Review: 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera

More horsepower, better fuel efficiency, and an astonishing new seven-speed transmission make the 911 Carrera more amazing than ever

By Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: More power, better fuel efficiency, hot new automatic transmission

The Bad: High sticker price, expensive options

The Bottom Line: Arguably the best sports car money can buy

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Up Front

There's one question I get asked all the time: "What's your favorite car?" For me, the answer is always the Porsche 911, the iconic German sports car that has been on the market in one form or another since 1964. But I had begun to wonder if all the turmoil at Porsche had affected its game. With Porsche trying for months to take over Volkswagen (VOWG.DE) and Volkswagen finally reversing field and taking over Porsche, sweeping out the company's CEO in the process, it wouldn't be surprising if Porsche had slipped a bit.

All is well, however, at least judging by the company's flagship model. I recently test-drove the latest 911—specifically a 2009, all-wheel-drive Carrera 4S—and it's a phenomenal machine. If comfort is your priority, you may be more excited about the elegant new $90,000 four-door Porsche Panamera sedan, which makes it debut on Oct. 17. In contrast to the 911, its engine is up front and its rear seats are relatively roomy. But my heart still belongs to the 911. If I were rich, I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

In the past, the biggest complication involved in buying a 911 was deciding which one to choose. The 911 comes in a dozen different versions, including a coupe, convertible (Cabriolet), and Targa (which essentially has an extra-large sunroof). There are S versions of each model with a somewhat more powerful engine, as well as all-wheel-drive versions. There's also an ultrafast turbocharged version of the coupe and convertible.

Now, another dilemma has reared its ugly head—and it's the main reason why we are reviewing an '09 model so late in the year: Whether to pay an extra four grand for Porsche's new automatic transmission (known as the PDK, short for Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, which is German for double-clutch transmission). The seven-speed PDK is so fast and smooth that even hardcore driving enthusiasts will want to consider getting one. No human can shift Porsche's six-speed manual transmission as quickly as the PDK shifts for you. That's why the 911 now accelerates from zero to 60 faster with an automatic than with a stick shift.

Porsche made numerous other improvements in the 911 for the '09 model year, the most obvious of which was to redesign the car's engines. Base models now come with a 3.6-liter, 345-horsepower six-cylinder boxer engine, 20 hp more than before. The "S" models are powered by a 3.8-liter, 385-hp version of the engine, 30 hp more than before. Both engines are the first ones in a 911 to use direct fuel injection, which boosts power while also reducing emissions and fuel consumption.

Starting prices range from $77,250 for a basic Carrera Coupe up to $141,650 for an all-wheel-drive Cabriolet with a turbocharged engine. Keep in mind, though, that the price soars even higher when you start picking add-ons from the 911's extraordinarily long list of options. In addition to an extra $4,080 for the PDK automatic, you can pay from $3,655 to $5,405 for a leather interior in a wide variety of colors, $1,815 to $2,440 for a wide variety of custom wheels, $3,125 for sport bucket seats. You can even add a variable volume exhaust system ($2,500), which allows you to make the car's engine growl louder and more gutturally at the push of a button.

Impressively, Porsche has improved the fuel economy of the 911 even while boosting its power. The previous five-speed Tiptronic transmission at best matched and in some models had lower fuel economy than the stick shift, but the new PDK outpaces the stick shift. For instance, the previous version of the Carrera 4S Coupe was only rated to average 19 miles per gallon with either transmission; the '09 I test-drove is rated at 20 mpg with a stick shift and 21 mpg with an automatic.

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