Porsche Carrera 4 kicks off at $245,600

PORSCHE 911 buyers will pay a $16,100 premium for the benefit of all-wheel drive when the Carrera 4 arrives in both coupe and cabriolet forms in Australian in the fourth quarter of this year.

Pricing announced this week by Porsche Cars Australia shows that the new-generation 911 Carrera 4 coupe will go on sale at $245,600 plus on-road costs, while the drop-top Carrera 4 cabriolet will arrive at $267,100.

Following hard on the heels of the latest rear-wheel-drive 911 Carrera, the Carrera 4 will share the base model’s turbocharged 3.0-litre flat-six engine that develops 283kW of power at 6500rpm and 440Nm of torque from 1950 to 5000rpm.

Acceleration times for the Carrera 4 equipped with the eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission are the same as the similarly equipped base Carrera – 4.2 seconds for the 0-100km/h dash in the coupe and 4.4s for the heavier cabrio.

If the customer ticks the box for the extra-cost Sports Chrono package, these times come down to 4.0s for the coupe and 4.2s for the drop-top.

Top speed is down a couple of kilometres per hour for the heavier Carrera 4 at 291km/h for the coupe and 289km/h for the cabrio.

Likewise, fuel economy is slightly dented, at 9.5 litres per 100km for the coupe (9.0L/100km for the Carrera) and 9.6 for the cabrio (9.2L/100km).

One upon a time, Porsche buyers would opt for the Carrera 4 because of its fat rear wheels arches, but now that all 911s share that macho design feature, the basic benefit is grip provided by the all-wheel-drive system that – like the system in the more powerful Carrera 4S – gets a revamp to include water cooling on the clutch and differential and a stronger clutch design.

Along with Porsche’s own traction control system, this enhanced drive system is said to improve grip in all conditions, including snow.

If they want, Carrera 4 buyers can opt for the Carrera S’s electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential with Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV).

Carrera 4 wheels have a staggered diameter – 19 inches at the front and 20 inches at the rear. These are fitted with 235/40 ZR 19 and 295/35 ZR 20 tyres respectively. The Carrera 4S’s 20/21-inch boots are optional.

Steel 330mm brake discs at the front are gripped by four-pot callipers painted black for effect.

Specification wise, the Carrera 4 is largely identical to the base Carrera, coming standard with the electronically variable damping system with two modes, normal and sport.

Inside, it gets the re-designed heated 14-way seats, new 10.9 inch touchscreen with improved connectivity and a control panel of five buttons with the look of classic toggle switches.

Other standard features are lane change assist, BOSE surround sound system, digital radio, keyless access, metallic paint, auto dimming mirrors and a reversing camera.

2019 Porsche 911 pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs