Porsche Carrera 4 and 4S fatten 911 range

The upcoming additions are the Carrera 4 cars that add all-paw grip and distinctive wide-body looks to the latest 911 package, at prices from $255,400 for the first local deliveries next February.

But Australians will not have to wait until 2013 for the car, as Porsche is plotting a fly-in preview at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October. "The Carrera 4 models will be given their world preview at the Paris motor show in late September. We're hopeful of having a car in Sydney a little over two weeks later," Porsche spokesman, Paul Ellis, reveals to Carsguide. "We definitely think it will happen. We're working on it now."

Ellis is keeping quiet on the exact details of the show preview car, as there are four Carrera 4 models in the 2013 range. They are the Carrera 4 and 4S coupe, then the Carrera 4 and 4 S cabriolets that take the top end price to $315,000. They share the basic layout of the terrific all-new 911 that hit Australia in March with everything from a longer body and more-luxurious cabin to controversial electric power steering.

The turning points for the Carrera 4 cars are the considerably wider arches over the wheels - linked by a new strip light across the tail - and the latest version of Porsche's all-wheel drive system, called Porsche Traction Management. The cars are up to 60 kilograms lighter than the models they replace, although they have more heft than the latest rear-drive cars and that hurts their sprinting ability a little despite a claimed 0-100km/h time of just 4.3 seconds.

"This car is much quicker than the previous generation. But it weighs more than the Carrera 2 cars and weight is the enemy in acceleration," Ellis admits. "The grip now in the rear-drive car is so good that you get less advantage from the all-wheel drive system. So now the advantage is in corners, especially in wet conditions, where the Carrera 4 would be noticeably faster point-to-point."

Around a quarter of Australia's 911 buyers will chose an all-wheel drive model, although this is less than the one-third split worldwide. "That's because we don't have the winter driving conditions,"Ellis says simply. The mechanical and equipment package mirrors the Carrera 2 lineup and the price increase for the new model, up by 2-3 per cent or somewhere between $14,000 and $20,000, is also a reflection of the basic 911 strategy.

Ellis says there are more new 911s to come - typically the Targa, GT3 road racer, all-wheel drive Turbo and super-quick GT2 - but the family is filling fast. "This is probably the end point for the volume models in the Carrera range. Obviously there will be some specialised cars to come, but we now have the main block." Carsguide will have a first drive report on the Carrera 4 models from Europe in October.