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I don't think the knock is on it being "mundane". It's more like that you really can't appreciate how good it is because it is so stable and sure-footed that you have to be driving felonious speeds to get a thrill. Sure it accelerates with the best of them but there's no real "throw-you-back-in-the-seat" sensation. It just shifts so fast and smooth that you really have to look at your speedometer to get an idea of how fast you're going. "Is that really MPH and not KPH !". For me it would be a "Learn what happens when your car is seized by the local authorities" car. That's the only thing that keeps me from buying one.
I don’t want to get near a Turbo S. Having that kind of power mixed with isolation from noticing it is a recipe for frustration and/or disaster, knowing myself. GT3 all day, every day for me.
They have zero in the way of dates or pricing at this time. The car is essentially nothing more than a ghost right now. On the paperwork they drafted up for me it specifically outlined that they cannot and will not guarantee dates, turnaround time once ordered, or pricing.
That in mind, production times are relatively predictable in the world of zee Germans and the 911 as a whole follows a regular enough life cycle where I can loosely assume it'll be around this time in 2019 that I'll be able to spec the car. I'll be honest, even though it's a long ways off I'm super excited for it. In the meantime I get a '15 GT3 RS next week while I'm in Vegas and my bud who had driven one previously said, "uh oh, that's going to be a problem. Once you drive that car you're going to find a way to justify buying that car." I guess we'll see what happens a week from now
If you buy it (place an order) now, you have fun and a never ending smile in few weeks. If you wait until the 992, you have 1-1,5 years less fun in your life. Thats the point in my eyes.
I do not belive, that Porsche will make the 992 to have less fun than with the 991.2. It will be different for sure, IMHO an evolved 991.2.
If you do not like the 991.2, so wait. If you drive the 991.2 and it makes you smile all the time, you have already an answer
Can't agree more and I know this from a previous experience. this time though I am planning on European delivery in May next year but don't want to show up and see the new models. given that I am not looking at a base model, I might be waiting another year, so I think the answer is becoming more clear
I drive a 991.1 C2S, and got the opportunity to have a go at the 992. On street and track. Penning down my observations on the same. The 992 has the worst job in the world. It’s up against the fussiest, most pedantic geeks who obsess over details with a vernier callipers and bicker over alphabets and numbers that non Porsche fanatics scoff at and promptly add “ get a life”.
But its geared for the battle, ready to square off with anything from the back catalogue while wearing a chiselled face reminiscent of its 993 forefather. It’s way faster, a bit larger than the previous gen but a whole dining table bigger than when things began. Obesity is real people !
Keeping aside facts and figures, the 992 nails its design brief. Want a car to drive to work, finish a track session and buy the groceries for the missus on the way back ? Step this way ! It’s been fettled and massaged to appeal to an even wider demographic with even more tech to prevent you from becoming a part of the landscape. And rightly so. The Carrera S gets 530 Nm of torque… remember you buy horsepower but you drive torque. The last time you wanted to be in this zip code of twist you had to buy something with t u r b o on the back. For a Carrera to have this much muscle is unprecedented.
The 992 today stands with its immediate predecessor, the 991. The last of the… well you already know. The 991 is a car that is decidedly docile/dead even below 4000 rpm as there are no snails doing some spells to push you back into your seat. It’s comparable to any dual clutch commuter, so docile is its demeanour you wonder what on earth have these Porsche ***** been on about.
You hit an open stretch and squeeze past 4000rpm to its redline and you soon understand what multiple personality disorder means. This unpretentious commuter assaults the horizon with gusto you wouldn’t have realised and a when a you don’t let off the throttle in a straight line you’re eventually aware that no matter what neutering every gen goes thru, the physics of it is… the mass is in the ***. So your nose gets lighter and the adrenaline is flooding. A corner shows up, blip down the PDK and you appreciate googling trail braking before getting in. Hmmm, quite a bit of driving high from this trumped up beetle ! Wider track up front keeping it sure footed despite the light nose.
The PDK isn’t as quick as the 992, but with sports plus it gives you the kick of a single clutch for fun, which is a nice emotive connect when you need it. Turn it off for a laser precise g force free tone change in its normal & sport modes. Ideal combo for pace ? Sport setting for engine and gear box, suspension on firm. Clearly quite a bit of Jekyll & Hyde going on. Cliche done, moving on.
Cabin is Porsche business as usual. Safe, not trendy but fashionable in a way that it ages gracefully. The leap up from the 997 is palpable even to non car folk in terms of haptic quality and durability. The panamera-ish ski slope of buttons has divided opinion but once you’re used to it everything falls to hand naturally.
Coming to the 992. It’s the squat, thick set successor to the dainty 997 and 991 Carrera. Its inherited the multiple personality disorder too, you can make quiet and torque filled wafty pace with your phone paired and your caller none the wiser that you’re in a 444 hp car. Incidentally that’s the 997.2 GT3RS hp figure… talk about pace of progress ! Punch the throttle and it stays faithfully linear and doesn’t slug you the guts like those turbo turbo 911s. This is more a torque fill for a linear experience than an air sickness inducer. It’s stupidly grin largeningly quick, and its ready to play at the slightest flex of your right foot. No need to wait, think about your gear… see a gap and its closed. Steering feel deserves a note, it’s back to its weighty communicable tactile self compared to the very unporsche like darty wheel of 991. What it doesn’t inherit is the howl. You have a deep chested growl that reminds you you’re in something not slow but the sense of speed doesn’t reach you via your ears. Turbo spooling exists but its not of the boat floating variety. No turbo lag worth noting however if your other car has an italian prancing horse on its nose instead of this demure german one and is named 244 multiplied by 2, you will notice a slight lag. The other inheritance it’s been written out of is the CRISP throttle response which is to be expected. It revs up amazingly quick for a turbo but the telepathic tacho is now reserved for the atmospheric GT cars. These are not short comings but rather its new found character. Every generation has a quirk unique to them.
Looking around the cabin, you know you’ve spent a lot of money but you also know that the 991 was the last car signed off by Porsche before its VW merger. Everything in here is laid out flawlessly. Screens clear and intuitive, buttons for what you need, discreet screens for what you don’t. You also know its a VW because they trim the fat in places you wouldn’t normally see. Im looking at you lower dash plastics and cup holder. Lot of clever tech going on, little mics in the wheel well to know when it’s wet out and suggest suitable traction action. Mildly insulting because it’s not the like the driver won’t know its bloody raining outside when he’s at the wheel. The nannies have gotten smarter so that 18th birthday presents can last longer but thankfully they can be tuned to suit ones personal preference.
What stays the same ? The sure footed grip off the line, the playful balance of a rear engined car, the quality of Stuttgart’s finest engineering prowess and the fact that what you drive is a proud piece of heritage, dating back unchanged in name nodding to race victories in the 1950s. Along with the ethos of a stark dual personality. It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it ?
12-08-2017, 07:22 AM
