The other day, my husband bought a 996 911 Carrera 4S from a friend of his who let him test drive it. Please take a look if you like.

911 Carrera 4S, test drive

I recently had the opportunity to experience the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S and would like to report my impressions of the car.

This time, I drove.996 Carrera 4SThe 996 model was the first water-cooled 911, and it was a milestone in the rebirth of the 911, which had undergone a major transformation from the air-cooled design of the 993 model to a more modern, yet easier-to-ride 911.

This time, the owner of thisHe found this unit at a used car shop and has been driving it after refreshing the suspension with external parts.Basically, they left it to the store and requested that the suspension be supple enough to drive safely at high speeds and long distances, not stiff just because it is an external product. The suspension isYellow SpeedThe wheels are made by a Taiwanese manufacturer calledBrombacher.were combined.

The owner of this car has only 30,000 kilometers on the odometer, and before changing the suspension, he had experienced the stock suspension, which he said was already soggy.

Testing the first water-cooled engine of the Porsche 911

Twist the key, and the engine awakens with a starting sound that is subdued for a Porsche. Idling does not produce the raw engine noise of an air-cooled Porsche, and the interior is as quiet as a regular sedan or coupe.

."That's a pretty quiet Porsche.That was my first impression. Since this unit is a Tiptronic with AT, I put it in D range and let it run slowly. The impression in the first few dozen meters is very good. At this point, the legs are moving well and I get a good impression.

Tiptronic has considerably less shift shock.Compared to the Tiptronic from my 964 days, it is considerably more refined, and this one is a notch or two better in terms of directness and shifting speed. Naturally, it cannot compete with modern ATs, but it comes close.

Later, I found out that this Tiptronic is made by Mercedes; the 996 model is made by ZF in the first half of the year and Mercedes in the latter half of the year.

I can run in the D range with a light flow.The interior is really comfortable and it's hard to believe the car is almost 20 years old.However, since I was getting used to the car, I set the AT to manual mode and operated the tip switches + (plus) and - (minus) on the steering wheel to change gears manually and drive.

Shift shocks are minimal, and not many people would find this uncomfortable. The shifting shock is greater than that of a normal person operating a manual car. The gearshift speed is not comparable to modern PDK, but it is still not at a level that makes it unusable on mountain roads.If you operate the car just a little bit earlier, it is possible to drive sporty enough.It is.

I dropped down to 3rd gear, then 2nd, and tried stepping on the gas pedal.The water-cooled flat-six, which had seemed to have been asleep until now, awakens at once.The sound changed from the quietness of the previous model to a very nice sound at around 5,000 rpm. Naturally, there was no sports exhaust, and the stock muffler was still in use.The volume quickly increased, and a clear, grainy, pleasant sound of "Phon! The volume of the sound became louder and louder all at once, and the clear and pleasant sound of "Phon!

I have experienced various Porsche engine sounds from air-cooled to the latest water-cooled engines, and from the perspective of volume and power, there are other engines with better tones. However, there are other engines that have a better sound.The sound of this car is quite high in the genre of comfort.I think the sound was so good and high quality that even my fellow passenger in the car said, "It sounds great! The sound was of such a high quality that even my fellow car passenger, who was riding in the passenger seat with me, repeatedly said, "That's a good sound! I was impressed by how many times my fellow passenger in the car said, "That's a great sound!

As for the rigidity of the body and chassis, based on the 996's visual impression, I had a preconceived notion that the ride would be even lighter and more nimble than in the air-cooled era, but this is not the case when I actually experienced it.The ride quality is as solid as an air-cooled Porsche, and the recent 991 and 992 feel lighter in some situations.about.

The crisp body holds the tires firmly to the road surface, and the Yellow Speed dampers dampen vibrations from uneven and undulating road surfaces with great suppleness.The suspension is absolutely comfortable, supple, and has a solid core.It felt very close to the impression and feel of the stock suspension of a typical Porsche.

This car is a Carrera 4S, so it is four-wheel drive. Even under normal conditions, a certain amount of torque is distributed to the front wheels. I had a preconceived notion that since this was an old-fashioned four-wheel drive car, it would have a strong tendency to understeer, but in fact, there was no need to worry about that at all.

When you turn the steering wheel, the front end of the car moves in smoothly and naturally. Porsche handling has a characteristic that is common to all models to some extent. There is a very slight point at the beginning of steering wheel turning where the steering wheel is slightly loose (like a play), and when the steering wheel goes beyond this point, the car turns in a sudden change of direction. TheThe continuity from the point of play to the point where the vehicle body reacts is very natural and exquisiteIt is.

Here is Porsche's secret sauce, I often think these days.

I believe that this exquisite setting enables movement that is not misaligned with the human senses, and that Porsche gives humans the feeling that driving is fun.

The secret sauce is still present in the 996, but it seems to have been seasoned so that the time from the point of play to the point where the vehicle body reacts is slightly shorter. This seems to counteract the inherent heaviness and sluggishness of four-wheel drive vehicles, and the handling is very refreshing.

Although I did not test it on the highway this time, it was completely stable even at high speeds, and I think this is enough to achieve the owner's desire for a comfortable suspension for driving at high speeds.The combination of this foot and Tiptronic is super comfortable for city driving.I think it is. It is truly a neo-classic generation Porsche that can be used on a daily basis.

I actually have a special attachment to the 996 Carrera 4S.It was around 2004, when I was traveling in Kyushu in my first generation Audi TT Coupe 1.8T, which I was dying to buy at all costs. I saw a white 996 Carrera 4S like this one on the highway. I fell in love with the coolness of the straight line garnish on the rear of the car, andSomeday I want to drive a Carrera 4S! Someday I want to drive a PorscheI had a strong memory of this.

And now, even as I write this blog, I remember that I think I took a picture at that time ... and I looked for the picture I have stored in the cloud, and lo and behold, there it is. I had taken a picture of the Carrera 4S from inside the TT at that time, July 17, 2004 at 1:22 p.m. I had taken it properly with my Olympus C2000Z.

This is a photo from that time in 2004. I think it was the Kyushu Longitudinal Expressway.

I am amazed at how things come true when you have a strong desire for them.

I felt that the opportunity to drive the 996 Carrera 4S this time was brought about by such a strong longing and desire from my youth. Thank you, owner, for lending me the car of my dreams!