Porsche boosts power in refreshed Carrera
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The coupe and cabriolet Carrera and Carrera S will feature direct fuel injection — a first for Porsche sports cars.
The four "basic" models in Porsche's iconic 911 lineup – coupe and cabriolet versions of the Carrera and Carrera S – will feature some significant changes when the 2009 models arrive in September.
As well as more powerful engines with direct fuel injection – a first for Porsche sports cars – they will be offered with the company's new, optional seven-speed double-clutch gearbox, called Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK).
Maximum output of the 911 Carrera, with its 3.6 L engine, will be increased by 20 hp to 345 and the 911 Carrera S, with its 3.8 L engine, will boast a 30 hp increase to 385, sufficient to boost the car's top speed to 303 km/h, the company says.
The seven-speed PDK gearbox includes an automatic shift mode as well as a sequential manual-shift function, thus replacing the Tiptronic S automatic transmission offered on previous 911s.
The combination of more powerful engines and new transmission results in both better performance and increased fuel efficiency – an improvement of up to 13 per cent as measured in the European driving cycle, according to the carmaker
Porsche says the Carrera equipped with PDK accelerates from 0-to-96 km/h in 4.5 seconds and the Carrera S does it in 4.3 seconds – 0.2 of a second faster than with a manual six-speed gearbox.
The PDK system can also be combined with Porsche's optional Sport Chrono Plus, including Launch Control. The result is acceleration from stop without wheelspin and a racing shift pattern that trims another tenth or more off that acceleration time.
Exterior changes include a revised front bumper with larger air intakes and new dual-arm exterior mirrors for a larger field of vision, while maintaining the 911's low 0.29 drag coefficient.
LED daytime running lights and bi-xenon headlights, as well as LED tail and brake lights, will be standard on all new models and Dynamic Cornering Lights will be an option.
Canadian pricing starts at $94,800 for the Carrera Coupe, $107,600 for the Carrera Cabriolet and the Carrera S Coupe, and $120,400 for the Carrera S Cabriolet.
The Canadian price increase for the 2009 911 models is 1.2 per cent below the U.S. increase (although Canadian prices remain more than 20 per cent higher after exchange).
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