Demolisher

Hello everyone,

I’m not a usual here, since I own an M3, but I’m a Porsche lover and, hopefully, future owner.

With that said, here is a video review of the Carrera 4 Porsche lent me.

I hope you all enjoy it.

Gables

Thanks for sharing...enjoyed watching.

Demolisher

Thank you for the feedback!

uniqueMR

Bluehighways

If you want to get an extended view/feel of what it's like to drive, this is an excellent video for that.

Gables

Demolisher,

Other than the additional power, bigger brakes and PTV+, is there anything else available with the S version that you believe is a "must have" and would miss by virtue of purchasing a Base model? I'm specifically referring to performance features that are unavailable on the Base model such as SPASM, RAS, PDCC, and manual transmission?

Thanks.

craig66

Woud love to hear what Demolisher thinks but I think the answer to that is always depending on where you intend to drive and what you are intending to do with the car

Assuming you are looking for a spirited DD and are not going to track the car, I am not sure the more power is a must have. Sure its nice to have but unless you are tracking the car not sure for general street and spirited driving the the added power is needed or appreciated and many reviewers say that the C2 gives you better use of the power rather than having that instant on tap crazy power.
Bigger brakes - the C2 brakes are still excellent and not sure there is advantage to bigger brakes in a non tracking situation
SPASM is going to increase tightness of the car but at expense of ride quality - again needed for tracking and possibly to handle the extra power and torque of the S but not needed for a spirited DD
PDCC - again very useful in a top heavy car such as a targa but not needed except for extreme maneuvering
PTV+ - not likely to be needed unless tracking and in extreme spirited driving
RAS - a little more controversial but again most average drivers would not notice its presence or absence

Manual Transmission - now that is where Porsche has you. If you want the manual you are forced to step up to the S and that is a real pity as if the base had manual it would be the ultimate drivers car for spirited daily driving.

I decided to go C2 as a bum knee makes stick tiring but if I had gone manual I would have gone to the S but taken none of the added features

Gables

I'm with ya.

I was locked into an S but recently backed off and am now strongly considering a Base. Why? Well, I am more than fine with PDK...will use the car as a DD...and unlikely to ever track it. With that said, who doesn't like the added power?

The OP appears to have thoroughly enjoyed driving the Base and appears to be an auto enthusiast. I'm curious if there are any other features he would lament not getting.

craig66

@Gables I am totally with you on the power thing and I had a 996 that I just could not truly fall in love partly due to the power.
I think we get conditioned into thinking that more power is better and I think to a degree it is true but I also think you get to a point where you get so much power that it starts making the car not so fun and possibly almost less 911ish and more supercar
I truly think that with this generation of the 992 we are at that point. I think crossing over to the S gives just more power than is needed or necessary and starts making it almost less fun. Over and above the price increase to get that more power you start believing that you need all the add extras - all of this is true for a track car but if you are looking for a beautiful, 911 that can serve as a comfortable DD, a spirited B road driver and even possibly a track car and at a price that is not too crazy, I think the base is a hands down winner.

Gables

Well said. The point about crossing over into supercar territory with the added features and power is an interesting point.

The features that I might miss the most aside from power are probably the bigger brakes and PTV+. That's it really. PASM is more than sufficient. To me, the added benefit of SPASM is the appearance factor (not so much performance). For most, PDCC isnt a viable option on a 911. RAS...maybe for the steering benefits in tight spaces.

I truly don't need any of these. I may want the added power, however. Hopefully, the practical side of me prevails.

We shall see...

casaforte9

All Good points : RAS; 992 Owners with RAS May give a better feedback but in my test drives I felt I could not detect RAS in 992 and I thought its was a little more obvious in 991.2
But the key question is, does Porsche give out 911 c4 Coupe and cab allocations anymore to USA ?Or they trying to force everyone to c4s For more profit ?

gcurnew

Worth mentioning again that PTV+ is available as an option on the C4, but not on the C2. For me, it's a must-have option.

smartbot

Great review! Love the intro footage!

Gables

Maybe because there are not THAT many 992 base model reviews (certainly significantly less than the S), but I genuinely enjoyed the review. It was lengthy but it gave nice detail and does a great job providing a visual representation of what it's like to drive a 911. Well done, OP.

Gables

Very good point. It's also available on the Targa 4 as an option. If you want PTV+ and don't want the S you can still get it on the C4 and Targa 4 models.