5 Big Changes About the 2020 911

Old Soul

The new 911 might be new, but it’s got an old soul it in and that isn’t a reference to the 70s or 80s. It’s in reference to the engine that came in the 991 which Porsche says carries over much of its existing components into the 992. Displacement is still 3,000cc but the S models increase by around 5% in the horsepower department. It’s a steady bump that isn’t major, but that’s where the higher end models come in.

image courtesy of Porsche  

Turbo Models

Yes, enough about the small increases. What will happen to the tooth and fang bearing turbo models that grow hair on your face when you touch the gas pedal? Glad you asked. In a historic, even the turbo models will crack in excess 600 horsepower which doesn’t sound like much compared to what other manufacturers are doing, but remember this is Porsche horsepower. Always underrated. Certain hypercars might be getting their lap times broken by this usable everyday supercar in the near future.

image courtesy of flickr.com  

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AI is Not Taking Over

Manual transmissions will be offered later in the year which is a welcome sign that Porsche is still clawing onto the old ways for those that care. Consumers have been vocal on having the option in chassis like the GT3 which the company has seemingly listened to. This month an announcement was made that the track-focused 911 will remain naturally aspirated and be offered with a manual transmission. Porsche is giving people what they want.  

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8 Speed Schwin

Automatic PDKs get one gear extra now which makes them an 8-speed. It all begs the question if it’s getting a bit much, but the shifts are sure to click off precisely and predictably as they have always done in these ultra high tech gearboxes. Software improvements over the years have allowed the shifting in these boxes to occur so seamlessly it almost makes you want to have a PDK transmission for daily driving even as a fan of manual gearboxes. Almost.

image courtesy of flickr.com  

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Weight Gain, but Shock Gains Too

Unfortunately, the 992 isn’t any lighter than the 991.2 that it replaces. 160 lbs have been gained which is essentially the standard issue racing driver distributed evenly across the entire vehicle. You will definitely notice this which means other areas have had to be tweaked and looked at to improve grip. It’s an interesting trade-off and curious to see if consumers and journalists will notice it. My guess is not very much as the technology that has gone into the shocks allows for more adjustability. Damping improvements can very seriously offset weight gains like this as they are worth a lot of time on the track.

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Steady Improvement

The 992 doesn’t represent a milestone in Porsche technology or some step change in the 911s performance, but it is an improvement and it will pave the way towards the next big change. Rumors are a hybrid 911 is coming and Mission E is definitely on the horizon so who knows where this next generation rear-engine machine will take us. This is only the beginning. Wait until the Turbo S models and special editions start coming out. We’re excited to see what new lap records Porsche breaks and how fast these cars are capable of going. Stay tuned. 

image courtesy of Cnet  

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