Ben Przekop Mercer Island, USA
@benjaminprzekop Model 992 CARRERA S Year 2022 Acquired DECEMBER 2021
As I write this, it’s been exactly one year since I took delivery of my 992, so it sounds like a great time for a 12-month ownership report!
The good news is that the car has been totally reliable, and hasn’t required a single visit to the dealer, other than the complimentary 12-month oil service which was just done last week at 9,600 miles by Porsche Bellevue. So, the only out-of-pocket cost of ownership has been the pricey petrol this year, although it was heartening to see that the fuel mileage for this powerful sports car has been so surprisingly good. On long freeway trips I get 25-30mpg, and during daily city driving it’s in the high teens to mid-20s.
Performance has been exceptional in every respect, from the turbo engine’s massive torque-rich power delivery, to the agile handling and stupendous braking that inspire confidence to keep pushing things right to the edge. The
PDK transmission is, as ever, fast and intuitive in the automatic mode, and when I want more involvement there’s always the manual option and those lightning-fast paddles.
The rotary knob on the steering wheel for the drive modes is extremely handy and enables me to quickly switch to Normal for city traffic (where the Auto On/ Off function saves fuel), or the Wet mode in heavy rain, but otherwise I just keep it in Sport, which sharpens throttle response, keeps the revs at an aggressive level, opens the exhaust valves, and engages the dynamic engine mounts.
Sport Plus takes all of those things to an even higher level, and also activates PASM’S firmer shocks, which can also be turned on or off manually in any mode with the dash switch. Sport Plus is obviously designed for the track where you need that more urgent level of performance, but on the street it just feels too manic for me. I mean, who needs to hit the redline before every gear change? The button on the middle of that rotary dial is for “Sport Response” (kind of a “push to pass”, I guess) which for 20 seconds will raise all of those things to even higher levels than Sport Plus! Honestly, after trying it for a couple of times, I’ve never felt the need to use it, because all you have to do in this car is floor the accelerator in any mode at any speed and you’re immediately going insanely fast.
I find the same is true with Launch Control. Short of using it on a drag strip, where exactly could I safely use this, and why? In contrast, Wet mode is fantastic and I use it all the time. It’s an awesome feature for those of us who live in rainy and snowy climates. It virtually eliminates oversteering in wet cornering (unless you’re being far too aggressive with the right pedal), without giving you the feeling that there’s a safety nanny interfering with your “fun”.
So, is this 992 perfect? Well, no. The PCM system keeps occasionally erasing my “favourites” list and my Bose audio settings, so I have to set them up again, and no one at my Porsche centre seems to know why or how to fix it. But aside from those minor issues, I absolutely love my 992. It’s been the most troublefree car I’ve ever purchased, and I’m looking forward to driving it for many more years to come!