Where better to test drive a new Porsche than along hundreds of miles of summer greenery-draped German country roads and famously speed-limitless German “Autobahns” [motorways]? I have long dreamed the Porsche-lover’s dreams of poetic rides. So when Ghada el-Kari, public relations manager for Porsche Middle East Dubai, suggests I to test-drive the new Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet at its press launch in Germany my Porschophile pulse leaps off the chart.
I’m not an automotive journalist. My invitation to what Ghada explains will be a veritable Porsche gala is the product of Porsche’s decision to give its brand greater exposure in business magazines – read by people with a high propensity to spend.
Three weeks later, the Lufthansa plane is touching down in Cologne, Germany, center of the Porsche universe. And only a few hours after that I’m already enveloped by the sleek twin-tone grained-leather interior of the new Carrera 4 (S), savoring the still-smooth hum of the 3.8 liter, six-cylinder 325 bhp engine as I gently rev out of the luxury Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg, down Kadettenstrasse, and onto exhilarating open road for one-and-a-half hours of automotive bliss.
The car’s wide-rear end and muscular wheel arches propel me forward as, unable to resist, I immediately bring back with a touch of a button the 4S’s aerodynamically-styled soft lightweight folding roof and invite in the refreshing rush of late-afternoon German countryside summer air.
Arriving at a suitably long, empty stretch of straight road, I slow to a halt, pause for an intoxicating anticipatory second, my hand caressing the glossy smooth-leather-topped six-speed manual gear stick, then abruptly hit the gas and leave my stomach on the tarmac behind me as I roar up to 100 km/h in just under five vein-bursting seconds. Gripping the special leather sports steering wheel, I feel the urge to whoop. The 4S offers Tiptronic S automatic five-speed transmission as an alternative to the manual gearshift.
Ahead is the Autobahn. I can hear the whine of limitless speed. Up the ramp I go, adrenaline pumping. Traffic is thin. I ease into the fast lane, and then my foot goes down again. In seemingly no time I’m up to 268 km/h, a speed comfortably sustained by the 4S’ powerful engines without noticeable loss of directional stability. The 4S has a stop speed of 288 km/h.
My mind is still at the wheel, as along with members of the Porsche team and a refreshing mix of fellow launch guests from as far away as India and South Africa I enjoy, later that evening, a cocktail on the terrace of my home for two nights – a former grandiose Baroque palace turned exquisite boutique hotel. Porsche’s director of corporate communications, Anton Hunger, along with his international press coordinators, Michael Baumann and Katja Leinweber, are amiable, informed and accommodating. Gliding between guests, they subtly convey the Porsche brand message while responding to queries and affably arranging introductions to Porsche’s executive vice-president for sales and marketing, Hans Riedel.
The Porsche board members and experts who subsequently welcome us are, for their part, infallibly attentive to questions about the car and tomorrow’s route. The exhaustively knowledgeable Carrera product line director August Achleitner, in particular, effuses a mélange of passion and professionalism.
After a sumptuous dinner prepared by a Michelin-star chef in the hotel’s top-class restaurant, more drinks, and cigars graciously offered by the lively Mohammad Zein from Dubai in the hotel bar, I retire to dream of the Autobahn.
The following day’s four-and-a-half hour outing, following a delightfully insightful corporate and technical press conference during which the two Carrera chassis line managers, Ulrich Morbitzer and Henning Rohardt, dazzle us with their technical expertise, offers evidence of the ease with which the Carrera 4 (S) negotiates longer distances.
As I wind my way through rolling green fields, I marvel at the four-wheel drive 4S’ ability to hug bends and remain stable – thanks to its extra-stiff body and active Porsche Active Suspension Management System (PASM). Even medium road bumps are effortlessly absorbed.
PASM is effectively an adjustable shock absorber system. In addition to lowering the car by 10mm, PASM offers two suspension settings, Normal or Sport. In the Normal mode, PASM maintains soft settings for more comfortable driving, say a loll down a chick-lined street or a post-restaurant dinner-fest drive home.
However, if you and the guy next to you are revving at the red lights, you’ve just hit the road after watching the final phase of the Paris-Dakar rally, or your female companion really does like fast rides, then press the Sport button on the dashboard and the suspension system does a code red. The on-board computer actively adjusts each damper to ensure maximum hair-raising performance. If you’re really into the rough stuff, go for the optional Sports Chrono package. In Sport mode, it automatically adopts the most aggressive shock settings, quickens throttle response, and eases up the stability control system.
Right now, though, I’m in full-belly mode. Lulled by the serenely serpentine route, I reflect on safety. In the event of a crash, I know I will be cushioned by no less than six airbags, including two head airbags pioneered, for open sports cars, by Porsche, two thorax airbags, and two front airbags. And I’m already comfortably secured by a three-point seatbelt with belt latch tensioners and belt force limiters. I haven’t yet encountered any wild animals on the Autobahn, but know that if I do have to slam on the 4S’ black eloxy-plated monobloc fixed-calliper four-wheel brakes in a hurry, my stopping distance will be shortened by brake fluid automatically pumped into the wheel brakes when I abruptly take my foot of the gas pedal. That, folks, is the Porsche Stability Management system for you.
If the car does, though, hit a wolf, or elephant, or other creature stalking the Autobahn and rolls over, ultra high-strength steel tubes and U-shaped rollbars will ensure I’m not crushed.
Incidentally, any abrupt loss in tire pressure will, I am told, be brought to my attention by the car’s computerized Tyre Pressure Control system.
Enough about crashes. My mind, soothed by the steady thrum of the Porsche’s engines, wanders to entertainment. When I buy one of these babies, I muse, the Communication Management system will let me play CDs with MP3 music titles through a whopping nine speakers. But I’ll go for more. I want the DVD navigation system, and concert hall sound quality with BOSE surround sound. And so I don’t have to fish for my mobile I’ll add a telephone. Oh, and finally, I’ll have a Porsche electronic logbook. Controls mounted on the steering wheel will allow me to operate all this gadgetry.
These added perks are available as optional supplements. I’m terrible when it comes to optional supplements.
As the plane lifts off the next day, after another evening of delectable cuisine and invigorating discussion with the other launch guests, I cannot help but reflect upon more than just the seductive growl of the Porsche Carrera 4S Cabriolet engine and the rush of wind on the Autobahn – My brief, but immensely gratifying, stay in Germany has taught me that Porsche managers, representatives, technicians, experts, and enthusiasts – in fact everyone who has anything to do with Porsche – all form one happy, exclusive, cross-continental family.
