2004 Porsche 911 Review

Specifications

Lessons in Domesticating a Predator

Porsches public relations department does a great job of getting its message out to its customers, starting with the automotive
journalists that review its cars. While some automakers, like Ford Motor Company, do a fabulous job of writing and delivering press releases, Porsche does this and then backs up its words with the opportunity to test more press cars than the worlds number three car manufacturer.

Yeah, its bizarre really. Tiny Porsche with only three general models, Boxster, 911 and Cayenne, actually managed to get me into four press cars this year while Ford could only muster three so far, plus no Lincolns or Mercurys. The German brand even had another one that I wasnt able to book.

This is smart of Porsche, of course, as they not only create the opportunity to sell their harshest critics on the merits of the brand and the many variations of its three models, but the strategy also gets the Stuttgart company more press than if they hadnt offered us so many test cars. I spoke with a Ford PR rep about this recently, and the fact that after five years of asking I still havent been able to allocate a Taurus press car. To be fair to Ford she had a point, why put a press car on the road if they know theyre going to get a negative review.

Still, despite Porsche being close to delivering its completely revamped 911, internally known as the 997, to dealers across the country, they saw fit to offer up a completely bone stock 911 C2 to their press fleet. Well, it wasnt exactly bone stock, as it included an automatic transmission, lowered seats, Xenon headlamps, 18-inch alloy rims, a premium Bose audio system, electronically tuned Sport Exhaust, that incidentally doesnt do a thing for performance but makes the note coming out of the tailpipe richer than the $2,400 the option costs.

I cant say Im a big fan of the base car, as its tactile quality inside is pretty substandard compared to anything else in this class. But its a good idea for Porsche to remind us about this fact, just before bringing out its 2005 model that has been reported to be an amazing improvement in this respect.

Currently its a monotone affair that hardly inspires any artistic leanings, with clearly identifiable, down to business gauges. A telescopic steering wheel is provided, allowing a better drivers, but I was disappointed there was no tilt option. I had to be satisfied being able to raise the drivers seat so that the steering wheel was where I like it, but then I felt a little out of place with the pedals. That drivers seat, however, is fabulous, holding the back and buttocks in place during aggressive side-to-side slalom testing.

And just how Porsche will improve on the current cars handling dynamics I cant imagine. Yes, there are cars available that will out corner a 911, but there arent many. The C2 is superb in this respect, managing twisting curves at high speed with absolute confidence thanks in part to a low centre of gravity, a lightweight fully-independent aluminum suspension, and Porsches awe-inspiring stability control system, dubbed PSM for Porsche Stability Management. The latter dials in just enough throttle-induced oversteer to make the sports car fun in corners but not anywhere near enough to bring its tail around - the bane of early 911s.

Its massive cross-drilled rotors do a fine job of taming the 911s rapid velocity too, offering quick, progressive stops over and over without fade. There are a variety of reasons it brakes so well, starting with the base cars scant 3,025 pound curb weight. The less mass needed to stop, the quicker and more controlled the process. Also, the brake pedal needs affirmative action to put it into operation, which is something I particularly like. There are few things worse than overly sensitive brakes in a sports car. The brakes would be useless without the 911s four sizeable rubber contact patches, of course, which do a fine job when putting the binders on. While 17-inch front wheels get 205/50ZR-17s and rear rims sport 255/40ZR-17 tires, the optional Michelin Pilot 225/40ZR-18 front and 285/30ZR-18 rear radials were especially effective. Nose dive is also negated via the 911s rear-biased weight distribution of 36/64 front/rear. The disproportional rear weight stops the back half of the car from lifting under extreme braking, keeping the entire chassis level to the road.

I dont need to go into much detail about the 911s base powerplant, as Ive covered it many times before. While it will soon be upgraded by 5 horsepower to 325 and 273 lb-ft of torque when the next-generation car becomes available, but that doesnt mean the current 320 horsepower 3.6-liter H-6, which makes the same torque as its replacement, is a slouch. Its ruddy quick off the line too, aided again by the cars light weight. Passing slower cars on the highway? Not a problem. Itll shoot you from boredom to glee in about one second flat.

And thats true in manual or automatic guise. Personally, Ill take mine in a 6-speed manual, but my preference, which incidentally is shared by most enthusiasts, shouldnt mean theres something particularly wrong with choosing the $3,420 automatic. The Tiptronic S is a pretty sophisticated piece of hardware too, that if left in Drive will gear down automatically as the car brakes, setting up the optimal ratio for exiting a corner. The transmission also gears down when flicking the throttle, and due to steering wheel mounted buttons its quite engaging. Just the same, if you want to shift up and down through the gears via the console mounted lever Porsche doesnt let you, and the buttons on the steering wheel are difficult for my smallish thumbs to reach without loosening my grip on the leather wrapped wheel - Id rather Porsche replaced the button with paddles behind the steering wheel. The shift intervals are also too slow for a sports car. If there was ever a car that needed a sequential clutchless manual, the 911 is it. Whether it would be offered as the sole automatic or as well as the Tiptronic, like BMW does with its SMG, would be up to Porsche, but my guess is they wouldnt sell too many Tips if a clutchless manual was available.

With this in mind, Volkswagen/Audi, a longtime components partner with Porsche, has developed what is arguably the best version of this relatively new technology for its TT, and if capable of handling the 3.6-liters substantial torque would be ideal for the 911. I can only hope such plans are afoot, as the current automatic setup is a little too domesticated when compared to the 6-speed car.

Plans to improve the 911 that are now common knowledge include upgrading its overall styling. Ive never been as much of a fan of the current 996 as I was and still am enamored with the previous 993 that ended production in 1998. The new car is a much better dynamically, larger inside and offers more features, but the Boxster-like headlamps and less curvaceous flanks arent as classically shaped as the last iteration. The new model will bring Porsche back a little closer to its roots, with oval headlamps and more Coke-bottle-like hips.

Other than the driving dynamics my favorite aspect of the 911 are the two tiny jump seats in back. While some critics have labeled them as useless, in my father-of-three lifestyle theyre essential. Amazingly a full size child safety seat fits in perfectly, and locks into place thanks to sturdy anchors attached to the back shelf. While this is helpful, I can only fit one child in the back at a time as my 11-year old is too big to squeeze behind the drivers seat while Im at the wheel and my 3-year old needs the passenger seat pushed all the way forward to accommodate his wee little legs. I suppose that kind of defeats the need for a rear seat at all. Hey, Ive got an idea Porsche. Why dont you provide a way to turn off the passenger side airbag, like every other automaker in the business has figured out, and then I wouldnt have to wrestle the kids into the back seat? When the kids arent along for the ride, the rear seats collapse into about 200-liters (7 cubic feet) of handy cargo space.

So is it practical? Not really, but a creative enthusiast will find a way to justify the purchase of a 911 for pragmatic reasons. To me its one of the most enjoyable sports cars currently being built, and among the most reliable. While Porsches J. D. Powers initial quality rating has dropped significantly this year, everyone knows its directly associated to the Volkswagen-built Cayenne SUV and not the Boxster or 911 models. These have been stalwart performers for decades, and the fact that few significant changes have taken place to the powertrain other than the introduction of a radiator, water cooling and the associated 4-valve cylinder heads on the 996 in 1999, is proof of its innocence in the 2004 J. D. Power IQS rankings. To me, the 911 will always be the quintessential Porsche and the one to finally acquire when my fortunes align themselves with the ship thats surely coming in. Heres hoping.