48 Hours With The Carrera 4 (Part 3)

Combine it with a searing, brilliantly effective engine, whose top-end bite and ability to feel like it will rev forever made seriously light work of the Brecons despite it being ‘only’ the entry-level motor, and you’ve got a car that feels made for Britain.

Here, it rains. Here, the roads are tight and twisty. Here, most of us don’t have the space or the money to run more than one car each, so the car of our dreams has to do the lot. The 991 Carrera 4 is that car - as good and able on the M4 as it was on the Beacons we’d just left behind.

I had even discovered what Porsche was doing with the styling - and was now, when spying a 997, thinking it just a little dated in comparison. Was this due to the Carrera 4 additions of side skirts, black lower trim and rear valance, plus bespoke  lateral air gills? That wider rear end? Simply that delightful illuminated tail bar (which alone makes the C4 a must-have in my eyes)? I’m still not sure. But the extra length, combined with the marvellous detail of surfacing (particularly around the front end and wings) makes this car now more than a little epic to these eyes. That’s what standing, staring and jumping on the spot for two hours to keep warm on the side of a windswept Brecon does for you. Visually, the car looks stunning - just as a traditional 911 always does.

An icon steeped in history and a picturesque church

And then, all too soon, our time was up as we headed back over the Severn Bridge to Reading. Once there, I didn’t want to leave the Carrera 4 behind. I’d become convinced: this is the most complete car Porsche currently makes. With a balanced price, ability and engagement, this car emerges as a Stormer. Yes, the extra power of the Carrera S would be nice (its extra torque even more so), but that, of course, costs more, and probably wouldn’t average the remarkable 26mpg this one showed on the trip computer (especially as I knew how hard I’d driven it). You could also spend less on a basic Carrera but wouldn’t get the sheer brilliant all-weather, all-road ability of this C4.

The 991 C4 is emphatically spirited with the character of a 911

As our road trip to Wales and back also proved, it’s still a genuine 911. This isn’t immediately apparent but give it time. Do as we did, and go for a damn good drive. The true 911 spirit will emerge, I assure you. My doubting is over: the 991 deserves its place in these pages as a proper 911. Now here’s to discovering it some more...

With heads turned and hearts won, the Carrera 4 returns to Reading

Optional extras

A 911 wouldn’t be a 911 without a brace of options. So it was to our surprise that we discovered the lovely white test car Porsche had secured for us didn’t actually have that many. Even the incredibly white paint was standard. It’s possibly one of the most ‘basic’ 991s you can get - that it performed so well is testimony to the car itself; it needs no enhancement. However, there were still a few boxes ticked.

19-inch wheels are standard on the Carrera 4; the S gets 20-inch wheels, but you can upgrade to 20-inch Sport Design rims on the standard car for a staggering bargain of just $365. Yes, really. They look so good, it’s an absolute must-have. Not sure about the $959 front and rear parking sensors, though - this still isn’t a large car - while $2,100 of carbon fibre trim seemed a waste too. And shouldn’t Bluetooth telephone integration be standard, not $835 extra?

The $3,875 Agate Grey interior looks murky to us, meaning a further saving but, standing on the side of the mountain for two hours meant it would have been the end for us if you’d taken away the $480 heated seats.

The 911 Carrera 4 isn’t crying out for anything major. That doesn’t stop Porsche buyers ticking the options, mind. 85 per cent choose Sport Chrono, 60 per cent go for the Bose stereo and one in every two chooses PDCC. You can have it standard, yes, but almost nobody can resist adding something extra...