ShareThisThe 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera is new in an inside-out way.
It's no surprise. The iconic sports car still looks essentially the same as the first U.S. model in 1965.
Then, as now, the 911 featured a horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine mounted behind the rear wheels. It has three cylinders lying down on each side of the crankshaft, feet to feet, instead of leaning to the side or standing up as in V-designed or in-line engines. Originally air-cooled, it now has liquid cooling.
By remaining conservative in styling over the years, Porsche protects its lineage as well as owner loyalty. There's little imperative to buy a brand-new 911 every few years. It also serves to keep the used-car values high.
But for 2009, there are a lot of reasons, mainly unseen inside the sculptured bodywork, for anyone to hanker after a 911 Carrera. Two all-new engines, as well as a new seven-speed automated manual transmission, are part of the lure.
But the 911 also gets 21st-century enhancements. For the first time, it is available with Bluetooth cell-phone connectivity, a six-disc in-dash CD changer, DVD-based audio system, and connections for an iPod or MP3 player as well as USB memory sticks. A navigation system with a 40-gigabyte hard drive also is an option.
That's frosting, of course, but important in this era of high-tech personal communications and entertainment devices.
More compelling, however, are the changes in the performance areas in which Porsche has always been in the vanguard: engines, transmissions and brakes.
The biggest game-changer is the new seven-speed automated twin-clutch transmission, which will force Porsche aficionados to learn new terminology. It's called the PDK, initials for Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetreibe.
As a concept, it's not new. Porsche used a version on a race car as far back as 1983. Similar transmissions have been offered recently by Audi, Volkswagen and Nissan on the GT-R super car.
The PDK essentially is two transmissions with two clutches and two drive shafts. On the 911, one side contains reverse, first, third, fifth and seventh gears; the other side has second, fourth and sixth.
There's no clutch. You shift manually with the console-mounted shifter or paddles on the steering wheel. Using sensors and computer wizardry, the transmission pre-selects the next gear you want, up or down, and the shift happens instantly and smoothly as the clutches open and close. It is possible to fool the system, but at least nine times out of 10 it will know your intended gear.
The PDK shifts more quickly than even a skilled human. Porsche lists the zero-to-60 acceleration time on the 911 at 4.9 seconds with the six-speed manual gearbox and 4.7 seconds with the PDK. On the more powerful Carrera S, the manual time is 4.7 seconds, compared to 4.5 with the PDK.
If you don't feel like shifting, you simply choose the automatic mode and it shifts as smoothly as any automatic. The PDK is so capable that Porsche is dropping its Tiptronic automatic transmission in all of the 911s, though it will be continued on other models.
Until now, according to Porsche statistics, about 60 percent of 911 buyers chose the standard six-speed manual gearbox, with 40 percent ordering the Tiptronic. They now expect the reverse, with manual models accounting for as little as 30 percent and up to 70 percent spending an additional $4,080 for the PDK.
Two all-new engines deliver the power, both with direct fuel/air injection into the cylinders. They also feature variable intake valve timing and lift, as well as revised intake and exhaust systems. On the 911, the 3.6-liter engine is rated at 345 horsepower, up from 325 in the previous model. The 911 S, at 3.8 liters, delivers 385 horsepower, up from 355.
The new engines are lighter than their predecessors, and both deliver improved fuel economy, escaping the government's gas guzzler penalty. The 911 Carrera is rated at 19/27 miles per gallon on the city/highway cycle with the PDK, and the Carrera S comes in at 19/26. Ratings with the manual gearbox are slightly lower, at 18/25 for both engines.
Both models get bigger brakes, with vented rotors on all four wheels that are nearly 13 inches in diameter.
Outside cues to the 2009 911 are LED taillights, stoplights and running lights. Other than that, and slight differences in the tailpipes, anyone would be hard-pressed to distinguish the new models.
On the road and the race track, the new Carrera exhibits the balanced performance, handling and braking that have attracted enthusiasts through six generations of the 911, except that now everything works incrementally better.
On the highway, road and engine noise intrude into the cabin, but that's part of the sports car experience. Comfort is first-rate, although there is one glaring shortcoming. The tiny sun visors do not slide on their support rods -- a simple thing to fix -- and so provide no side protection from the sun.
No Porsche comes cheap. The tested 911 started at $76,550 and, with the PDK and other options, topped out at $90,945.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
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