PSM Off - No Holds Barred
Holding down on the PSM / NFP button for a couple of seconds so as to completely deactivate it, however, revealed the true nature of the beast. With the 3.8-liter mill roaring through the sport exhaust just behind my head, the 2013 Porsche Carrera 4S was more than willing to fling itself completely sideways through the corners, using the additional mass of the engine located in back of the rear axle to maintain a sustained drift and then claw its way back onto the straight and narrow through the judicious application of both the right foot and opposite lock. The studs, of course, made an important contribution to the 911's ability to handle the icy track, but the confidence offered by its four-wheel drive system was impressive. In fact, swapping from Sport Plus to regular Sport mode offered more predictable drifting due to the softer suspension settings and less immediate throttle response.
At the end of the day two of the courses were combined into one, giving me the chance to sample the all-wheel drive system at a higher speed than it had been possible to achieve on the initial track. At this point I was able to appreciate the stability that the Carrera 4S all-wheel drive system adds to the 911 equation, especially when approaching an ice-slalom at speeds of 45 to 50-mph - an obstacle that the coupe was all to happy to snake through based on its momentum alone, with no need for driver intervention via the brake or the accelerator.