The Carrera is the most accessible 911 but remains a thoroughbred driver’s car
04 December 2024 - 10:31
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The Carrera’s 3.0l turbo engine has been boosted to 290kW.
Picture: DENIS DROPPA
While I was driving the new Porsche 911 Carrera on the freeway, a 911 GT3 RS driver in the fast lane slowed and revved his engine as he pulled alongside me.
It was a friendly “hello” from one 911 driver to another, before the GT3 driver blasted off in a beautifully raucous six-cylinder cacophony. It was a brief meeting of siblings on opposite ends of the 911 family: the racing-inspired GT3 RS is the edgy, rebellious brother with a wild streak. The 911 Carrera is the entry point into the 911 family and the more sensible and level-headed sibling. I hesitate to call the Carrera “tame” but it is the most accessible version of the iconic German sports car.
It has a firmer ride than the average car but is smooth and civilised in its efficiency as a daily driver. When you tweak its tail the thoroughbred sports car pokes through the refined veneer and brings the famed 911 driving exhilaration.
The muted background growl of the flat-six turbo engine becomes more full-blooded when you press the sports exhaust button on the dash. Nothing like the spine-chilling howl of a GT3, mind you, but enough of a war cry to declare that there’s nothing anodyne about this rear-engined sportster despite its ability to commute with calm demeanour.
It’s about steering that feels perfectly weighted when you hustle it through a fast sweep, the surge of lag-free power when you thrust the throttle, and the uncannily fast response of the PDK eight-speed automated dual-clutch transmission.
It’s about the solidity of the car which feels as if it’s been machined from a solid metal block, a characteristic that gives the car both agility and a relatively comfortable ride. The adaptive suspension can be stiffened or softened at the touch of a button.
These are the hallmarks of a car that has been refined into a finessed sports machine over the past six decades from the wayward “widow-maker” 911s of the 1970s. The 911 has become a cultural touchstone in the sports segment, a template for how efficiency can coexist with driving passion.
The 911 Carrera is an urban-friendly sports car.
Picture: DENIS DROPPA
For 2024 the eighth-generation 911 has received a midlife update, including the introduction of the new GTS as the first petrol-electric hybrid version in the line-up’s history.
The rear-wheel drive 911 Carrera, the entry point to the range, retains a regular petrol engine but the 3.0l six-cylinder twin-turbo boxer unit has been boosted in output from 283kW to 290kW, with torque remaining the same at 450Nm. There is a 0.1 second improvement in the 0-100km/h sprint to 4.1 seconds (3.9 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono package) and a top speed of 294km/h.
For all that spirited thrust, the test car sipped an admirably frugal 12.5l/100km.
The updated 911 (known in-house as the 992.2) also has a retouched design, a refreshed interior, upgraded standard equipment and expanded connectivity.
Inside, new features available for the first time in a 911 include a start button and a fully digital instrument cluster. The 12.6” curved display offers up to seven views, including a traditional five-tube Porsche dial design that is fully visible unlike the previous analogue version which was partially blocked by the steering wheel.
A digital instrument cluster and a starter button are new additions to the cabin.
Picture: DENIS DROPPA
The centre console storage bin has a cooled compartment for smartphones, with an inductive charging function. The customisability of the infotainment system and operation of the driver assistance systems have been improved.
It was all business inside the test car’s sober, grey-hued cabin, but customers can specify various colour finishes to perk up the mood.
Matrix LED headlights are standard while Porsche optionally offers new headlights with an HD matrix LED function with more than 32,000 light points and the ability to illuminate the road to a distance of over 600m.
The updated 911 range is available as a coupé and cabriolet in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive guises, all equipped with the PDK transmission, with the GTS also available with a Targa top.
The new Porsche 911 Carrera range is available in SA at the following prices:
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
DRIVING IMPRESSION
FIRST DRIVE: updated Porsche 911 Carrera
The Carrera is the most accessible 911 but remains a thoroughbred driver’s car
While I was driving the new Porsche 911 Carrera on the freeway, a 911 GT3 RS driver in the fast lane slowed and revved his engine as he pulled alongside me.
It was a friendly “hello” from one 911 driver to another, before the GT3 driver blasted off in a beautifully raucous six-cylinder cacophony. It was a brief meeting of siblings on opposite ends of the 911 family: the racing-inspired GT3 RS is the edgy, rebellious brother with a wild streak. The 911 Carrera is the entry point into the 911 family and the more sensible and level-headed sibling. I hesitate to call the Carrera “tame” but it is the most accessible version of the iconic German sports car.
It has a firmer ride than the average car but is smooth and civilised in its efficiency as a daily driver. When you tweak its tail the thoroughbred sports car pokes through the refined veneer and brings the famed 911 driving exhilaration.
The muted background growl of the flat-six turbo engine becomes more full-blooded when you press the sports exhaust button on the dash. Nothing like the spine-chilling howl of a GT3, mind you, but enough of a war cry to declare that there’s nothing anodyne about this rear-engined sportster despite its ability to commute with calm demeanour.
It’s about steering that feels perfectly weighted when you hustle it through a fast sweep, the surge of lag-free power when you thrust the throttle, and the uncannily fast response of the PDK eight-speed automated dual-clutch transmission.
It’s about the solidity of the car which feels as if it’s been machined from a solid metal block, a characteristic that gives the car both agility and a relatively comfortable ride. The adaptive suspension can be stiffened or softened at the touch of a button.
These are the hallmarks of a car that has been refined into a finessed sports machine over the past six decades from the wayward “widow-maker” 911s of the 1970s. The 911 has become a cultural touchstone in the sports segment, a template for how efficiency can coexist with driving passion.
For 2024 the eighth-generation 911 has received a midlife update, including the introduction of the new GTS as the first petrol-electric hybrid version in the line-up’s history.
The rear-wheel drive 911 Carrera, the entry point to the range, retains a regular petrol engine but the 3.0l six-cylinder twin-turbo boxer unit has been boosted in output from 283kW to 290kW, with torque remaining the same at 450Nm. There is a 0.1 second improvement in the 0-100km/h sprint to 4.1 seconds (3.9 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono package) and a top speed of 294km/h.
For all that spirited thrust, the test car sipped an admirably frugal 12.5l/100km.
The updated 911 (known in-house as the 992.2) also has a retouched design, a refreshed interior, upgraded standard equipment and expanded connectivity.
Inside, new features available for the first time in a 911 include a start button and a fully digital instrument cluster. The 12.6” curved display offers up to seven views, including a traditional five-tube Porsche dial design that is fully visible unlike the previous analogue version which was partially blocked by the steering wheel.
The centre console storage bin has a cooled compartment for smartphones, with an inductive charging function. The customisability of the infotainment system and operation of the driver assistance systems have been improved.
It was all business inside the test car’s sober, grey-hued cabin, but customers can specify various colour finishes to perk up the mood.
Matrix LED headlights are standard while Porsche optionally offers new headlights with an HD matrix LED function with more than 32,000 light points and the ability to illuminate the road to a distance of over 600m.
The updated 911 range is available as a coupé and cabriolet in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive guises, all equipped with the PDK transmission, with the GTS also available with a Targa top.
The new Porsche 911 Carrera range is available in SA at the following prices:
911 Carrera — R2,477,000
911 Carrera T — R2,735,000
911 Carrera Cabriolet — R2,746,000
911 Carrera T cabriolet — R3,019,000
911 Carrera GTS — R3,386,000
911 Carrera GTS cabriolet — R3,654,000
911 Carrera 4 GTS — R3,546,000
911 Carrera 4 GTS cabriolet — R3,814,000
911 Targa 4 GTS — R3,814,000
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