New Porsche 911 at Frankfurt auto show.
The reinvented 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera had its world premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September and will roll into Canadian dealerships next year. Question: Has it grown into too much of a good thing?
Yes, it looks like a 911, but the spec sheet describes a bigger car – bigger inside, that is, though the overall length is not much more than the outgoing version. This 911 has a wheelbase 100 millimetres or 3.94 inches longer, yet its ride height is lower.
Porsche says fuel consumption and emissions are up to 16 per cent lower compared with its predecessor. Even Porsche now makes cars about fuel economy in this age of political correctness. Thus, Carrera's 350-hp, 3.4-litre, boxer engine and optional Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) is rated at 8.2 litres/100 km and at 194 g/km CO2 – "it is the first Porsche sports car to make it below the 200 g/km mark."
The more desirable car of the two to be launched first is the Carrera S with its 3.8-litre boxer engine that makes 400 hp. Porsche, again, brags about fuel economy: with the optional PDK it has improved 14 per cent or 1.5 litre/100 km to 8.7 litres/100 km despite more power (15 hp). The CO2 emissions story: 205 g/km.
Key developments
- An all-new lightweight body with aluminum-steel construction that helped Porsche strip out as much as 45 kilograms.
- The world’s first seven-speed manual transmission is standard.
- Auto start/stop, thermal management and electrical system recuperation help make the car more efficient.
- We don’t know pricing and won’t for some time, but do not look for anything more than a minor increase.