Porsche 911 ride
We’re in passenger seat of hi-tech new sports car
IN just a few weeks Porsche will pull the covers off its new 992-series 911 at the Los Angeles Motor Show, but we’ve been riding along as the development cars are signed off in San Francisco.
Every new 911 is significant, but this one takes the rear-engined icon into the future, with new technology, a revised drivetrain and driver aids, all while retaining the sports car’s signature driver appeal and usability.
The shape is obviously familiar – Porsche knows better than to mess with its lines too much – but more of that shapely body will be constructed from aluminium in a bid to maintain the same weight as the outgoing car.
We’re riding in a Carrera S coupé, which uses a 3.0-litre turbocharged flat-six engine that produces 444bhp and 530Nm of torque. That’ll be enough to take it from 0-62mph in less than 4.0 seconds, and on to a top speed in excess of 190mph.
There’s a seven-speed manual box but, significantly, the Porsche’s new PDK transmission now has eight gears, which leaves some space in the gearbox casing for an electric motor.
August Achleitner, the firm’s vicepresident for the 911 product line, told Auto Express: “The whole car, in its layout, its structure, is prepared for any hybrid solution in the future. We do not do it right now, because we are not yet satisfied with the performance, especially of the batteries.”
The interior, still largely covered in these development cars, retains the large central rev counter, which is now surrounded by a pair of configurable screens. The dash itself is now stepped, and the centre gains a touchscreen that will be familiar to Cayenne drivers.
Porsche has retained the 911’s signature usefulness inside, while our ride indicated refinement, especially relating to tyre noise from the front, has been significantly improved.
With Achleitner driving on everything from city streets to mountain roads, it’s clear the 992 hasn’t lost any of its agility or pace. Indeed, the engine’s response appears even keener than that of the outgoing car, while the suspension offers real control without harshness on more challenging surfaces. We’ll confirm how good the steering feel is when we drive it early next year, but engineers are promising it’ll be better than the 991’s.
As you’d expect, the 911 range will expand following the launch of the coupé at the LA show. The Cabriolet will join the line-up in 2019, while Turbo, Turbo S and GT3 models will be introduced in the next 12 to 18 months.