Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet

It’s 50 years since this iconic car was first introduced to the public at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show and it has made heartbeats flutter ever since.

For five decades, the 911 has been the heart of the brand, and today it remains the quintessential sports car, the benchmark for all others.

The 911 Carrera 4 – whether it’s the standard 4 or the 4S (tested here as a cabriolet) comes at a premium price over the two-wheel drive Carrera 2 and 2S. It features subtly different rear bodywork that includes a unique light arrangement and a wider track and the inevitable gains in traction that an extra pair of driven wheels brings.

The two-wheel drive Carrera is a devastatingly effective machine already and if there’s one thing it’s not lacking that is traction, the rearengined arrangement maximising the available grip when powering out of a bend. Not forgetting, of course, that your new 911 comes with the Porsche Active Stability Management (PASM) system to help you out in a tight spot. So why would you choose a Carrera 4 then?

Well, unlike previous Carrera 4 versions, the 991-generation is a lot closer visually to the two-wheeldrive version. In the past, the extra width at the rear has been known to unbalance the overall shape a little.

But now it’s been perfectly judged, and it carries a little more muscle to arguably make it more visually appealing than the Carrera 2.

Mechanically, the differences between the 4 and the 2 are straightforward. You get the same 3.4 or 3.8-litre flat six engine with two outputs and a choice of sevenspeed manual or seven-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox.

A further trick up its sleeve is a double de-clutch facility which can be switched on or off; essentially in manual-equipped cars it will blip the throttle for you on downchanges to match the revs to the wheel speed, thereby avoiding any locking of wheels when really pressing on.

As you climb into 911 - and there can be no denying that sliding in and out of the seats requires a degree of dexterity -you are greeted by a much improved cabin in both ergonomics and material quality.

Pinching several bits from the Cayenne and Panamera makes it much easier to live with, and the reassuring snap and click of the switches gives the impression that it will last as long as the bulletproof mechanicals.

There’s nothing to indicate that this 911 is four-wheel-drive as you pull away because it diverts most or all of the power to the rear unless it detects a loss of grip, so you have the four-wheel drive only when you need it. That means that for much of the time it drives exactly how you would want it; namely just like a two-wheel-drive 911.

You sacrifice nothing in terms of the slickness, sensitivity and accuracy in the way that the car responds to your inputs. Indeed, that’s one of the key differences between a Porsche and other sports cars - it steers beautifully, bringing together man and machine for what is mostly a joyous experience.

I say mostly, because there are times such as at a T-junction stop or when making a reversing manoeuvre that you crave better visibility. The Park Assist option at £243 is money very well spent.

You don’t feel any additional weight in the 4S, nor that the car is compromised as a result. Sure, there is a modest weight penalty but that’s offset by the increased traction. Where you really feel the benefit is when conditions aren't ideal – namely most of the time – and the reassurance of four-wheeldrive gives greater confidence.

Talking of poor conditions, my time with the cabriolet coincided with some unseasonally bad weather, and I had only one brief opportunity to bring the top down. The fabric hood comes down with a minimum of fuss, and a centre console switch brings a windshield into play to make the open-top experience that much more pleasurable.

On the higher-powered S version you get torque vectoring as standard, which can switch power between wheels on the same axle as well as front to back. It’s fiendishly clever but all you really need to know is that it punts you out of a corner with as much traction as it can possibly muster.

PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 4S CABRIOLET

PRICE: £91,763 (£97,861 as tested)
ENGINE: 3.4-litre petrol producing 400bhp and 440lb.ft of torque
TRANSMISSION: sevenspeed manual gearbox driving all four wheels
PERFORMANCE: top speed 187mph, 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds
ECONOMY: 29.0mpg combined
CO2 RATING: 229g/km