Zooming into happiness: the Porsche 911 Carrera experience

FIRST revealed to the world in 1963, the Porsche 911 has become an icon of everything that is good and pure about driveability.

- WILLEM VAN DE PUTTE [e-mail]

Even people who have little or no interest in anything with an engine would recognize it in a heartbeat.

From the insanely quick GT3 RS to the so-called entry-level updated 911 Carrera we had on test, it has become the quintessential Porsche.

Despite all the various iterations over the years, the one thing that has remained unchanged is the rear engine.

Engine

In the case of the 911 Carrera, it retains Porsche’s legendary 3.0-litre flat-six boxer engine that’s been tweaked with upgrades to the intercooler system and bigger turbochargers that provide it with 290kW and 450Nm, driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed PDK gearbox.

It will get from 0-100km/h in a claimed 4.1 seconds with a top speed limited to 294km/h. And that’s plenty fast.

Porsche says that the exterior changes to the Carrera make it more aerodynamic, with new front and rear bumpers, a revised rear diffuser, Matrix LED headlights with integrated indicators, and the backlight strip and tail lights are now the same width.

In true Porsche fashion, the 911 Carrera just looks right, with everything in its place, providing an aesthetic appeal that’s never jarring to the eye.

Interior

The interior has also received some minor upgrades, including the rear seats as a no-cost option. They're strictly for toddlers, as we found out when we collected my niece from university for a family lunch and she had to squeeze herself behind the fully forward passenger seat.