Porsche 911 Carrera ONE FOR THE BOYS

A Woman\'s View - Will It Suit Me?

I must admit to being faintly amused by the antics of the lads on the road test team while they were awaiting delivery of Porsche's 911. They leapt to their feet every time somebody arrived in reception, only to return dejected when it was just the stationers or a bike courier. We've had a number of sports cars through before, but this was different. I couldn't really appreciate why they were like kids on Christmas Eve. Even when the 911 was delicately backed off the transporter, I was failing to see what the excitement was about. For an all-new car it looked a lot like the previous model. I was rather underwhelmed. Given the opportunity to take a walk around the Porsche, even I could appreciate that the design was cleaner and less fussy than previously, but it was still something that, and how can I put this delicately, seemed a little ‘gender specific'.

The Practicalities

The first surprise is that even though your posterior does drop quite a way before it makes contact with leather, the driving position of the 911 isn't at all intimidating. Compared to something like a TVR or a Noble, the 911 feels comparatively upright and visibility all round is excellent. The front boot is relatively deep and there's plenty of room to sling a bag or five on the otherwise rather useless rear seats.

The fascia is one area that has improved leaps and bounds over the old car. Although I wasn't too keen on the rather slimy plastics used on the steering wheel, the dashboard has been considerably smartened up, with an LCD screen that can actually be read in bright sunlight, The handbrake makes a rather dreadful clack when you forget to press the button, rather spoiling the quality perception, but other than that it feels agreeably premium and very stylishly finished. The optional stopwatch mechanism on the dashboard is huge fun to fiddle with. Operated via a column stalk, you can time the intervals between which builders retort in disgust when they realise there's a woman at the wheel of their dream car. I tried the Carrera coupe but there's also a pretty Cabriolet model available which, given the weather conditions on the week I received the car, I was rather glad I hadn't specified.

Behind the Wheel

Twist the rather cheap feeling key and the 911's latest direct fuel injection flat six engine springs to life with real verve. The steering takes a little getting used to, being a little lighter than you may expect of a premium sports car. With the engine slung out back, the steering isn't encumbered by the weight of a big powerplant and feels rather lively. It's not quite as communicative as the old 911 but it's still alive in your hands.

The acceleration is, of course, astonishing. Quite why anybody feels the need to fork out another £7,000 for the more powerful Carrera S is something that doesn't transcend the gender gap too well, as the standard car will accelerate to 60mph in under 5 seconds and zip right up to nearly 180mph. Despite this, the combined fuel economy figure of around 25mpg is almost unbelievable.

Even if you were to get a bit too over-exuberant, the PSM (Porsche Stability Management) electronics will probably save you from an expensive horticultural incursion. Active safety is well addressed in the first instance, as most will agree that Porsche brakes are the best in the business, and the 911's stoppers are suitably retina threatening.

Value for money

The £63,070 that Porsche ask for the entry-level 911 coupe sounds a lot of money, but the car is actually reasonably cost effective to run. Much of that comes about through reasonable servicing charges, decent fuel economy and, most importantly of all, healthy residual values. Run a 911 for three years and your pence per mile figure is likely to be lower than if you'd bought something like a top of the range Peugeot 607. If you do want to run a premium sports car, this one makes the most financial sense.

Could I Live With One?

As much as I enjoyed the 911, it's really not my sort of car. Given that sort of money, I'd opt for something a little more modest and pocket the change. That said, on the right day and on the right road, little can touch the Porsche. I can see why the boys get so excited.