I know people that once the first snow flakes of winter whirl, they park their expensive sports cars in the secure confines of a garage somewhere. Maybe tuck it into a nice warm blankey, not to be seen again until spring. After a week driving the 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, for the life of me I don’t understand why they do that.
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You’ve invested $204,565 in a wonderful piece of engineering like this only to enjoy it six-seven months of the year? The 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet is so well-suited for winter driving. We had it out during one of the heavier snow falls of the year. We drove the country side outside of Toronto, a desolate side road, the wind howling. It was glorious.
Everything starts with the power it packs – maximum 473 horsepower, maximum 420 lb-ft of torque, 3L Twin Turbo, 6 cylinders. Now, we are not at all saying you test that power on downtown Toronto streets, for example, especially during a snowstorm. Out on those winding country roads, east of the downtown, however, that’s a different story. Zero to 60 mph in just over three seconds, is what we found.
If you’re feeling particularly ballsy, drop the top (operable up to 50 km/h, it’s off in a few seconds). Driving my wife to work during one of those storms (not the record-breaker in January), I was struck by the tightness and stability of the ride. “Suspension is nice and stiff,” we were also told when we picked up the car. McPherson-strut suspension with anti-roll bar at the front and multi-link suspension with anti-roll bar at the rear are what you get for your money there.
Same feeling of sharpness and tightness on those country roads when we tested the zip factor. The top speed by the way is 190 mph (307 kph). Not that we came close to that. Our media car even had racing stripes along the hood and the fabric roof, for effect!
The 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet comes with a “Sport” button to turn on dynamic driving settings for the engine and transmission. In terms of performance and transmission, the car comes with all-wheel drive with Porsche Traction Management (PTM) and 8-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung.
Handling and sharp steering are real notables for a winter drive (typical of Porsche 911s), propped up by 20″/21″ RS Spyder Design Wheels. The 2+2 Coupe with 911 wide body, sitting lower especially using the PASM Sport Suspension (lowered 10 mm), lends itself as well to slick road conditions.
Engine’s in the back, and the front trunk space was surprisingly more ample than we thought. I loaded up four bags from a grocery store run (winter comfort food – organic beer, Shepherd’s pie, Italian bread) quite comfortably.
Then a quick hop around to the driver side, and I jumped in. Winter driving means winter clothes – including a bulky sweater, tossing the jacket into the back seat. We drove in total comfort there as well – grey leather, comfortable Sports Seats Plus (4-way), electric backrest angle and seat height adjustment.
Heated seats are a nice luxury for winter driving. And the Race-Tex on the steering wheel trim gave off more fast-car vibe.
One challenge during the winter months is to keep the salt and grit off all the sensors. Any negatives? OK, the coffee mug holder. Because it’s winter, I always pour my coffee into a heat-preserving aluminum mug. No way that was fitting into the cup holder in the Porsche. Even a paper cup in there had its challenges, which I discovered during a Timmy’s run.
But that’s quibbling. The 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, priced at $204,565 was fun, fun, fun, even in sub-zero temperatures.
