Porsche 911 Carrera 4 (2012) first official pictures

Porsche has a new four-wheel drive - but it's not the Macan crossover, or an SUV of any description. The new-generation 911 has had the all-paw treatment, growing wider wings and fatter tyres in the process.

It's also lost around 65kg compared with the old 997 Carrera 4, and Porsche claims it's a good deal faster too. Expect a premium of around £6000 for the all-wheel drive 991 cars.

The rear wings are blistered by an extra 22mm, allowing the fitment of rear tyres 10mm wider than those worn by a rear-wheel drive 991 Carrera.

Fashioned from an aluminium-steel composite, the new 991 Carrera 4 works out around 65kg lighter than the outgoing 997, and an appetite for fuel that's 16% lower as well.

All-wheel drive inevitably brings with it yet another Porsche acronym: PTM = 'Porsche Traction Management', but at least the performance is easier to digest.

Engines are the same units found in the back of two-wheel drive 991s, meaning a 345bhp 3.4-litre flat six in the Carrera 4, and a 3.8-litre pushing out 395bhp in the Carrera 4S.

In hard-top trim, and equipped with a PDK dual-clutch gearbox, that equates to 0-62mph in 4.5sec (4.1 in the C4S) and a top speed of 177mph (186mph in the C4S). For comparison, the fastest 991 you could buy previously launched to 62mph in 4.3sec.

You most certainly can. The soft-top gets the same body extensions and all-wheel drive tech, but loses out slightly in the sprint stakes owing to its extra heft. Bank on the Carrera 4 Cabriolet hitting 62mph in 4.7sec  and hitting 175mph; the C4S cab's extra 50bhp means 4.3sec 0-62mph and 184mph flat out.

The relentless march of technology is ever more apparent in the 911. In the new all-wheel drive cars, a new menu in the instrument cluster displays how the PTM all-wheel drive is serving up torque between the front and rear axles.

Meanwhile, Porsche's adaptive cruise control system debuts on the 911 Carrera 4, controlling distance to traffic ahead and vehicle speed. When ordered with the PDK transmission, the 'ACC' system adds 'Porsche Active Safe' which can help prevent front-end collisions. Handy, when the most basic Carrera 4 starts from £77,924, rising to a massive £96,619 for a C4S soft-top - and that's before you start dabbling in the options list.

By Ollie Kew