My consistent response to the myriad of questions I receive concerning a 911 sportscar is this: just buy it. People are strange sometimes. Despite decades of carving out a reputation as a competent and sought-after sports car, Porsche’s 911 still has some doubters. I have no issue with some purists who believe the iconic 911 is straying from its originality, replacing the actual key-start with a button, having a fully digital instrument cluster or even, heaven-forbid, adding electric power to the GTS. These opinions are held by people who have history with the brand, owners who almost have a right to think these sorts of things. But anyone else, who has no real experience with a Porsche 911 and thinks Ford Mustangs or BMW M4’s are the best sportscars this side of Benoni, you really ought to trust the hype.
The 911, despite its lineage and fame, needs to continue to evolve as the go-to, modern-day sportscar and as such, this particular car is the updated entry into the 911 range – the 911 Carrera. You’d be hard pressed to tell the difference but subtle changes to the front reveal revised LED headlight clusters and front bumper and then some really small wheel design changes.
The interior is where the purists may start to sweat. The updated 911 now presents a fully digitalised driver interface. It’s now very similar in operating concept to the Taycan and the Cayenne. Whilst it is entirely digital, it does mean that the 12,6-inch display can be customised and tailored to your tastes. It’s quite intuitive in terms of graphic quality with a variety of views, including one that houses the central rev counter as you may have wanted it from the days of old, making this new presentation a bit more dynamic to suit a larger variety of tastes in this regards.
Apple CarPlay is better now, more integrated into both the central screen unit but also with some functions displayed and usable in the driver’s display too. That said, the screen iconography is still quite small, and so the side buttons can be a touch tricky to press when on the move. That said, it’s a quality cabin with a cooled wireless phone charging cradle and a great deal of visibility and airiness around the cabin. There’s a real ease with which one can drive the 911 and it remains one of the most comfortable daily-use sportscars you can buy. For those considering the family, note that should you order a new 911, the rear seats will have to be requested as a no-cost option.
Underneath that iconic, sloping rear, this Carrera still forges power from a revised 3.0-litre, twin-turbo, flat-six with new turbos and intercooler for improved power and emissions. In true Porsche form, they’ve lifted the turbos from the old GTS and the intercooler from the Turbo S and the result is a power step up to 294kW and 450Nm. The numbers don’t really tell the full story of the Carrera, because the performance is a factor higher. It’s the defining point of any 911, including this one, that the performance is as thrilling as it is natural. It feels fast and actually is fast with sharp front end competence combined with high grip levels and a beautiful chassis. The Carrera feels like all the 911 you need – and yet, it provides the entry into this haloed model line. It opens the way for the Carrera S, the 4S, the t-hybrid GTS and then the mad twin duo called Turbo and Turbo S.
When the power and performance isn’t what you’re wanting from the 911, then it too, can settle down into being the easy driving solution to work and back. With efficient driving, the 911 Carrera has the ability to drive with the subtlety and manners of a Golf, turning in low 10’s in fuel economy stakes. Replete with connectivity options, driving assistance systems and banging audio from an upgraded Bose sound system, it’s not just about launch-control and rasping burbles from the exhausts but it's the all-roundedness that is amazing to behold.
The Carrera and the 911 range in general will continue to be the target for so many other sports cars that want to achieve the level of competence and success brewed from generations of 911. The Carrera sits in a space where BMW M2's and M4's are snapping at its heels, trying to unsettle its sturdy hold on this segment. A new Ford Mustang Dark Horse will also present another far cheaper option.
The 911 for all the competition will also compete against itself, such is its fierce hold on resale values. Considering the near R2,5M price for this entry-level Carrera could also fetch a previously-loved S, 4S or GTS from a previous generation? These are key considerations for any would-be sports car buyer but for the most modern Carrera on the market, this 992.2 Carrera carries its own weight.
The 911 is Porsche’s long-standing success story and so it shall remain. It’s just so good, in fact, in some sense, it’s just too good. And not just in actual driving competence but it’s also good to own, holding its value for long periods of time such is its popularity and appeal. At over R2,4M, it’s a price point that is hard to argue against. More buck than an M4 but certainly less buck than the AMG,Jaguar or Ford equivalent, whichever way you look at it.
This Carrera will be flanked by the Carrera T in the next few months, a stripped-out, manual version of the same car that will add a measure of purism for those that have something to say about this particular Carrera’s evolution. The 911 Carrera remains the segment-defining sportscar – a bit more polished, a bit more competent and a bit more timeless.
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