JCWLS3

Folks,

I've mentioned elsewhere several times that my wife and I are debating S versus Base on our 2021 992. We'd driven the S in both 2WD and AWD variants over the last few months. Loved 'em both. Finally got a chance to drive a base C2 last night -- our dealer threw a Taycan launch party, so we got there a few hours early to drop off my wife's wheel-curbed 9Y0 Turbo for refinishing, and arranged with our SA to have a C2S and C2 for us to drive back to back.

For our purposes, the weather in Dallas was perfect. We had a cool rain all day that let up about two hours before we showed up. The back streets were still damp in some areas, while dry in most others. That gave us a chance to see how well the cars put down power in mixed conditions, and also allow us to really put the hammer down to see the power differential. Our SA just brought the cars down and handed us the keys in turn.

The first chance I had, I stopped at quiet intersection that was still a little damp. I raked the steering wheel about 3/4 turn left and stomped the throttle. The base C2's brake-based torque vectoring and open differential caught the rear end just fine. A little wobble; an obvious reduction in engine power; and clear braking on the inside rear wheel made for a slow but loud turn with very little drama. The S's PTV and LSD had similar behavior. Frankly, I couldn't tell the difference.

Both cars put down the power well in fully dry or mildly moist conditions, either from a standing start or from slow-speed acceleration. The car just stuck, with a little wheelspin in each car from a standstill, and even some from the S while rolling due to its increased power. But again, the tail hardly waggled. All that weight over the rear axle clamps the rubber to the road. Very impressive.

I took a couple of long sweepers with some damp spots at about 50 mph, gently accelerating and braking (not my cars; and even if they were, I wasn't gonna chance balling one up against a fence. This was urban Dallas) to get a little weight transfer going. Again, no movement from the tail, and no real understeer from the front end. Both were beautifully balanced cars.

The C2S was noticeably more powerful, with much more grunt above 3000 rpm, where the engine came to life against the base car. That car is violently quick. The base model is "only" plain quick, with a constant, smooth stream of torque that launches you ahead at a heart-racing clip. The S's power delivery is not as linear. About 4500 rpm, with turbos spooled and fully on the cam, it leaps forward. It's a bad bitch. Your $16K buys you more power, that's for darn sure.

I'd read here that some folks thought the base model sounded a little angrier, maybe a little more coarse. I agree. It did. Funny but true. Both cars had PSE; my wife and I both agreed we preferred the sound of the base, at least from inside the car. But the S still sounded fantastic. Love that flat-six racket behind our heads!

So briefly, our takeaways were this:

• For a regular middle-aged-guy street driving in mixed dry / wet conditions, I think the lack of an LSD on the base model is the nonissue that several experienced 911 owners said it would be. Porsche designed a drive nanny system that is seamless and, for probably 95 percent of 911 owners, presents the best of rear-engine design traits in full flower while neutralizing the worst of them. The base 911 is hands-down the best open-diff car I've ever driven. It was so good, if you told me the car had a quality mechanical LSD in there, I'd believe you.
• Both models handle the wet stuff nearly as well as they do dry. It's uncanny how planted they feel. Both were playful and a total ball to drive, wiggling and moving around a little bit to let you know you're not driving an AWD chassis. They felt overwhelmingly stable no matter what I threw at them -- which, admittedly, was nothing stupid or dangerous because again, 1) Not our cars, and 2) Six-figure cars.
• The base 911 is a fast, fun car with too much power for the street. It felt two or three ticks faster to 60 than our Cayenne Turbo -- maybe a 3.4-second car or thereabouts. Either one of those vehicles can land your *** in jail in a heartbeat. The S probably drops off another half-second to 60, putting it in the truly rarified air of cars that have so much horsepower, you'll only be able to use it in brief spurts during most commutes. Get the car on the open roads or in the country, and you'll be able to stretch its legs, but only to a squatting position before your head will be on a swivel looking for cops, pedestrians, animals, other vehicles, you name it. Basically, if the base model is you bringing a machete to a knife fight, the S is a scythe.

My problem is, I fell in love with the power of that S. Even thought it's completely unnecessary, I'm probably gonna end up ordering a 2S. But if I come to my senses and decide to save $16K for something really important, like, oh, part of my daughter's college fund, then after driving both of those cars I know I won't miss much. Just that visceral shove in the back when the S's turbos wake up.

Great cars, both. I can't fault anybody for choosing one over the other. The 992 is a brilliant car in every way. Congratulations to all you guys and gals already driving around in one. I'm increasingly jealous... and impatient.

KCviper

Excellent write up! I bought mine at Porsche Grapevine and was a great experience! Coming out of a C63 I really wanted the power of the C2S and choose that after driving several cars, including a 2016 TTS. It's a great car and I'm sure you can't go wrong. If you want to talk dealers, PM me.

Jkb545

Thank you for posting your impressions. Very useful for those who have not had a chance to compare head-to-head.

ipse dixit

The reason the base exists is to make people want to buy the S.

gcurnew

I take the opposite view; spending a bunch of time in a SPASM-equipped C4s made me want to buy the non-SPASM C4 (albeit with PTV+). I prefer a bit slower street car (high-3s 0-60 being the new "slow" lol) that I can drive a bit more aggressively, more often. I long ago stopped caring about having the fastest car on the street or the track. I get why people want an S, though...I was there up until the 992, but now for me the base cars hit the sweet spot.

porshanut

Very nice observations. Thank you for sharing.

rangerfan94

I'd have been very happy with a C4, but ordered a C4S because I wanted a 3rd pedal, so...

smartbot

I had a similar debate (I initially put in an order for the base model). I didn't really consider the S until I saw a similar optioned car (to my base car) and it was a significantly better deal. So I went with the S and haven't looked back.

frankchn

Wait till you have a go in the Turbo S or one of the GT cars coming down the pipeline

slwong23

Great write up, thanks for sharing. Really enjoyed reading all of your thoughts. The portion above is exactly why I didn’t want to drive an S and ordered the base last Oct. The extra power, while not necessary, is intoxicating. It’s hard to “settle” for less once you’ve had that taste. In my case, ignorance is bliss.

swagon

With manual gearbox being available only the S now, the first question one should probably ask themselves is if they want three pedals or not. If yes, well, then there is no choice, is there?

Pepperidge farm remembers the good ole days when you could spec a base C2 with LSD, SPASM and 7MT (991.1).

rk-d

I do think there is a point where the power becomes "enough". Where the car is so fast, that you really don't want or need anything faster.

This was my experience between the TT and TTS. The TTS starts to really shine at triple digits. But as a daily driver, certainly up to 60 MPH, the TT is pretty similar. There comes a point where you have to be driving like a maniac to really experience the difference.

For me - the S is right at that sweet spot.

Denny Swift

Agree. It is quite annoying that the base is not available with the manual. Maybe the eventual T will remedy that, but that could be 3-4 years away. Oh yes, the good old days.

Senna01

Great review and no nonsense info. Thanks for this.

I've not driven a base because I went ahead and ordered a C2S Cab on launch.

Great car. The C2S is a David among Goliath's.

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NOSUB2T

Nice review! Thanks! And agree. I might add we felt the same difference between the S and 4S. Which is why I bought the 4S. The handling was noticeably different and was a little quicker. Add the rear axle steering and this car feels like it is “stuck” to the road.