First Look: 2013 Porsche Carrera 4 and 4S Bring All-Wheel Drive

If you’re a fan of wide rear ends, today is your day – the 2013 Porsche Carrera 4 and 4S have debuted with hips to make any head turn. The Christina Hendricks of Porsches is available as the 4 or 4S in coupe or convertible form. Look for it on the runway at the Paris International Motor Show this September 29.

The best part of a brand new Porsche Carrera 911 is the flood of iterations that are soon to follow, and the all-wheel drive 4 and 4S models are some of the most popular of all. (Thirty-four percent of all 997 Carreras sold were all-wheel drive.) For 2013, Porsche has carried all mechanics over from the 991 Carrera 911 to the 4 and 4S, except for a wider rear end and all-wheel drive that combine to improve both performance and fuel efficiency. The all-wheel drive also separates it from the competition, with only the Nissan GT-R and stablemate Audi R8 offering similar AWD performance.

The rear of the 2013 Porsche Carrera 4 and 4S is widened by 22mm on each side, or 44mm total in order to cover rear tires that are each 10mm wider than those on the Carrera 911. The extended width is accentuated by the trademark red cross bar, integrated between the sharper taillights much more attractively than the previous 997 Carrera 4S had been.

So it’s prettier, but is it faster? You bet. With a lightweight aluminum-steel body, that extra grip from the wider rears and the benefit of all-wheel drive (with a rear bias), the 2013 Porsche Carrera 4 will accelerate from 0-60mph in just 4.3 seconds (4.5 in the 4 Cabriolet) thanks to its 350 horsepower 3.4L flat-six. Power is boosted to 400 horsepower in the 3.8L boxer in the Carrera 4S, bringing its 0-60mph acceleration figure down to just 3.9 seconds (4.1 with the Cab).

Not that fuel efficiency is a huge selling point in a $100k sports car, but the 2013 Porsche Carrera 4 and 4S both take it easy on the environment thanks to all-wheel drive and the seven-speed PDK gearboxes. The Carrera 4 logs 20/28mpg while the 4S notches 19/26.

The 2013 Porsche Carrera 4 and 4S will be available in the U.S. early next year. The Carrera 4 is priced at $91,030 and the Carrera 4 Cabriolet retails for $102,930. Customers will shell out $105,630 for a Carrera 4S and $117,530 for a 4S Cabriolet.

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