Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 2010 Test Drive
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 2010 Test Drive
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, Black on Black, with a surprise upon our return.
AllCarCentral.com's Test Drive
It just gets better and better. Summer is here, at least on the calendar, but in Northern California, the skies are still filed with clouds and I have not been in a sun-shinny mood even with the upcoming vintage car races this weekend. Then to top it all off I open up the July issue of Road & Track and read an article by racecar driver Sam Posey which he quite openly admits that during his 14th year he finds a used 300SL Gullwing Mercedes and talks his mother into buying it for him to blast around the back farm fields and dirt roads. This is also the same time period of my life where as young boy I also knew that with a little luck I to could be as good as Phil Hill, (it didn't happen) whose pictures I had taped to my wall, in the form of torn out pages from the Fuller Brush advertisement that was mailed to our house. This (and I still have the frayed and tape covered pages) showed Phil and the cars (Ferraris) he raced and owned. But all I had was an English 3 speed racing bicycle.
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 2010
sn-WPOAB2A90AS720797
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
To get in a better mood for the weekend, I decided to follow up on a test drive. Porsche Cars North America had sent me an invitation to drive one of their 2010 cars, so today was the day. I guess that PCNA started to get the message that Ferrari was getting all the glory, (ACC's previously posted reports were on red cars from Italy).
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 2010
sn-WPOAB2A90AS720797
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Michael Stead Porsche dealer in Walnut Creek, California is just a few miles from the World Offices of AllCarCentral so just after lunch I was standing there looking at all the new shinny Porsches on the showroom floor with my PCNA invitation in hand. Norbert Jensen stepped up to show me around the floor which had the usual selection of new Porsches plus a nice GT3 Cup car. After the a short tour "which car do you want?" says Norbert. No less than the 911 4S was my way of thinking, (the Cup car was a private owner car). Norbert delivered a nice, black on black, 911 4S coupe to the door, pointing towards the street in front. Norbert jumped in to provide instruction for, and operate all the switches that control the different modes (moods) which has been programmed into the computer, controlling the suspension, shifting, fuel economy, and such.
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 2010
sn-WPOAB2A90AS720797
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
The 911 4S is a real car. One which you can put your stuff in and go places. Maybe take a trip to Carmel-By-The-Sea and spend a few days, or get bags of food at the market. The other thing about a Porsche is that although it has that certain something that sets it apart from the daily drivers on the freeway, the Porsche styling is solid. The rear engined Porsche model, the most recent example which I was enjoying has only received 3 major styling make-overs in 82 years. The 356, 911 to 1998 and the 911 with the water-cooled engine. The effect of this dedication to keeping the model line pure is "value-holding". This is not to say that everyday Porsche engineers are not "improving" the line, because this is a very modern car. Quite. It moves about easily in the parking lot. Easy to get into and drive in traffic just like all those other cars on the road.
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 2010
sn-WPOAB2A90AS720797
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
This car had an automatic shifting transmission. The shifting switches that changes gears are mounted on the steering wheel, one set on each side of the wheel, there is also a selector lever in the center for park, reverse and drive. The operation of these wheel mounted selector switches required a bit of concentration from me, not unlike my 1969 911 which has the old style 5 speed shift layout. The "4S" is rather meaningful. The S is for performance increases over the base 911 and the 4 is referring to the fact that there is power being delivered to each the 4 wheels as in 4 wheel drive. The extra 4 wheel gear assembly gives this model a feeling of weight. This is not a negative quality. I was simply aware of it. The payoff is more traction and traction control over more surfaces and driving conditions, a good thing.
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 2010
sn-WPOAB2A90AS720797
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
This Porsche is a "Super Car" and to that end it delivers performance. About all the "testing" that can be applied in an around-town drive is short burst acceleration and moderate handling experience on on-ramps. But I could tell this was much much more than my wife's Mazda. A track would provide some safe way to enjoy the limits of car and driver. My favorite mode would be keeping the "sport" or performance switch on. This only automatically shifts-up if the engine hits redline, but one can manually shift with the selectors on the wheel.
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 2010
sn-WPOAB2A90AS720797
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Porsche has always made a car that was most accomplished at being a driving car as well as being a drivers car and the 2010, 911 still meets that level. I say call Norbert Jensen and take one to your house. Me? I am calling my mother. It worked for Sam Posey.
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 2010
sn-WPOAB2A90AS720797
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Oh yes I said that "It just gets better and better". When I pulled into the dealers driveway I had to navigate around an auto transporter that just unloaded not 1 but 2 brand new, with the paper-rappers-still-on-them, 2011 911 GT3RS cars in basic white. One with Gray trim and one with red trim.
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A95BS783067
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A95BS783067
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Descriptive Poster For This Car - JPG file
Descriptive Poster For This Car - JPG file
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A95BS783067
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A95BS783067
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A96AS783853
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A96AS783853
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Descriptive Poster For This Car - JPG file
Descriptive Poster For This Car - JPG file
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A96AS783853
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A96AS783853
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A96AS783853
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A96AS783853 & sn-WPOAC2A95BS783067
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A96AS783853 & sn-WPOAC2A95BS783067
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
Porsche 911 GT3RS 2011
sn-WPOAC2A96AS783853 & sn-WPOAC2A95BS783067
Michael Stead Porsche
Walnut Creek, California
All Cars • • Racing • • VINTAGE • • Shows • • Gallerys • • Contact