2009 Porsche 911 Carrera Review

Porsche manages to make the 40-year-old silhouette of the 911 look fresh and inviting.

The iconic look of the 911 doesn't leave much room for big changes, so Porsche designers refined the 2009 model while maintaining its familiarity with “revised front bumper and larger air intakes, as well as by new large mirrors and the bright strip of LEDs below the headlights that serve as daytime running lights,” says Popular Mechanics. According to Forbes Autos, the 2009 911 has a "familiar Porsche look" that is "instantly recognizable."

Of the 14 different models available, Cars.com observes that the exterior of the base Porsche 911 Carrera models is "nearly devoid of extraneous trim," and the "low, smooth-bodied 911 looks the part of a serious performance machine." Edmunds lists the available trim levels as "Carrera, Carrera S, GT3, Turbo and GT2" and notes that "the Carrera and Carrera S can be had in three body styles," which include a standard "coupe and convertible ('Cabriolet')," along with the "911 Targa 4" that comes "with a large power-sliding glass roof."

According to Cars.com, the fearsome styling of the 911 Porsche Turbo includes "an LED-bearing bar across both outboard portions of the lower front air dam" and "twin gills behind each door," along with a "forward-canted spoiler" and "lower body work.”  Edmunds reports that the GT2 and GT3 models both come only as a coupe, while the Porsche 911 Turbo is "available in coupe and Cabriolet form.” Edmunds also finds that visual changes for the GT3 include "a wider rear body and track" and "unique front and rear fascias," while Motor Trend asserts that the GT2 gets "Audi R8-like LED light bars" and "a purer, more appealing prow," thanks to the deletion of the fog lamps.

On the 2009 Porsche 911 Targa, Forbes Autos reviewers find that "all Targas have polished aluminum trim that follows the arc of the roofline" and note the "extra chrome fits the more ostentatious persona Porsche seeks to give the 911 Targa."

Reviewers also love what Car and Driver describes as the "great interior" on the 2009 Porsche 911. Even aspects of the interior that might be considered drawbacks in other cars are justified in the Porsche 911. For example, Forbes Autos says the "911 feels more utilitarian inside than the average luxury car—but this is by design, to keep the focus on the joy of driving." The one criticism of the interior that arises in reviews read by TheCarConnection.com comes from ConsumerGuide, commenting that "many switches are undersized and hard to decipher." Edmunds reports that the "driver-centric Porsche 911 interior features a single-pod gauge cluster," though ConsumerGuide remarks that those "gauges are closely placed and may seem daunting at first."