Porsche 911
Sports car gets increased power across the board, a new interior and hybrid variants for its eighth era
ASIDE FROM A blip in the late 1990s, styling updates to the 911 sports car have generally been about as radical as putting milk in your tea, and Porsche wasn’t about to change that approach with this eighth-generation model. However, the subtly revised looks do hide some signi cant technical changes.
For the rst time, every engine in the expansive line-up will be turbocharged, marking the end of the characterful but dirty naturally aspirated units found in more hardcore versions of the outgoing car.
What’s more, Porsche will offer two fourwheel-drive plug-in hybrid variants, including a agship model with more than 600bhp and a top speed of almost 200mph.the batteries for the hybrids will be positioned up front, counter-balancing the 911’s rear-mounted engine and giving the car almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution for the rst time.
However, enthusiasts will no doubt be relieved to learn that the hybrids will retain the 911’s traditional at six engine layout, instead of downsizing to a four-cylinder unit.
They will join the line-up in 2020. But before then, buyers will be offered conventional Carrera and Carrera S models, with each available in rear or four-wheel drive form, much as they are in the outgoing 911.Where they differ is in being more powerful than ever before; for example, the Carrera S produces an extra 30bhp, taking its total up to 444bhp and cutting its 0-62mph sprint time from 4.1sec to 3.7sec in the rear-wheel-drive model and from 4.3sec to 3.6sec in the 4 S.
Other new features include an eight-speed paddle-shift automatic gearbox and a Wet driving mode that helps modulate the car’s behaviour in slippery conditions.
Inside, meanwhile, there’s a new 10.9in touchscreen infotainment system, and the large analogue rev counter that remains the focal point of the instruments is now anked by two customisable digital readouts.
‘The hybrids will balance engine and batteries for an almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution’