Recently, my husband had the chance to test drive a 996-generation 911 Carrera 4S owned by an acquaintance, and he wrote down his impressions. Please have a look if you’re interested.

911 Carrera 4S Test Drive

The other day, I had the opportunity to experience driving a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, and I’d like to share my impressions from that time.

The model driven was the 996-generation Carrera 4S. The 996 is a milestone model as it was the first 911 to switch to water cooling, completely redesigning the air-cooled style of the 993 and earlier models, transforming the 911 into a more modern and even easier-to-drive car.

This particular owner found this car at a used car dealer and refreshed the suspension with aftermarket parts. Basically, he left it to the shop but requested a suspension that wasn’t stiff just because it was aftermarket, but rather one that would be supple and comfortable for highway and long-distance driving. The suspension is from a Taiwanese manufacturer called Yellow Speed, and the wheels are Brombacher.

By the way, this car’s mileage is still in the 30,000 km range. The owner experienced the original suspension before changing it and said it was already very soft and mushy, so while mileage matters, the aging of suspension components over time seems to progress more than one might expect.

Trying Porsche’s First Water-Cooled Engine

Turning the key, the engine starts with a relatively modest sound for a Porsche. The idle doesn’t have the raw noise typical of air-cooled Porsches, and inside the cabin it’s as quiet as a regular sedan or coupe.

My first impression was, “This is quite a quiet Porsche.” This car has an automatic transmission with Tiptronic, so I put it in D and drove slowly. The first few dozen meters left a very good impression. At this point, the suspension was moving well and felt very positive.

The Tiptronic shift shocks are quite minimal. Compared to the Tiptronic in my 964, this one is much more refined, with a more direct feel and faster shifts. Of course, it can’t match modern automatics, but it’s surprisingly close.

After some research, I found out this Tiptronic is made by Mercedes. The early 996s used ZF transmissions, while later ones switched to Mercedes units.

When lightly cruising in D, the cabin is truly comfortable and it’s hard to believe this car is nearly 20 years old. Getting more familiar with the car, I switched to manual mode and used the + and – paddle switches on the steering wheel to shift gears manually.

The shift shocks are minimal, and I doubt many would find it unpleasant. In fact, a human operating a manual transmission usually causes more shift shock. While it’s unfair to compare to modern PDK transmissions, it’s still perfectly usable on mountain roads. If you shift just a little earlier than usual, sporty driving is definitely possible.

Dropping down to 3rd and 2nd gear and pressing the accelerator, the water-cooled flat-six, which had seemed dormant, suddenly awakens. Around 5,000 rpm, the sound changes dramatically to something fantastic. There’s no sports exhaust here—just the original muffler from back then—but the volume rises sharply, and a crisp, well-defined “fohn!” sound fills the air.

Having experienced Porsche engines from air-cooled to the latest water-cooled, there are other engines with impressive volume and presence. However, in terms of sheer pleasantness, this car’s sound ranks very high. It’s such a refined and beautiful tone that even my passenger, a fellow car enthusiast, kept saying “What a great sound!” during the drive, which left a strong impression.

As for body rigidity and chassis, I had a preconceived notion from the 996’s looks that it might feel lighter and more nimble than the air-cooled era, but the actual experience proved otherwise. The solid ride quality that rivals air-cooled Porsches remains intact, and in fact, the newer 991 and 992 models sometimes feel lighter by comparison.

The sharp body firmly presses the tires onto the road, and the Yellow Speed dampers smoothly absorb vibrations from bumps and undulations. The suspension is thoroughly pleasant, supple yet with a solid core. It felt very close to the typical impression and feel of genuine Porsche factory suspension.

This car is a Carrera 4S, so it has all-wheel drive. There is always some torque distributed to the front wheels. I had assumed that, being an older AWD system, it might have a strong understeer tendency, but that worry was completely unfounded.

When turning the steering wheel, the front end naturally and smoothly points inward. Porsche’s handling has a common trait across models: there is a slight “play” or loose spot at the start of steering input, and once you pass that, the car’s direction changes sharply. The continuity from the play zone to the point where the car responds is very natural and exquisite.

I’ve come to think of this as Porsche’s secret sauce.

This subtle tuning perfectly matches human perception, making driving a Porsche genuinely enjoyable.

This secret sauce remains in the 996, but I felt the time from the play zone to the car’s response is slightly shorter here. This seems to effectively counteract the inherent weight and sluggishness of AWD, resulting in very crisp handling.

I didn’t get to test it on the highway this time, but even at higher speeds, it felt completely stable. I believe the suspension setup the owner wanted for comfortable highway cruising has been fully achieved, and this suspension combined with Tiptronic makes city driving super comfortable. This is truly a Neo-Classic generation Porsche you can use every day.

I actually have a special attachment to the 996 Carrera 4S. Back around 2004, I was driving an Audi TT Coupe 1.8T that I had bought with all my might, traveling around Kyushu. On the highway, I saw a white 996 Carrera 4S just like this one. I fell in love with the sleek single-line rear garnish and strongly thought, “Someday I want to drive a Carrera 4S! Someday I want to drive a Porsche.”

Even now, as I write this blog, I vaguely remember taking a photo back then… When I searched my cloud storage, I found the photo. It was taken from inside the TT on July 17, 2004, at 1:22 pm with an Olympus C2000Z.

A photo from 2004. I think it was on the Kyushu Expressway.

It really made me realize once again that if you strongly desire something, it will come true—and I’m amazed by that myself.

Riding the 996 Carrera 4S this time felt like that youthful, intense longing drew this opportunity to me. Thank you very much to the owner who kindly lent me this dream car!