Porsche 911 Carrera S PDK 3.8 Review: 911 reinvented

Ferocious. If there's one word to sum up the driving characteristic of the 911 Carrera S, that word will be the most apt. Period.

It's like driving Nissan's 350Z, but times two. Or make it three. And I kid you not. Well from a layman's perspective, the 350Z and the 911 shares some identical traits - both are rear-wheel driven, both share an almost similar technical list, and both are, well, strictly 2 seaters. But what the heck, the price difference is...wow.

Then again, we're talking about a Porsche here.

During our time with the car, I spent most of it driving in the "Sport Plus" mode. Chances to drive a Porsche are a rarity, even for motoring journalists like us, so why not drive in its truest form. I was informed that this is best for track days, but what the heck, it's quite liveable for daily urban punts. True, you get closer to the ground and everything else stiffens, but trust me, being a true-blue car enthusiast, this is just one of those times when you're so into your driving, you just go "no worries, I can live with this". The grip is tenacious, body-roll is non-existent and this is about as close as you can get to sportscar nirvana.

Also in "Sport Plus", the PDK shifts faster than I can finish saying "oh-my-goodness", the steering feels tighter, the engine note sounds raspier, and you can just feel everything else go faster. The risk of losing your driving license is very high when driving a car like the 911 Carrera S...And the chances of losing weight is pretty great too - I can forego lunch and dinner just to continue driving the car. Unfortunately my compadre here has a tummy that gets hungry pretty often.

Driven normally, the car surprisingly drives quite comfortably - something drivers of BMW's 5 Series should be all familliar with. The sport seats provide more than adequate support, and it's easy to be cocooned in it. What's innovative is the GPS that comes with voice command - sure beats having to slowly toggle through the controls just to enter your destination.

Besides going fast, it stops equally fast too, all thanks to the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake. You don't need to work it hard to slow down, and it's reassuring at anytime.

As a whole, this is one amazing car to drive. Especially in its truest form.

Credits: Story by E.K Foo, pictures by Azfar Hashim