992 first drive
Total 911 is one of the first to get behind the wheel of the new 992 with a Carrera S vs 4S track test
We get in the newest generation of 911 and pit the S and 4S against one another on track
We’ve been here before, right? A new 911, which among our fraternity will forever be known as the 992. In Porsche’s model line there’s nothing more significant, even if today 911 sales are a mere support act to the SUV bottom line. Simply put, the 911 remains the company’s icon, the car that defines the firm. The 911 represents success on road and track, a million-selling sports car that’s instantly recognisable; unique in the automotive world.
Which is why replacing it is about as difficult a task as Porsche has. Time doesn’t stand still though, and the 911 has to evolve to work in the world it finds itself in. That evolution has unquestionably allowed it to endure and succeed, but the transitional points in its lifecycle will always be significant and debated ad-infinitum among drivers and the likes of me in titles like this.
The 911 matters to people then, more so than any other car. It doesn’t actually seem like that long ago I was reviewing the then new 991, or indeed 991.2; in the time since they’ve gone on to become the
911, after the usual difficult transition period where everyone is looking dewy-eyed about the outgoing model. I’ll do that now, the Carrera T manual that
I’d borrowed off the UK press fleet in anticipation of driving the new 992 feeling pretty much perfect to me. That 991 should be good though, it being at the end of its development cycle.
Everything learned from that and more has been adopted here with the 992. There are two of them here today, a Carrera S and Carrera 4S. They are, as all will be until the standard Carrera arrives later this year, PDK, and pulling the right paddle shifter here can now be done eight times. “They’re the same,” is the reply when I request that both cars feature in the same shot.
Visually, that’s true; the Carrera S and Carrera 4S are identical, even more so when they’re painted the same Racing yellow. The only clue to the 4S’s additional drive is the badge on its backside. Choose the model delete option, or better still the simple 911 numbering, and you’d not know it’s a four, Porsche’s decision to make all Carreras widebody removing that go-to identifier of drive. It’s big, this new 911, as wide as the outgoing GTS and GT3, a bit longer and taller, as well as heavier. We’ll get to that later.
The dynamics engineers certainly weren’t complaining when the decision to go widebody was made. You might think that it was the chassis engineers that dictated it, but the 992’s a widebody for different reasons, key among them being the cooling. The 992’s 3.0-litre twin turbo flat-six has to pass ever-tighter laws for economy and emissions, and an efficient turbo engine is a cool one. That defines not just the physicality of the 911’s shape, but the large cooling intakes fed by active vanes at the 992’s nose. Here, now, in natural light and in the pitlane of the Hockenheimring, I have to say it looks good. It’s unmistakably 911, as it should be, design boss Mauer’s team having dipped into the
911’s past to bring it forward. From the cut-out recess on the bonnet to the Sc-aping font for the rear 911 badging, via the large headlights sitting upright (cut exclusively out of the wings rather than puncturing the bumper), there’s no mistaking its lineage.
That expansive rear is spanned by an LED strip light across its entire width, the slightly recessed lighting and three-dimensional Porsche badge across the back leaving you in no doubt that you’re following a 911. The pop-up rear wing that aids stability now also acts as an airbrake when stopping from speed. It’s better integrated than that on the
991, but is still arguably an inelegant if undeniably effective solution to the 911’s aerodynamic Achilles heel. It’s the other pop-out element to the new 911 that’s causing the most debate here today; the door handles. They look neat, but their operation isn’t perfect, feeling insubstantial and not always popping out to greet you. That you have to lift and pull rather than simply grab counts against them too. A small thing, perhaps, but they feel like the answer to a question nobody asked, particularly in comparison to those on a 991.
Once inside, this is clearly a 911 for a new era. The quality takes a leap, the build feeling substantial, the materials, too. It’s an attractive cabin, the centre dash coming with a near 11-inch screen containing all the info and entertainment functions. It’s a touchscreen, adding connectivity and configurability to your nav and entertainment that you probably never knew
you wanted or, arguably, needed. Choose the Sport Chrono and you’ll be able to select the driving modes via the Mode switch on the steering wheel, that alone worth the option price. Underneath the PCM sit five toggle switches. The first two are programmable here (or being Wet or Sport modes if you’ve not optioned Sport Chrono) the remaining three being the hazards, PSM and, in this car, PDCC.
There’s a dominant analogue rev counter ahead of you, as it should be, its redline at 7,400rpm. Either side of it are screens, configurable again, aping the layout of the 991, with either conventional-style dials or various choices of nav, entertainment or drive mode display. They’re bright and clear, if slightly obscured from view by the optional GT Sport version of the steering wheel. That option adds not just some sizeable contouring over the standard steering, but some fussy detailing. The standard steering wheel loses none of the functionality of the GT Sport one, looks neater, and affords a better view of those instruments.
Attached to the wheel are the paddle-shifters, which is the only means of manually shifting the PDK. The small gear selector on the neat centre console only offers Park, Neutral and Drive, denying those drivers who like to use the PDK stick to go up and down the ‘box the opportunity to do so.
It’s not an issue for me, but I know of a number of drivers who still like to do so, Andreas Preuninger being among them. Keyless operation means there’s no need to take the key from your pocket, Porsche retaining the ignition on the opposite side to the shifter, it requiring a twist like a key, retaining some semblance of mechanical connection that’s infinitely preferable to a push-button.
Doing so fires the same capacity 3.0-litre flat-six of its predecessor. It’s dubbed the 9A2 evo, having being significantly revised to improve economy. There’s a 200 bar Piezo injector system, new turbochargers, optimised fuelling, a new cast manifold, reduced internal friction, a higher compression ratio and reduced consumers scavenging power. The result of that is 450hp and 530Nm, the peak torque arriving a little bit later in the rev range than the 991’s. That’s a by-product of the fitment of a petrol exhaust fitment, something that Us-specification cars do without for now, it having no other negative effect on the performance or indeed sound, according to Porsche.
Having heard both back-to-back on the pre-drive in San Francisco, the particulate filter does impact on the engine’s sound, muting it a bit, making the Sports Exhaust a must-tick option if you want to hear the 911’s flat six sounding its best. In isolation it’s fine, but the knowledge that it could sound better still rankles a touch. Emissions necessity trumps aural pleasure, then, but there’s little else to complain about, the bulk of the work on the engine also having benefits to how it reacts.
If there’s any lag it’s infinitesimal, the 9A2 evo unit building on the already strong performance of the 9A1 unit of the 991. The ample low-rev torque delivers huge flexibility, yet with peak power arriving at 6,500rpm there’s incentive to rev it out, the reward being a linear shove that’s more super than sports car, the 911’s performance now such it’s moved on a league. In the Carrera S that means a 0-62mph time of 3.7 seconds, 0-100mph in 8.1 seconds and a 191mph top speed, that 0-62mph time dropping to 3.5 seconds if you opt for Sport Chrono and 0-100mph time to
7.8 seconds. Do the same in the 4S and the additional traction gains it 0.1 seconds for a 0-62mph time of
3.6 seconds or 3.4 seconds with Sport Plus in Launch Control. In both you’ll need sixth gear if you’re planning on reaching the maximum speed, seventh and eighth being geared for cruising economy.
Seventh and eighth are redundant today then, with the Hockenheimring to drive it’s all about assessing the nuances between the Carrera S and its 4S alternative. The temptation to hammer around the track fully lit is sizeable, but a couple of sighting laps in both reveal that, badges aside, you genuinely would be hard pushed to tell there’s any drive being apportioned to the front axle in the 4S. Both cars are equipped with PCCB brakes for when the speed does inevitably rise around here, which given not just the speeds possible, but the increased weight of the 992, is no bad thing.
The weight will be argued about for years, but the 992 does gain a bit of mass over its predecessor. Blame the future-proofing, that potential for hybrid drive and the eight-speed PDK gearbox as a result of that. You can point the finger too at those exhaust filters, and bigger wheels, though Porsche has upped the use of aluminium in the body extensively to offset the gains, which could have been a lot worse than they are. The S now weighs 1,515kg, the 4S being 1,565kg unladen, that a gain of around 40-50kg over the outgoing GTS, when it too features the particulate exhaust filter. If the weight gain is something counting against it, you’d be hard pushed to notice it on the track, the performance never anything less than spectacular. The gearbox shifts with the same speed as the seven-ratio PDK before it.
What is noticeable is the sophistication of the wheel control, assisted here by the reduced unsprung mass that those PCCB brakes bring over the standard steel items. On this smooth track the body control is sublime, aided here by the fitment of PDCC that manages the 992’s mass very effectively. Its fitment requires the addition of rear-axle steering, which is to the benefit of the 911’s turn-in accuracy, effectively shortening the wheelbase for a quicker response at the front axle.
That the 992 feels so familiar to drive around here is testament to its unique mechanical configuration. While there’s more grip, huge traction and sensational braking power, assisted by an all-new pedal design, the familiar 911 traits of adjustability thanks to its rear-mounted engine are clear. That engine is attached in a new way, being more rigidly located, the entire structure being more rigid, not just benefitting the chassis control and response, but refinement, too. That’s most notable around the nose, the 911’s usual road noise from the front wheels far less obvious in the 992, to the benefit of its longdistance comfort.
Upping the speed around the Hockenheimring does start to reveal the slight differences in the Carrera S and 4S. It’s damp in places and cool, which plays to the 4S’s strengths, it feeling a little bit quicker to turn-in than the S. It’s only marginal, but the S feels a bit lighter at its nose, pushing into understeer a little bit earlier than in the 4S. There’s still that adjustability, a judicious lift enough to tuck the nose in with both, and if desired have the rear swing out to easily controlled power oversteer, if you’ve switched off the stability systems. That underlines the inherent balance in the chassis and its easily read limits, the 992 delivering fine feel through its controls.
The steering feels a touch lighter in the S, infinitesimally more natural than the 4S, but it’s so nuanced that you really do need the expanse and huge potential speeds of the track to feel the differences. You can take slightly larger liberties exiting a corner with the 4S, with the assurance that it’ll proportion drive to the front axle to assist you, without robbing the 911 of any of its appeal. Usually I’d champion the rear-wheel drive model, but the 4S makes a hugely compelling argument, particularly as an everyday machine.
Which is exactly what the new 992 represents, its greater breadth of performance and capability such that it moves the 911 game forward, while still retaining the inherently 911 character that makes it such an enduring, appealing and hugely capable sports car. That’s a significant achievement, even more impressive when it’s been done while making the 911 relevant for an uncertain future.
As we spend more time with it in the coming months on UK roads, with differing specifications as the model range proliferates, the entire picture will be revealed. However, on early evidence the 911 remains at its core an engaging, thrilling sports car, which is exactly as we expected.