Porsche 911 has reputation for unparalleled feedback and no power shortage
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabrio first drive ATHENS—For more than 50 years, the Porsche 911 has had a reputation as a driver’s sports car, with unparalleled feedback from the road and no shortage of power. Will this new eighth generation delight, or disappoint? What follows are 21 examples of both. ▲
Plenty of choice Our test car is the Carrera 4S, the first of the 911 variants to come from Porsche as it rolls out the new model line. It is the AWD version of the Carrera S, which is the mid-powered 911 option. The 2020 Carrera S coupe starts at $129,100 while the Carrera 4S coupe starts at $137,400. Cabriolet versions are almost $15,000 extra. ▲
Costly Carrera Our Carrera 4S Cabriolet starts at $152,100, but is optioned with an active damping sport chassis (not available with the previous generation), clever headlights and an upgraded sound system, among many other additional features. These all add around $40,000 to the price. Be careful! It’s very easy to spend a lot of money on options when buying a new Porsche. ▲
New generation These are all hefty jumps in price of almost $10,000 from the equivalent previous generation, but this 2020 edition is thoroughly upgraded and revised. It’s only available for now with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission (known as PDK in Porsche-speak), but a 7-speed manual transmission will be available later. ▲
More power This 911 is powered by a revised 3.0-litre flat-6 twin-turbocharged engine, mounted behind the driver, of course. Power is up by 23 hp to 443 hp, thanks to a new fuel injection process and a new layout for the turbos, as well as an improved layout for the charge air system. Acceleration is 0.4 seconds quicker from zero-to-100 km/h, coming in at 3.9 seconds for the S and 3.8 seconds for the 4S. The sport chrono package, a $2,380 option, will shave an extra 0.2 seconds from the time. ▲
First off the line There are 25 different versions of the seventh-generation Porsche 911 available, and the eighth generation will probably be no different. The next variant to be released will probably be the base Carrera, which currently starts at $104,000, and then the powerful Turbos, which cost around twice that. ▲
Distinctive tail This new generation is easily identified by its single red light strip at the back, just below the automatic spoiler. It’s 45mm wider at the front than before, with 20-inch front wheels, while the rear wheels are now 21 inches. These allow for more traction without being any wider. ▲
Clever headlights All headlights are now LED, but if you opt for the LED Matrix headlights (called PDLS Plus), their 84 individual LEDs are linked to the car’s cameras and sensors to tailor the light exactly as you need it. They’ll dim the LEDs that illuminate reflective road signs, for example, to make them easier to read, and shut off the LEDs that would shine in the faces of oncoming drivers, while leaving everything else brightly lit. This system is not yet legal in US-bound cars but will be offered in Canada. ▲
Touch of nostalgia The 911’s interior is also thoroughly updated, now with a 10.9-inch display screen in the centre of the fascia. Underneath are five switches, designed to look like the five toggle switches of the original car from the 1960s, of which two can be set to whichever features the driver prefers. ▲
Virtual information Behind the steering wheel are five gauges, but only the large central tachometer is analogue – the others are virtual dials that can be set to the driver’s preference. ▲
Tight in the back The two rear seats are both almost unusable, as with any 2+2, but that’s the way 911 drivers like them. A baby carrier will fit back there, but that’s about it. In the cabriolet, there’s an electric wind baffle that pops out or in at the touch of a button. It’s very effective at stilling the wind when the roof is down and the side windows raised. ▲
Quick roof The roof of the convertible is also lowered or raised at the touch of a button, and takes just 12 seconds to complete the whole operation. The fabric roof is supported by a lightweight frame made of magnesium and aluminum, and its four panels tuck smoothly into the rear, ahead of the engine. ▲
Open and shut Porsche says the roof can be raised or lowered at speeds up to 50 km/h, and yes, it did this for us while driving. The engineers told us it will actually work at up to 60 km/h, but the company wants to have some extra room for its claims. ▲
Pricy sound When the roof is in place, the ride is quite quiet from wind and road noise. Our car was fitted with the upgraded Bose sound system, an extra $1,820, which sounded great through its 570 watts whether the roof was up or down. There’s also another upgrade possible, to an 855-watt Burmester surround sound system, which costs $6,350 over the base system. Like we said earlier, it’s easy to spend money in a Porsche. ▲
Wet mode Here in Greece, the weather was warm and sunny – ideal for a convertible. If it had been wet, we could have tested Porsche’s new Wet mode, which uses microphones inside the wheel wells to recognize the sound of splashing water. If water is detected, it automatically adjusts the traction control for a more slippery road. If lots of water is detected, the driver can switch manually to the Wet mode, which softens or limits the car’s power and response. The driver will probably want to be sure the roof is up, too… ▲
Crackle and pop When the top was down, we could hear the engine better. It’s not too intrusive in Normal mode, but switch to Sport or Sport Plus and the baffles open for a more aggressive, crackly sound. ▲
Smooth ride The active damping Sport chassis is a new option ($3,610) for the 911 Cabriolet because it used to be rough on the car’s frame, wearing it down over time. The damping could only adjust when the shocks were not moving, and that created tiny jarring spikes that made for a rough ride. Not any more though. Improvements in hardware and software allow continuous adjustments in damping – as many as 100 times a second – and the sometimes rough roads of Greece felt comparatively smooth as a result. The Sport chassis is 10 mm lower than the regular chassis, too. ▲
Slipstream The Cabriolet actually has about the same aerodynamic shape as the coupe, with a drag coefficient of .30. At least, that’s when the roof is in place. Drop the top and even with the windows and rear baffle raised, the slipstream changes completely. ▲
Extra strong Porsche’s engineers went to a great deal of trouble to stiffen the frame of the convertible, which will always be far less rigid than a coupe. There’s a high-strength extruded aluminum roll bar behind the seats that doubles as a crossbrace, and the A-pillar columns that support the windshield are filled with strengthening materials that make them roughly twice as strong as those on the coupe. ▲
Added weight There’s extra weight for having a removable roof: the cabriolet weighs 70 kg more than the coupe. About half of that is in the roof itself, and the rest in the extra stiffening of the frame. ▲
Behind the wheel Really, though, an average driver on a public road won’t be able to tell the difference between the ride of the cabriolet over the coupe. There’s plenty of power in the S engine for comfortable passing and cruising on a curvy road, and the feedback to the driver is exceptional. The engine is now mounted solidly to the frame, not to a crossbar as before, which improves stiffness and reduces vibration. And the engine sounds terrific when you’re driving in a tunnel! ▲
Porsche’s icon It has to be an exceptional ride: Porsche has a reputation for unparalleled driver response, and the 911’s iconic status is built on it. Fortunately, this eighth-generation 911 is at least as satisfying to drive as its predecessors, and is now more capable, with better driver’s assistance technology, better lighting and better connectivity. And it’s quicker, too. That’s never a bad thing. ▲
Keyword: FIRST DRIVE: 21 ways to improve a Porsche 911