Test Drive: Porsche 911 Carrera S

The new Porsche 911 Carrera S looks so much like the old one that you might be forgiven for thinking this is a facelift rather than a whole new model. But the new Porsche is a quantum leap forward for the iconic marque – it just all happens under the skin.

The new car is longer and wider, every contour has been changed, albeit subtly. That’s because Porsche can’t overlook its heritage with the 911, which was first unveiled in 1963. Since that year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the basic shape of one of the world’s most successful sports cars has avoided any radical cosmetic changes. Each generation enjoys only incremental updates.

The only significant aesthetic changes from the outgoing 997 model is seen in its lower and wider stance; LED daytime running lights on the front; and a thinner LED brake. The raked centre console has made its way over from the Panamera to new Porsche 911 Carrera S, bringing the dated 911 interior up to speed and increasing the GT feel of lower-spec 911s. The front is a glorious place indeed and performance comes with a comfort level near the S Class. These are the cars aimed at the lawyers and bankers: the bread-and-butter 911 buyers. Porsche knows that and it shows in its decision to focus on improved comfort, riding quality and an enhanced luxe factor, rather than outright power, speed and handling.

We took the Range Rover Evoque out for a spin around Hong Kong, here's the review.

With each passing generation, the car that started out as a wild ride (thanks to its rear-engine set-up) has evolved into a sporting limousine that a banker can handle and a racing driver can appreciate. With the adjustable suspension, exhaust note and electronics system for comfort, this is also a car that could handle the daily commute in any weather.

The dual-clutch Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) gearbox shuffles seamlessly between seven speeds, and the 3.8-litre flat-six is noticeable only during a treacherous mountain pass, but it’s in the start-stop traffic that the 911 will reside for 90 per cent of its life.

This comfort factor is the Porsche 911 Carrera S’ raison d’être: the new car is a massive step forward in terms of refinement. This is a car one could drive for hundreds of kilometres and jump out fresh as a daisy. There’s almost no other in the sports car class that is able to pass the test.

The Porsche 911 Carrera S has the small matter of 400bhp and 440Nm of torque. In a design honed over decades, that is plenty. Forget its ability to sprint 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds and its maximum speed of 304km/h; it’s the way this car simply zips through the gears and flows through the bends that makes it a real driver’s car. With the electronics on the most secure setting, the car plots a course up the mountain, refusing to deviate even when you get it wrong.

To get the best out of the car requires a switch to its Sport Plus mode, to loosen the rear and slide that unmistakable backside through each and every bend.

Read the review on Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 here.

With the exhaust turned up and the engine sounding like an old-school F1 car, the now-raucous revs echo off the mountain walls – this car is perfection. A TFT LCD touch screen is on hand for such naughtiness, recording G-forces, while we tap the paddleshift fitted to the optional sports steering wheel.

Porsche’s standard rocker switch set-up is a must-have, it is so counter-intuitive that it has left us fuming – the car shifts down instead of up. With Lamborghini and Ferrari quietly removing manuals from their options lists, Porsche should be applauded for developing the seven-speed manual, but time will tell how many will sell as the marque isn’t targeting the hardcore enthusiast with this car.

With the engine in the “wrong” place for a sports car, over the rear instead of mid-mounted, Porsche has had to overcome an alarming number of issues to make the 911 work at all. Over generations, though, this has become one of the finest sports cars in the world and more than a car, it’s a cultural symbol, a design icon and a masterpiece of obstinate engineering brilliance.. The new model might look like a moderate mid-life refresh, but in fact it represents a whole new beginning for the 911.

We take a tour around Aston Martin's factory as the British carmaker approaches its 100th anniversary.