Autocar - News and reviews from the original car experts

Road Test

Porsche 911 Carrera S

Test Date 05 October 2004  Price When New £68,750

---

---

Verdict

There were bound to be grumbles at the unveiling of a new 911; there always are. But despite the moans from purists that accompanied the 964’s switch to power steering or the 996’s adoption of water cooling, those cars were fundamentally better than those they replaced. Better suited to the wants and needs of the people that matter most, not excitable motoring journalists or armchair critics, but the Porsche-buying public.
The 997 has its problems, too: having grown wider it’s in danger of losing the compactness that has long been one of the car’s greatest assets, the styling isn’t perhaps the advance we’d hoped for and the slightly anaesthetised steering is probably the single biggest disappointment, especially so in a car with such a strong driver-focused tradition.
But those are minor gripes, and even the slightly duller helm is forgivable because in every other respect this 911 represents a step forward. And not just thanks to the welcome refinement boost that makes this the most usable iteration of the 911 yet. Few cars offer drivers such an invigorating or involving experience and those that do usually have six-figure prices or prove unusable every day.
Forty-one years on, the 911 remains the yardstick by which all other coupés are measured. If there’s a better way to spend £65,000 on a sports car we’ve yet to find it.

Your Say

Start the discussion

Previous page  |  Car reviews home  |  Next page

---