Getting your player ready...
Yet another 911 has been added this year to the Porsche lineup – the Carrera GTS; it begs for an open road.
Slip into its low-slung driver seat, test the response of the 408-horsepower flat-6-cylinder engine and 6-speed manual transmission, and you, the pilot, will go find that open road.
Skimming the roadway in its all-white finish, the GTS takes on the appearance of a low-flying snow goose.
The rear-drive Porsche coupe falls in place between the 911 Carrera S and the Carrera GT3. It brings to more than 20 the variations of 911 models.
It visited my house during a cold, snowy week. I took a kidding when seen in the Carrera’s tight cabin bundled in my Carhartt parka (the one I used when driving Porsche Cayennes on frozen lakes at Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon seven or eight years ago). On several days recently, I opted for driving the Cadillac SRX all-wheel drive (reviewed in last Sunday’s Post). One morning, at 2 below, I backed the Carrera from the garage, headed around the icy street corner and, with but a tiny nudge, the rear end skidded a new course and missed by a foot the bumper of my pickup parked along the curb. Once righted, the Porsche proceeded very well and performed as expected after I accessed a highway. Cabin space is tight, and it puts the driver in a close relationship with the GTS’s precise, short-throw shifter and light-action clutch. The 3.8-liter, horizontally opposed, rear-engined 6 delivers a 0-to-60 time of 4.4 seconds and top speed of 190 miles per hour. The GTS averaged 19.5 miles per gallon of premium fuel; its EPA rating is 18-25. The GTS gets a power boost over the Carrera S (408-hp to 385) and gains the extra width of the Carrera S4 (all-wheel-drive model).
The red brake calipers stand out against the all-white finish of the model I drove. The brakes are 13-inch vented rotors with four-piston calipers. The 19-inch Spyder wheels, painted white, are shod with Bridgestone Potenza tires. Dressing up the interior are finely stitched leather on the dash, cocoa leather seats (heated and cooled) and suede panels on the doors. The ignition key is to the left of the steering column. There are rear seats; they’re unusable other than for grocery sacks. For cupholders, Porsche uses “jigglers,” which extend from the dash, similar to BMW’s of some years back.
The Carrera GTS’s base price of $103,100 climbs all the way to $119.920 with such options as the leather interior, electronically adjustable seats, sport suspension, navigation, Bose surround sound and cornering lights.
A redesign of the 911 Porsche is coming for the 2012 model year.
SX4 outsells Kizashi
in lineup for Suzuki Barely over 13 feet in length and weighing less than 2,900 pounds, the Suzuki SX4 Crossover AWD will move about very capably in the snow and is one of the least-expensive all-wheel-drive vehicles in the country.
Sticker price on a 2011 SX4 with the technology value package, driven recently, was $19,724.
The SX4 is Suzuki’s best-seller, ahead of the Kizashi sport sedan and Grand Vitara SUV.
The review model’s stylish exterior was enhanced with vivid red finish. Under the floor in the cargo area is a temporary spare, the wheel painted bright yellow; only in dire circumstances will it be used. The cargo space is only 10 cubic feet behind the rear seats; fold those seats, though, and the space expands to 54 cubic feet.
Its small 2.0-liter, 148-horsepower 4-cylinder engine and 4-speed automatic transmission produced fuel mileage of 26.5 miles per gallon. Last year, in lots of deep snow and on icy streets, the same power combination averaged 22.6. A switch hidden in the center console will lock in the rear wheels when needed.
A feature is its Garmin GPS navigation system, with small 5-inch screen, providing real-time traffic, weather forecast and Google search.
Notes from e-mail
Q: Bud, regarding the 2012 Jeep column. I own an ’09 Wrangler and love it. It is not a Rubicon, and I’ve never gotten a complete answer as to what the difference is between my X and a Rubicon, other than the price difference. One salesman said it was the transmission, axles, suspension and shocks designed more for rugged offroad use. Sound accurate? As for the 2012 in the column, the performance sounds impressive, but I can’t imagine needing 285 horsepower in a 3,500-pound vehicle. I don’t drive it on the open road all that often. – S.S.
A: The salesman was correct, Steve, the Wrangler Rubicon is better-suited to offroad duty than is the X, particularly with axles and suspension. Should you ever drive your Wrangler up toward the Eisenhower Tunnel, you will better understand the cheers for more highway torque in the new Pentastar powertrain being introduced for Jeep.
2011 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS coupe
$119,920
(price as tested)
MPG City 18 Highway 25
Vehicle type: Premium sports car
Wheelbase: 92.5 inches
Length/Width/Height: 175.6/72.9/51.6 inches
Weight: 3,175 pounds
Engine: 3.8-liter flat 6-cylinder
Transmission: 6-speed manual transmission
Fuel mileage: 19.5 mpg
Fuel tank: 16.9 gallons
Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles basic
Competitors: Nissan GT-R, Chevrolet Corvette, Mercedes-Benz SL550
Built at Stuttgart, Germany
Parts content: Germany 65 percent, U.S./Canadian 4 percent
THE STICKER
$103,100 base
$4,085 Special leather
$2,110 Navigation
$1,140 Bose surround sound
$1,325 Heaed, cooled seats
$960 Sport chrono package
$950 Sport suspension
$950 Destination
PLUSES
Acceleration
Highway hugger
Rear-engine layout
MINUSES
Overly pricey
Bumpy trail
It visited my house during a cold, snowy week. I took a kidding when seen in the Carrera’s tight cabin bundled in my Carhartt parka (the one I used when driving Porsche Cayennes on frozen lakes at Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon seven or eight years ago). On several days recently, I opted for driving the Cadillac SRX all-wheel drive (reviewed in last Sunday’s Post). One morning, at 2 below, I backed the Carrera from the garage, headed around the icy street corner and, with but a tiny nudge, the rear end skidded a new course and missed by a foot the bumper of my pickup parked along the curb. Once righted, the Porsche proceeded very well and performed as expected after I accessed a highway. Cabin space is tight, and it puts the driver in a close relationship with the GTS’s precise, short-throw shifter and light-action clutch. The 3.8-liter, horizontally opposed, rear-engined 6 delivers a 0-to-60 time of 4.4 seconds and top speed of 190 miles per hour. The GTS averaged 19.5 miles per gallon of premium fuel; its EPA rating is 18-25. The GTS gets a power boost over the Carrera S (408-hp to 385) and gains the extra width of the Carrera S4 (all-wheel-drive model).
The red brake calipers stand out against the all-white finish of the model I drove. The brakes are 13-inch vented rotors with four-piston calipers. The 19-inch Spyder wheels, painted white, are shod with Bridgestone Potenza tires. Dressing up the interior are finely stitched leather on the dash, cocoa leather seats (heated and cooled) and suede panels on the doors. The ignition key is to the left of the steering column. There are rear seats; they’re unusable other than for grocery sacks. For cupholders, Porsche uses “jigglers,” which extend from the dash, similar to BMW’s of some years back.
in lineup for Suzuki Barely over 13 feet in length and weighing less than 2,900 pounds, the Suzuki SX4 Crossover AWD will move about very capably in the snow and is one of the least-expensive all-wheel-drive vehicles in the country.
