Denny Swift

I thought this was really well written:

https://www.evo.co.uk/saloons/204798...he-911-carrera

JOSCAL

That’s interesting, first time I’ve read real criticism of the base model.

Thanks for sharing.

rk-d

“And yet we all agree that the basic 992 feels a poorer car without the power and tech of the more expensive models, a reversal of how 911s often used to feel. It’s a car we admire for many of its attributes, but none of us feel overly passionate about. Strange.”

992 really opens up with power. That has been my experience going from C2S to TTS. The car becomes more extroverted and interesting.

It’s an interesting idea - chassis competence. I am daily driving an M2 and though it’s 400lb and 3400-3500 lbs, the car almost feels overpowered for the RWD chassis. That edge of danger, immediacy and the sensation of going faster than you really are is part of what makes a car fun to drive.

Tompoodie

rk-d, I would be very very interested in your comparison of the 992 chassis versus your M2 without electronic shocks.
Some people feel your generation of M2 is sprung to stiffly for roads although perfect for the track, somewhat like a GT3.
Others feel it's not too choppy and just right.

ipse dixit

To be fair to the base 911, and the EVO writers, everything has to be take in context.

Relative to the other two cars (the Beemer and the Alfa), the 911 will feel underpowered.

As rk-d said up above, the M2 is overpowered for its chassis (and probably intentionally so by Munich) but not in a way that is dangerous, but just enough to make the car seem a bit rambunctious. At the BMW experience at Thermal, the M2 Comp was my favorite car to drive.

And the Alfa has that Italian, Ferrari-bred pedigree, with that nice sonorous V6 just has that exotic je ne sais quo feel to it. We actually owned a Giulia QF when it first debuted back in 2019, but it was just plagued with too many service issues (fuel pump, electrical gremlins, excessive oil consumption, etc.).

So with all that said, after driving those two cars the 911 -- in all of its composed, GT car glorification -- will feel a bit sedated and (shall we say) slow?

This is sort of like having a dish of steak tartare and then a beef wellington and then coming back to a "regular" New York Strip. The Strip is going to taste a bit boring after dining on raw beef and beef with puff pastry, but it's still a mighty fine piece of beef.

Tompoodie

accidentally posted twice.

Tompoodie

Strip steak can be seasoned to taste like steak tartare and beef Wellington with a condiment known as ECU tune.

P.S. Jeremy Clyde of the singing group Chad and Jeremy was related to the Duke of Wellington of beef Wellington fame.

rk-d

Don't want to thread jack, but it's relevant since we're talking about chassis stuff - I had read about complaints re: poor damper performance with the M2 so I had the M performance coilovers installed (which are basically rebadged KW v2s). This is a very well designed coilover- the damping matches well with the spring rate. It's compliant and the car stays behaved over uneven/bumpy roads.

The "issue" with the M2 Comp is that it's a smaller wheelbase car that's pretty narrow and is under-tired. The net result is that the car is pretty wild to drive when you push it... very old school.

Comparing to my TTS with AWD/RAS/PDCC on the same rounds is interesting: one curve I take to work, with the TTS I can push hard and early on the throttle the TTS will warp around that corner like magic. No fear. You are invincible. It feels awesome. Doing the same thing in the M2 Comp and the rear end start to give a little. Never lost control (I actually wasn't driving all that fast), but the M2c definitely likes to oversteer and that's fun in a hilarious/terrifying way. The M2 Comp is also pretty nose heavy and you can really feel that difference compared to the 911.

I love the 911 - it's confidence inspiring and feels like a precisely made weapon. The M2 Comp feels like a sawed off shotgun. Both are fun - but if the 911 is underpowered, I can see how it would put some people to sleep. Power fixes that - the more, the better.

Tompoodie

I have read about those shocks, seem to be popular mod for very good reason as you detailed.
A great many reviewers really love the M2. There is a lot to be said for car that has lower limits on the road to enjoy those limits at much lower speeds. (I have had a 992 base on order for that reason...1 year, probably delivery next year with PTS...even with $13,500 ADM...in LA of course.)
A great many more rave over the 911.
The M2 and the 911 really complement each other.
Thank you so much rk-d!

rk-d

The smaller BMW M cars are like toys really - lots of fun and totally immature.

The 911 is a lot more precise and sophisticated feeling. If I could only have one car - I’d pick a base 911 over an M car or Alfa, for that reason.

Tedster

It seems like the 911 part of the story was a spicy add on rather than the real core of the story so they could add some controversy. The author notes "992 Carrera is heavier than its predecessor too, by 75kg over the 991.2". I have never seen anywhere close to that high of an increase vs 991.2 reported, I thought it was closer to 60 lbs or 27 KG. And the story never states that the 911 is still 225 kg (or 495lbs!!) lighter than the Alfa and 115 kg (253 lbs) lighter than the M3. Also noted is "Its 380bhp and 332lb ft clearly lag behind the other cars here, but the additional weight of the 992 feels like it is perhaps sometimes taking its toll too, and, odd as it may seem to say it, so does the overall excellence of the car’s fundamental engineering. I normally like EVO but this story seems sub par.