Porsche 911 Carrera (2012) arrives ahead of Frankfurt

Of course, this is Porsche. So we don’t get what we get with every other car maker’s new model launch. No, we get just the basics – the 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera S – with every other of the 911′s 193 different versions getting rolled out across this model’s lifespan.

So, what’s new for the 2012 911? Actually, nothing we haven’t covered already.

Biggest news for the 2012 911 is probably that it’s grown – by almost four inches – and got even lower. Which may be a problem for the multitude of middle-aged men who buy a 911 every year in a fruitless quest to reclaim their youth.

They may be more comfortable in the bigger 911, but when it comes to getting out those weary backs, hips and knees could make it impossible. Perhaps we’ll see hordes of middle-aged men trapped in 911s all around the world? I digress.

But the 2012 911 still looks just like a 2011 911. Just a bit bigger and more squat. Perhaps one of the big visual clues that things have changed are the door mirrors. They are now door mirrors, instead of being bolted to the window frame. And the magnitude of that revelation tells you more about how different the 2012 911 is than anything else.

What has changed for 2012 is the interior. As we told you last week, the new 911 Carrera gets an interior which falls in to line with the Cayenne and Panamera. Which is a welcome move; the 911′s interior was feeling old, even if still well bolted together.

Under the bonnet (actually, under the boot lid) things change too. The old 3.6 litre flat six in the 911 Carrera is replaced by a smaller, 3.4 litre flat six. But the new 3.4 litre – which delivers 350hp – manages to trump the old 3.6 by 0.1 seconds to 62mph, managing the spint in 4.6 seconds. Opt for the  Sport Chrono Pack and that drops to 4.4 seconds

The Carrera S sticks with the familiar 3.8 litre flat six – now with 400hp – which, with PDK ‘box, improves the 0-62mph to 4.3 seconds (was 4.5) or 4.1 seconds with Sport Plus.

The more efficient engines also translate in to improved economy and emissions. The 3.4 litre with PDK manages to average 34.4mpg and emits 194g/km – the first 911 to dip below 200g/km.

Even the 911 Carrera S beats 30mpg, with a combined 32.4mpg and emissions of 205g/km, despite getting 15bhp more than the old Carrera S. More performance with better economy – our favourite modern motoring phenomenon.

Both the 2012 Carrera and 2012 Carrera S will arrive in the UK in December, after their debut at Frankfurt in September. The 911 Carrera will cost from £71,449 and the 911 Carrera S from £81,242, with standard kit including leather, sports seats, Climate, Bi-Xenons, PCM with SatNav, PSM and iPod connectivity.

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