2008 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet Video

2008 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet Video Transcript

>> I could make a pretty good argument for this being the ultimate 911, the Carrera 4S Cabriolet -- showy with that drop-top, luxurious inside, pretty good load of tech, not too expensive. Now, as 911 go, so why am I standing out here? Come on, let's drive. ^M00:00:19 [ Music ] ^M00:00:31

>> Now a 911 isn't what a 911 was. You're old enough to remember when they were a very utilitarian tool for sporting driving. It's grown up for the market that has the money for these vehicles. A lot of luxury in this cabin, look around, I mean we've got stitched-leather everywhere. Electronics abound in the modern 911, making it a really interesting car for us who love technology, not just those of us who loves sporting driving. And it's ideal for those of us, who love both. ^M00:01:01 [ Music ] ^M00:01:03

>> Our car has optional navigation. This map button will take you to a look at the display. It's, you know a generation or two behind in terms of the look and the render and it's not a touch screen, its not terribly large -- again, that's not the key mission of the 911, so I cut the company some slack. Now, our car has the upgraded Bose audio surround system, which includes synthetic surround, which I'm not crazy about, but 14 speakers, 7 channel amplifiers, 325 watts, AM FM, single slot CD and no aux jack. Also, automatic tone control adjustment to compensate for the intrusiveness of road noise when the top is down. ^M00:01:41 [ Music ] ^M00:01:43

>> Now, let us talk about the phone in this car. No Bluetooth. That's right, no Bluetooth. Instead, it's this little tray right here. Pop that open and you get a GSM SIM card slot. Put your card in there, and now the phone is built into the car. Here's your keypad of course, the speakers, the microphone and the car all become the speaker phone. That's great. But if you're CDMA, you're out of luck. ^M00:02:03 [ Music ] ^M00:02:06

>> Now, I'm 'gonna stop myself before I talk too much about the in-cabin tech toys and make an absolute fool of myself because that is not the point of the 911. It's this. ^M00:02:16 [ Car speeding ] ^M00:02:18

>> This engine is 355 horse power, 3.8 litter flat six -- the classic Porsche layout. 295 on the foot-pounds, it looks under torqued on paper, but driving, it is a different matter because it breeze so damn well and the throttle response is crisp. It feels like it has more torque than I think it really does, which brings me to my favorite part of our 911, the clutch and the gear box. As you can see, we've got a six-speed manual down here. There's a Tiptronic available, don't do it because this was one of the great shifting experiences in life. If you can't drive a manual, go get lessons or buy another car. This gear box is just the right reach. Not too short, not too long. Every gear feels right. Every gear drops just where you want it. ^M00:03:06 [ Car speeding ] ^M00:03:07

>> Then there's the clutch: Perfect linear progression. This is a great car to shift and that's a rarity in modern automotive production. ^M00:03:18 [ Music ] ^M00:03:20

>> Let's price our little German treat. First of all, the prize is around number. A $100,000 even for a C4S Cabriolet, that's kind of nice. Then we add-on the options, the big ones, 2100 for the navigation, 1400 for the Bose audio system, the upgraded one, 960 for the built-in GSM phone. I kind of like all of those, although I'm ambivalent on the nav. It's okay, I'm not blown away by it. Then the exotic stuff. If you've got another oh -- 17,000, get the Carrera Power Kit, pumps the horse power to 381 and makes the whole engine breath better; 8100 or so for ceramic brakes, to drive it that hard, you might like to have those and 3400 for the Tiptronic automatic. Do that and I'll stop speaking to you. ^M00:04:07 [ Music ]