Driven: Porsche 911 C4/C4S

Porsche is going to have a busy year. Following on 2012 sales that globally were up by 18 per cent – and 25 per cent in the UK – there’s a raft of new models coming. Chief among them is the eco-friendly 918 Spyder, but for the more mainstream buyer watch out for the plug-in hybrid version of the Panamera later in the year. For the 911 buyer there’s the S Diesel and the prospect of celebrations to mark the 50^th anniversary of the iconic car’s launch. The new 911 C4 and C4S, driven yesterday through the outstanding beauty of the Brecon Beacons and just arriving in showrooms now, are worthy of the name and badge. If pride dictates you need 400bhp rather than 350bhp then you’ll be wanting the S, but I would suggest 350bhp is plenty and the standard C4 is probably the pick of the pair. The one thing that you can’t escape, whichever model you opt for, is that this is now a big car. The stats prove it; the 993 model had a wheelbase of 227cm, but on the current 991 generation it’s 245cm. Compared with the outgoing 997, this C4 is almost 6cm longer overall. Purists might argue that’s a shame and they have a point. For those seeking a smaller Porsche, there’s the MkIII Cayman coming next month. As I said, it’s a busy year.