2004 Porsche 911 Review

Specifications

Perfect, But Itll Have to Do

What a sound! I dont know what Porsche has done with the new C4S Cabs exhaust system, but the note is positively intoxicating. Theres a slight lope to the gurgle at idle, and a little coughing and hiccupping like an NHRA dragster after blipping the throttle. Did they add a more radical cam to the mix, or mess with the ECU? Whatever, its the stuff of dreams.

Oh wait a minute? Whats this switch on the left side of the center stack? A tailpipe pictograph? Hey, this is cool. The touch of a button and the exhaust note goes from ferocious to subdued - Harley should consider this technology. According to Jody Scott, Product Publicity Specialist for Porsche Cars North America, the button deactivates an option dubbed Sport Exhaust. “Its basically a tuned exhaust note that can be heard above 3,000 rpm,” Scott says. “The switch turns off the option leaving the normal 911 sound to be heard.”

It feels a little quicker off the line too, but according to Scott this has nothing to do with the Sport Exhaust system, stating, “Its solely a sound option.” The added oomph may have more to do with an adjustment made to the ECU, or possibly just the psychological effect of the growling exhaust mixed with a justification that anything costing $2,400 should do something to enhance forward momentum. No matter, the auditory effect is worth it, especially when factoring in youll already have shelled out $93,200 for the “base” C4S Cab in the first place.

Good news is the 2004 C4S shows a major improvement over the previous 2002 model I drove, a testament to the German sports car manufacturers focus on incremental improvement. The C4S Cab is altogether new however, with the convertible top only previously available with the regular Carrera 2 and C4. What a nice combination from a visual perspective. Its hind end wider than the base car, with Turbo-style front and rear fascia treatments; its a car that draws envious stares.

Thats when you blip the throttle and give passersby something really special to gawk at, a visual and auditory feast for the senses. Just when the sidewalk masses are fully attentive, a quick blast up the road to legal speeds will have them talking all the way through lunch hour and into the afternoon. Its not a point of showing off to get attention, not that this would be difficult with the top lowered, but more so a responsibility to give the car enthusiasts in the crowd a little something to get their collective spines tingling. Its more of a responsibility if youre in something as exotic, to provide sufficient entertainment to like minded gearheads in general proximity.

OK, maybe thats a little too much justification for laying into the throttle more times than I should have during my test week. But its just so much fun. This particular example of Porsches engineering expressionism featured a carbon fiber gear shift knob and e-brake lever, definitely worth the somewhat hefty surcharge. Aluminum is also available for the same price, or a variety of wood veneers - depending on personal taste. Another personal favorite is the center console and steering wheel in carbon, but at the mid-four-figure price I can see why not everyone opts for the racy add-ons. Something my test car did feature, that is also well worth the extra coin if in the budget, is optional leather to replace plastic interior surfaces. Lets face it, while Porsche builds one of the most enticing sports cars available, it doesnt do a very good job with interior plastics. High-volume entry-level midsize cars, such as the Honda Accord and Mazda6 do at least as good a job in this department, with premium brands such as Audi and BMW outclassing Porsches 911 by a long shot. But add the leather surfaces and its an altogether different story.

Of course, if youre buying a C4S Cab just for the prime purpose of its devastatingly fast acceleration and heroic handling prowess who cares about interior plastics. I dont know how Porsche manages to make 320 horsepower feel so incredibly quick, but nevertheless the lightweight sports car jumps off the line with the alacrity of Arnold Schwarzenegger on Source Burn - the self-acclaimed “worlds strongest energy drink.”

Few cars would be able to keep up to a C4S on a winding highway, as noted during my superhero drive up the curving mountain roadway behind my home. This is a great test track when ski season is over, due to a complete lack of traffic and a clear, mostly dry road surface. What makes it especially enticing are the many dips and undulations caused by the roadbed eroding away under the pavement, an ideal scenario for experiencing what a suspension can handling under extreme duress. The C4S Cab is unflappable, not usually the case with convertible models that more often than not trade the rigidity of a solid roof for the “flexibility” of a softtop - flexibility not being a good thing in this respect. The C4S Cab, on the other hand, is rock solid.

Hidden behind the gorgeous 18-inch Turbo Look II monobloc 5-spoke light alloy rims and super capable 225/40 ZR18 front and 295/30 ZR18 rear Michelin Pilot performance tires is an LSA multi-link suspension setup in the rear, with a stabilizer bar and coil springs over monotube gas shock absorbers, plus self-stabilizing toe control. Up front Porsche has enhanced the MacPherson struts with aluminum control arms, conical springs over twin-tube shock absorbers and added a stabilizer bar. Its sport chassis is lowered slightly over the regular 911, with more rigidly tuned springs and shocks.

The C4S Cabs steering system is amazingly direct, the result of a hydraulically assisted force-sensitive rack-and-pinion setup that provides near perfect high-speed transitional response while also delivering a tight 34.8 foot turning circle diameter for easy parking in abbreviated parking lots. The steering column is collapsible with reach adjustment too, optimizing the seating position. That brings up the cars superb sport seats, light and thin but still wonderfully supportive.

The only thing the car does quicker than accelerate, is stop, compliments of four 13.0 inch cross-drilled, internally ventilated discs with aluminum-alloy 4-piston monobloc fixed calipers, colored in red no less. To make sure slippery road surfaces dont impede rapid deceleration Porsche includes Bosch ABS 5.7, considered to be among the most advanced antilock systems on the market.

The cars all-wheel drive system adds to its stability, whether at launch or in the corners no matter the weather conditions. This is enhanced further by Porsche Stability Management (PSM), an almost uncanny high-speed stability management system that literally can save a poor driver from overestimating the forces of nature.

Still, inertia is inertia and gravity sucks when an overzealous right foot gets the better of on otherwise sound mind. There are conundrums even all-wheel drive, ABS and PSM cant overcome, and for these moments C4S Cab owners will be grateful Porsche has included such critical standard features as seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters, dual front and side airbags, along with front and rear deformation zones, and side-impact protection beams.

The car features many more functional features, such as dual cupholders that will be sure to impress your friends while actually holding drinks in place, and some, like the 4S logo on the wheel cabs, that are just for show. My wife, plagued with allergies, truly appreciated the automatic climate control with its carbon filter, while I particularly enjoyed the 10-speaker audio system - how do they get 10 speakers into a cabin as small as a 911 anyway?

But despite being small, every 911 has enough room for two adults and two small kids, making it one of the only high-end sports cars that can be considered by a family man - or woman, with the convertible model much easier to get the child safety seat into.

To me, the only way to get better than a C4S Cab is to add twin-turbochargers under the rear decklid and an X50 performance package to the mix. Hmmm, I might just have to try that one out and report back later. Porsche, do you have something like that available, say mid-August?