Porsche: Following the Dream

Text: Alena Semeshko

Not every car owner actually knows what his car is capable of. And it would be strange to test your car for strength, especially on the roads of the city, where such things are illegal and life-threatening, both your own and the car! Only professional riders can boast of such a driving experience .... and some lucky ones from the press, who are often invited to test all the features of a car and tell the reader and consumer about it, which is unlikely to experience it “even” after acquiring a “steel horse”.

The next test drive, held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi as part of the Porsche World Road Show 2011, was divided into four parts, each of which once again highlighted certain technologies used to create the "German beast" - a Porsche car.

Upon arrival at the scene, the first thing that caught my eye was nine multi-colored and even inspiring cars and unconditional respect, with German numbers - the very nine that we had to test for power, speed and durability!

Road test

So, the first test is the 'Handling Test'. The same cars are now lined up - one after another.

The first in a row was a white Boxter S, which was driven by a driver from the Porsche high-speed team, driving a rental on the racetrack. Next is a series of the best Porsche automobile products: yellow Cayman, white 911 Carrera, red 911 Carrera 4S, dark green Panamera 4, and finally, watching all of these "small animals" from above, a brand new black Cayenne Turbo.

I started my test drive with the third car in the lineup. White 911 Carrera: it’s a little scary to put pressure on the gas, you get lost and, not quite realizing all the comfort and charms of the car, try to get used to the ease of driving and the location of all the controls in the cabin. The car, in the literal sense of the word, jumped onto the track, all-wheel drive traction almost completely prevents skidding and sliding on sharp turns of the race track. Since the driving panic still did not subside, it seemed that I was driving much faster than it really was.

More is more: the red 911 Carrera 4S. I’m more or less used to the track, and I’m ready to add adrenaline. Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, 385 horsepower 2011 model - truly a beast! Having jumped out onto the track with the aggression of a real lion, this car allowed me to feel the full power of its engine - all that was needed was to press the gas pedal. I want to put more pressure on the gas, and only somewhere in the distance the echo of the mind reminds us that 150 km / h is not quite a reasonable speed for 60-90-degree turns. But the car so easily fits into them!

The 911 Carrera 4S makes itself felt - it is noisy, stable, accurate, sharp, with distinctive quick jerks of the PDK dual-clutch gearbox, not to mention the sound of a 6-cylinder engine!

Go ahead! Dark green Panamera 4, 2011 model, 300 horsepower, equipped with a V6 engine, four-wheel drive - and, indeed, a dream! For a moment, I feel like I'm in a real racing car, squeezing out crazy speed out of it and gliding along the track. But then, looking at the interior, I forget about the racetrack and sail away into the luxury of the Panamera 4 interior decoration. It accelerates quickly, and the sounds that the car makes at the same time are impressive for the V6 "base"! And by the way, it’s easy enough to keep up with the 911 model, which is ahead, even at sharp turns and zigzags of the track ... maximum, with only a slight hint of screeching wheels when braking.

And finally, the new black Cayenne Turbo 2011 - 500 horsepower, starts off like a racing stallion. With this heavyweight you need to be careful about cornering! The track swims past, as if in slow motion (if it were any other SUV, at that speed I would most likely not sit here and share my impressions with you). The interior is somewhat reminiscent of the cockpit, only complicated by many details. The first thing that comes to mind is how quickly the car accelerates and how ironic that this Arabian mummies in Dubai will drive this fast but smooth car more than anyone else.

Now in my hands is a yellow Cayman! After driving the Cayenne and Carerra 4S, I thought the Cayman would seem a little disappointing.

But with a power of 320 horsepower, the 2011 Porsche Cayman S following the Boxster S with an instructor behind the wheel turned out to be the impression of the day! The whistling of wheels on the corners of an already familiar track, the unique ease of control ... I do not think that you can get more driving pleasure! Following the instructor's car, I had the feeling that everything was a computer toy, and I control not the steering wheel of a real car, but the remote joystick. The right passenger seat, in my opinion, is an option. Moreover, not the most necessary. In Cayman, I want to drive a selfish person, communicating with the car one on one. And there must be very good reason to put on the right seat of the satellite. Will be distracting!

After this run, I was sure that this trip to Abu Dhabi was justified by driving a Cayman. But it was not there! Ahead of me was still waiting for the “Brake Test” (test brakes) at the Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet 2011 in 500 horsepower. The task is to squeeze the maximum speed out of the car, then sharply go left or right, pressing the brakes with all their might ... The best way to show how ABS works. It's amazing how steady this car turned out to be under emergency braking at that speed!

The next “Slalom Test” (slalom) is already on a black 320-horsepower Porsche Boxster Spyder convertible. The first impression is the comfort and luxury of the interior, it is difficult to imagine a car designed for the convenience of the driver better than this! So, the first round: I go round the chips, concentrate on turning the steering wheel; the second round - I try the car for speed and resourcefulness and again, as if in a computer game, I am amazed at how obedient this car is to my every move, wherever I send it.

On the third lap, I confess, I went too far with speed and knocked down a couple of chips. Well, for that he is a test drive that you can afford more than on the road.

Watch out for the moose!

Well, the curtain, the last “test -“ Moose Test ”(literally,“ test for moose ") on the Porsche Panamera S of 400 horsepower. The bottom line is to squeeze the maximum speed out of the car and, reaching the chips, go abruptly to the side , this time without touching the brakes, and then returning back to the lane - thus, bypassing an obstacle (that is, a "moose" that unexpectedly jumped onto the road). The first circle - stability control was turned on, the second - off, and the third - again included for comparison, the difference is noticeable: most of us almost “fit” into the fence on the second circle, forcing the car spinning around its axis and exhaling smoke from under the wheels, and having squeezed the maximum speed and sharply turned the steering wheel on the third, we felt all the safety and stability of Porsche in an emergency.

In general, the qualities that most impressed and distinguished Porshce cars from different lines compared to other well-known cars are obedience, speed, safety and comfort. Well, what about test drive? I don’t think that under any other conditions you can get so much adrenaline while driving a luxury Porsche and not violating the rules of the road!

Watch the video: July 15-16 dreams: red porsche driving in rain of blood (March 2024).