Porsche 911 Carrera S PDCC review

 

What is it?

While it’s certainly a nice problem to have, knowing which options boxes to tick when ordering your new Porsche 911 certainly doesn’t get any easier. And with some of those options directly affecting the way your car will ride and handle, it’s important to know what you want.
The big question with the advent of the latest ‘991’ 911 is, “Do you want Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, sir?” On a car that is also offered with dynamic engine mounts, variable-assistance power steering, adaptive damping and sports suspension, the £2185 PDCC option – available only on the 3.8-litre Carrera S – throws active anti-roll bars into the mix. Their stiffness is computer controlled according to lateral body movement, and they’re supposed to allow more precise handling and steering during hard cornering, while offering a more comfortable and absorbent ride when the car is tracking straight.

What's it like?

On the basis of our testing, however, a PDCC-equipped 911 doesn’t distinguish itself from a standard one quite so clearly. During mixed road driving, the improvement in roll control was hard to detect – mostly because of the excellent control of the standard car – and over choppy surfaces there seemed to be little improvement in ride compliance relative to the baseline set-up of the Carrera S we group tested a few months ago. You’d certainly need a non-PDCC car, the right road and a particularly sensitive backside for a back-to-back comparison and to appreciate the net gain.
On the track, things are slightly different. PDCC does improve high-speed directional stability and outright lateral body control a little, but also seems to have a slight adverse affect on the fluid, predictable limit handling of the 991.

Should I buy one?

All things considered, we prefer the more natural progression of the car’s handling without the system, but those looking for the last word in track composure may well have different priorities.

Matt Saunders

Porsche 911 Carrera S PDK PDCC

Price: £85,814; 0-62mph: 4.3sec; Top speed: 187mph; Economy: 32.5mpg (combined); CO2: 205g/km; Kerb weight: 1415kg; Engine: 6cyls horizontally opposed, 3800cc, petrol; Power: 395bhp at 7400rpm; Torque: 325lb ft at 5600rpm; Gearbox: 7-spd dual-clutch auto
source: autocar