddles from the VW DSG but for them to get into the trouble of developing something different there must be merits to it.
    Now if somebody doesn't like the buttons at all he can go and shop elsewhere instead of mowning, or perhaps use it as a good excuse not to spend money on the new model.

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    I think if you are use to paddles, then the buttons will be an issue. But I've never had paddles and my car is a tip - this new system is definitely an improvement. I do like that you can change gear with just one hand now. Will definitely be handy when driving while talking on the mobile phone :-) Okay - let the flames start

    Re: 911 Carrera PDK - Autocar: First Drive...

    Quote:
    donkeyman said:
    I think if you are use to paddles, then the buttons will be an issue. But I've never had paddles and my car is a tip - this new system is definitely an improvement. I do like that you can change gear with just one hand now. Will definitely be handy when driving while talking on the mobile phone :-) Okay - let the flames start


    Even if you use paddles it is a matter of 5 minutes maximum to get accustomed to the Porsche new system. It is like getting from tiptronic to paddles for example or from manual to auto and vice versa. I've never had a problem adapting to any system and I don't believe I have special abilities. Don't underestimate the human brain!

     
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