rk-d

Driving both back to back, I preferred the feel of the front end on the 2S. Car felt lighter. I didn't notice any traction issues.

detansinn

Those cars are RWD for FIA homologation, not because AWD is a detriment to performance.

959, 918, 919 were/are all AWD. The Porsche 911 Turbo cars are AWD. Porsche has a rich history of their maximum performance cars being AWD. The C4S, the maximum Carrera, is AWD.

In fact, the only circumstance where Porsche doesn’t go AWD is where class rules don’t allow it. Hence, the Carrera GT, which was developed from their V10 LMP car, is RWD.

VintageRacer

I am with you.

I am looking at a 2020 Porsche 911 2S in Agate Grey (same color as my current car). It's ~$130K at the local dealer. They are at a reasonable discount.

After a shot of Scotch last night, I think ordering one to my exact specifications is the place to go.They said it is ~3 months until delivery which is certainly good for me.

RudyP

They could easily make a second street-only AWD variant GT2RS if they wanted to without messing up their homologation requirements.

ryandarr1979

Seriously? Another RWD VS AWD debate? Again? Who cares. Get what you prefer. This is like debating what’s the best color. It comes down to preference. Both have their pros and cons. Can we just agree to disagree?

ThomasCarreraGTS

No, of course not. They’re a different type. The Turbo is a technological marvel but it is not Porsche’s best drivers car, and its owners are generally not the best drivers. And no doubt they don’t even realize that. I had a student on track the other day in his 2018 Turbo S and the only reason he hasn’t crashed the thing yet is because the car does everything for him. He literally did everything wrong. I mean everything. The technology that Porsche built into the Turbo and Turbo S is incredible, and the AWD no doubt saves Porsche from a bunch of widow maker lawsuits, but the AWD models are that way to prevent the rich owners from killing themselves, and not to provide the most pure and ultimate drivers experience. Rear wheel drive will always be the drivetrain of choice for an internal combustion sports car

detansinn

I don't think that it's good form to bash owners of specific 911 models. Owning a GT3 doesn't make you a more skilled driver. Owning a Turbo S doesn't make you a less skilled driver. Rich owners? Uh, no one that owns a recent model Porsche 911 is "poor".

Having driven both RWD and AWD 911s, I don't understand the RWD snobbery, especially given Porsche's rich AWD history. The cars deliver different experiences and there's not an inferior choice. Porsche doesn't make a bad 911.

ThomasCarreraGTS

And you are certainly entitled to your opinion. However, I was not bashing anyone and it is not accurate for you to characterize my statements as such. I was only relaying my experiences and my opinion. Which are accurate from MY experience. I’ve driven over 1,000,000 miles on the road and thousands on track and this is what I’ve experienced. Someone else may have different views, and that great!

MaxLTV

I had and currently have both AWD and RWD 911 of matching generations, and I drive them on track, including with nannies off. And although I'm definitely not a god's gift to driving, I track a lot on par with the faster amateurs, and developed enough sensitivity to sense through steering things like understeer, tire overheating, suboptimal pressures, aquaplaning, impending lock-up/ABS etc. fairly consistently. My impression was that 991.2 Turbo (AWD) steering feedback is less clear than 991.2 GT3 but better than 991.1 GT3. Basically, the impact of AWD on steering feel is so small that it's smaller than the differences in steering calibration between .1 and .2 generations. Maintenance and complexity issues are not relevant for new model years - never had to deal with any of that or heard about any problems. AWD is also NOT going to spoil the fun when driving ESC on because stability control in non-GT 911 engages way before the difference between AWD and RWD becomes a limiting factor. What I'm saying is that for almost all non-track drivers, the only cost of AWD would be weight and money (not that much in either case). Is it worth the benefit? That's very personal - for some AWD would be of no benefit at all, ever, and for others it will expand usability/enjoyment of the car to more conditions. I'd pick/recommend RWD for track, even if it turns out to be slower, but outside of track, the RWD snobbery has no basis IMHO.

RudyP

Great perspective and thoughtful response! It's clear that Porsche is really perfecting the behavior and performance of the AWD systems so that they retain the advantages and minimize the disadvantages enough that they are in the noise and essentially unnoticeable. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Principissimo

I think it is a very personal feeling. I love AWD but understand who doesn't.

GratedWasabi

The RWD cars feel different than the AWD cars. Not better, but different. This is indisputable and immediately noticeable when switching between the two.

There are pros and cons to both. Get the one you like the feel of better, or err on the side of caution and get the AWD.

One big benefit of the AWD (although of course we're all expert drivers and would neeeever need this.. ahem) is that it can cleanly pull you out of some sticky spots that RWD would need a lot of finesse to pull off as cleanly.

disden

This is hilarious. I always figured it this way if not tracking: AWD for those who live in climates where bad weather is a given; RWD if not. If I was getting a car to drive daily I would get AWD; if tracking RWD. I don’t like the extra weight on track, plus I like to use RWD to assist with rotating the car at times. Thankfully a lot of choices, none wrong.

Golfster

Have had both, would buy either but prefer RWD.

992Sam

so if there is such a think as RWD snobbery... what does that mean for the guy like me with both AWD and RAS? Am I basically not driving a 911 anymore?