2007 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet

Toronto, Ontario - Increasingly (and especially in my corner of Southern Ontario) it’s getting harder and harder to exercise a sporting vehicle on public roads. Not that I’m condoning irresponsible driving, but short of a few bursts of acceleration, or the odd off-ramp hi-jinx, there’s precious little fun to be had around here.

In reality, keeping a high performance sports car in this environment is akin to caging a cheetah or confining Shaque to shooting hoops in your driveway..

Which is precisely why the 2007 $136,900 355-hp Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet make so much sense.

Huh? Bear with me dear reader.

For sure, this iconic 911 all-wheel drop-top has serious tarmac-chewing capability, but for those times when you’re not attacking your favourite back road test loop, it does a fine job of creating the illusion of speed.

Case in point: With the top down and my youngsters squeezed in the back “seats” of this Guards Red tester, we made a run to the shops. “Dad! Slow down!!!” they squealed in delight. I looked down at the big digital speedometer. It read 65 km/h.
Okay, so I had reached that speed in an eye-blink, but had we been in an equally swift sedan, my kids wouldn’t have flinched.

In the Porsche, the firm ride, the rushing air, and of course that marvellous 3.8-litre flat-six snorting away inches from their backsides conspired to make the little tykes think Dad was going for his best lap at the Nurburgring.

And isn’t that what the sports car experience is all about?

Driving this al fresco Porsche allows one to take in every nuance of the DOHC 24-valve engine. And what a repertoire it has. Just off idle it gurgles and spits like Tom Waits after a night of drinking cleaning products. Around 2000 r.p.m. the big six clears its throat and from there it builds from a baritone warble to a mellifluous wail as the 7200 r.p.m. red-line rapidly approaches.And then there’s second gear.
My tester was equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, which shifts with a firm and precise manner. Similarly, the clutch requires a manly prod and the steering has a meaty feel at low speeds. As in all Porsches, the feel and operation of the major controls are wonderfully integrated, and become more so as your speed increases. The standard leather seats with powered backrest are a paragon of comfort and firm lateral support. Height and for-aft adjustment is manual. If you want them powered or heated, have your wallet handy. Although the rear seats are tiny, they are usable for small children and, as I discovered, those few adults who will suffer anything just to get a ride in a Porsche .

A big tach is central in the five-gauge instrument cluster, with the numbers illuminated in a crisp, eye-friendly white. The digital speedo readout in the lower half of the tachometer benefits from the big white numerals too, which is a good thing. Believe me, you want to know how fast you’re going at all times in this road rocket, and the small speedometer to the left of the tach, with it’s markings in tight 50 km/h increments, is no help.
My tester was fitted with the $1950 optional Bose High End Sound Package which sounded good – but not spectacular. But really, the only song you want to hear (and most of the time it’s you’re only choice) is the lusty mechanical symphony of this ass-engined rocket.

Once free from the city confines, the C4S Cabrio comes into its own. I prefer the all-wheel-drive 911s, as they feel more planted and have a more neutral disposition when negotiating the twisties. Which is not to say the steering doesn’t come alive in your hands and the back end can’t be coaxed into some gentle over-steer like in the rear-wheel drive cars. For those into heel-and-toe downshifting, the pedals are perfectly placed for your dancing pleasure. The vented and cross-drilled discs squeezed by four-piston fixed alloy calipers provide the expected Porsche stopping power.

All “S” model Carreras, which carry a 355 hp and 295 lb.-ft. “VarioCam Plus” 3.8-litre aluminum flat-six, beyond the rear axles, also come fitted with Porsche Active Suspension Management. This two-stage damping system takes the chop out of the ride but firms things up the instant you get playful. When PASM is put in sport mode, the suspension buttons down, throttle response quickens and the PSM allows for more sideways fun before it intervenes.

As far as structural rigidity goes, the C4S get a B+: rough surfaces will send some quivers through the structure. It’s not bad, but the standard in convertible stiffness has risen considerably in the past couple of years, and the 911 falls behind such robust roadsters as the Jaguar XKR, M-B SLK and even its baby-brother, the Boxster.

But the occasional shake is a minor price to pay for the dividends received in visual and aural stimulation. Maybe it was the Cabrio’s red paint and tan leather interior, or maybe it was the fact that this was our first truly summer-like weather, but the during my week of piloting this Porsche C4S Cabrio I received more smiles, more thumbs up, and more people yelling “Nice car!” than in any press car I can remember.

While pulling up to a stop sign in my neighborhood, a wide-eyed young whipper-snapper on a bike hollered, “Awesome Porsche! Gun it!” Which I did. Up to 65 km/h. I saw him grinning like the Cheshire Cat in my rear-view mirror.

Fleet Update: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2

I've just done 2000 miles in four days through mountains, deserts, rain, sunshine, snow, and heavy winds; and overall, the Q is comfortable and especially stable, even at high speeds," notes art director Andy Foster, who rendezvoused with Kiino and Vance on their R8 adventure (July 2007). Road tripping from L.A. to Crater Lake, Oregon, via Reno, Foster had myriad impressions: "The engine sound when planting the boot and accelerating away from 60 mph is satisfying, as the V-8 power kicks in nicely to move you quickly past all the trucks and RVs on I-5. Up in the mountains and through the twisty roads, the handling still feels sporty enough for you to think you're not in an SUV. The brakes and handling of the Q7 inspired confidence when driving down long, straight forest roads heavily populated with deer, who had a tendency to wander into the road. Although, realizing this was at night, I did feel the headlights could've been better at choosing the paths of these potentially suicidal mammals." Clearly, Foster was upset that the Q7 didn't come with the optional Deer Avoidance Package. "After driving for a couple hours straight, I found the driver's seat is a little too firm for me, and it doesn't slide back quite far enough for my six-foot frame."


Basking in the aura of the Black Rock Desert, helping Vance with a photo shoot, Foster opines, "Very handsome-looking car, inside and out, photogenic particularly in this pale silver. The black, stylish interior isn't as heavy-handed as some BMWs that go too far with the funereal look, and the lighting of the dials-a warm, glowing red color-works well for me, being bright enough but not too taxing on my old eyes."

As an Englishman who's also lived in Dubai, Hong Kong, and Sydney, Foster loves a navigation system, although he's not especially smitten with the Audi's. "The nav itself is easy to use but compared with the systems in the Lexus LS 460, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the Infiniti G35 s, it shows little typographic information regarding where you're passing. Zooming in and out is simple but often information disappears when you try to get a bigger picture of where you are."
There's a funny little vibration back through the steering wheel that feels like a flat-spotted tire. It can't be, of course, because the ABS system won't allow it. It might be a missing wheel weight. We've asked Audi what it might be, and their suggestion is a bent rim. Nothing looks untoward, however, and you'd think any pothole big enough to bend one of the Q7's monster 20 inch alloys would have left some sort of mark on the tires.The vibration is annoying because the big Q7 is so smooth in so many other ways. The silky 4.2-liter V-8 delivers a linear surge of power, with a delicious burble that sounds like Tom Waits gargling Bailey's Irish Cream. The six speed auto segues between gears with barely a ripple in forward acceleration. But the Q7 is not exactly relaxing. The ride is slightly arthritic, the stiffness in the system amplified by the taut sidewalls of the low profile tires, and the firmness of the seats. On rough roads you hear squeaks and rattles from the interior that you wouldn't in the more stiffly sprung GL450 or Land Rover LR3.

Spent two days in the Q7, ripped it down to Irvine and back. I really like this ute. Put a gun to my head and make me pick a three-row SUV I'd have to drive every day, and this sucker is right up there at the top. With the S-line package and the V8, you almost get the feeling that this is a performance Audi -- almost. While it may not be as stiffly sprung as the GL and LR3, it is certainly more athletic and agile to me. Noticed a bit of the squeaks and rattles Angus was talking about, but I have heard plenty more of the Waits/Irish Cream exhaust note when busting it onto the freeway or ripping away from a light. Had a big discussion with one of the guys in Irvine about it, and he said he thinks it should have been lowered and turned into a vehicle more like the R-Class, which I don't necessarily disagree with. But then it wouldn't be an SUV, and where would Audi be then? Probably better off... Clearly, Audi, like a lot of Ute makers, desperately wants you to believe you're really driving a big car, trick you into thinking you can rip it around corners and into the twisties. If there was a Ute you'd try it with though, it may be this one. I love the cockpit layout, but the driver area is a bit cramped, and indeed, the seats are more sport themed and not as comfortable as other big rigs.