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New 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe and Cabriolet Now Available

Four Wide-Body AWD 911s Ideal for Slippery Winter Conditions

There are many benefits to driving a car with four powered wheels, with traction in wet or snowy conditions being the most obvious.

Porsche initially offered all-wheel drive on its mid-80s 959 supercar, and then followed up with a four-wheel motivated 964 C4 in 1989. C4 and C4S models were offered in 993 and 996 body styles, plus came standard with the Cayenne SUV, of course, and with  the new 2006 Carrera 4 Coupe and Cabriolet models arriving at dealerships this weekend, more than 20 years of all-wheel drive Porsches make quite a
The new 2006 Carrera 4 Coupe is is now available, marking more than 20 years of all-wheel drive Porsches. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America)
legacy.

The timing for Porsche to launch its all-new Carrera 4 Coupe and Cabriolet models is apropos, being that the first snowfalls of the year are already blanketing colder regions around Canada, while most of the country apprehensively awaits the initial cold winds, frozen rain and then eventually,
Porsche initially offered all-wheel drive on its mid-80s 959 supercar. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America)
white powdery stuff.

Porsche completely revised its rear-wheel drive 911 range last year, and with that came updated styling cues, a totally reworked and much improved interior, plus notable performance enhancements.

Now, all-wheel drive 911 models have received the makeover, and this weekend those who want all the traction all the time can go to their local Porsche dealership and experience the
New hard-top 911 Carrera 4 and 4S Coupes, plus the open-top 911 Carrera 4 and 4S Cabriolets have now arrived at Porsche retailers. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America)
improvements firsthand.
Which cars are we talking about? The hard-top 911 Carrera 4 and 4S Coupe, plus the open-top 911 Carrera 4 and 4S Cabriolets, in total four models.

The new Carreras deliver a great deal more performance than their all-wheel drive predecessors, from larger, more finely tuned engines, to more resistant brakes and more dynamic handling characteristics.

Available for the first time with two engines, the standard unit being Porsches
The all-wheel drive system is more or less carryover from the 996 C4S. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America)
recently upgraded 325-horsepower 3.6-liter six-cylinder boxer that powers the regular rear-wheel drive 2005 911 Carrera, zipping the sprightly coupe to 60 mph in only 4.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 174 mph. The enhanced engine is not just incrimentally quicker, but smoother too.

The same goes for the six-speed manual gearbox, a big improvement over the outgoing transmission. The five-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission also remains among the best in its class, this side of a sequential manual such as BMWs SMG, Ferraris F1, Maseratis Cambiacorsa, and highest rated of them all, Volkswagen-Audis DSG.
The most noticeable exterior modifications of both all-wheel drive models are their 1 ? inch wider flanks, expanded to accommodate the Carrera 4s larger tires. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America)


The second engine to be fitted to Carrera 4S (C4S) and C4S Cabriloet models, boasts 355-horsepower via a 3.8-liter flat-six, enough to push either car to 60 mph in a mere 4.6 seconds and keep the momentum going to a terminal velocity of 179 mph - slightly less in the convertible. The upgraded engine displays a stunning improvement over the base engine, feeling more like a Turbo than a naturally aspirated horizontally opposed six, albeit with more immediate throttle response.
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