Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet
The soft-top Porsche 911 legend is as good as ever. We try the Carrera S model
The 911 Cabrio is still a class act. In convertible guise, it mixes the coupé’s breathtaking driving dynamics and performance with plenty of wind-in-the-hair thrills. The well insulated hood and roomy cabin also make it practical to use on a daily basis. Yet it’s hard to ignore its limited kit and near-£100,000 price tag.
If any brand can match Jaguar for drop-top tradition, it’s Porsche. Ever since the company revealed its first car – the 356/1 roadster – in 1948, it’s been producing class-leading convertibles.
The latest in this long line is the 911 Cabriolet, which has already tasted road test success following its victory over the Audi R8 last year. However, in this encounter, it’s first blood to the Jaguar.
Although the 911’s classic lines still turn heads, they don’t come close to the extrovert F-Type for jaw-dropping kerb appeal. Still, the fabric roof is neatly integrated and helps the car retain the same distinctive profile as its Coupe cousin, while a wider rear track gives the range-topping Carrera S a more muscular stance than the standard 911 Carrera. You don’t get the classy full-width rear lights of the Carrera 4S in our pictures, though.
The well insulated, powered fabric hood folds in 15.9 seconds, and the mechanism is stowed underneath a flush-fitting panel behind the rear seats. With the roof lowered you get a grandstand view of the 911’s first-rate interior.
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Not only is quality a cut above its British rival’s, but the driver-focused layout and low-slung position are hard to fault. Neat touches include Porsche’s trademark five-dial instrument pack and very effective, automatic wind deflector that glides up from behind the rear bench at the touch of a button.
The 911 is surprisingly practical, thanks in part to a deep 135-litre boot that’s more usefully shaped than the Jag’s shallow luggage bay. There’s also a pair of rear seats that can be used by small children or as extra load space.
Yet it’s the performance that really impresses. Despite the supercharged Jag’s 93bhp advantage, on the track the launch control-equipped 911 blasted from 0-60mph a full three-tenths faster, in only 4.1 seconds. In the real world you have to work the naturally aspirated Carrera harder to keep pace with the F-Type, but the combination of lightning-quick PDK box and hard-edged exhaust howl means this is no hardship.
With so much performance on tap, it’s reassuring to find that the Cabriolet handles with the same precision and poise as the Coupé. The steering is beautifully weighted and delivers just the right amount of feedback, there’s even more grip in corners than in the Jag, and the hugely powerful and progressive brakes are among the best in the business. And thanks to the Porsche’s rear-engined layout, there’s also much more traction out of corners than in the occasionally wayward F-Type.
Fortunately, the Porsche’s first-class agility isn’t at the expense of comfort. For instance, the standard adaptive dampers deliver a remarkably smooth ride, while the multi-layer fabric roof is superb at cutting out wind noise.
However, there is a catch. At £94,495 the Carrera S is £14,510 more than the Jaguar. It’s not as well equipped, either, and suffers from much weaker residuals. Plus, even if you take into account the lower CO2 emissions and smaller thirst for fuel, our current favourite is still left with a mountain to climb in pursuit of a second straight road test victory.
