All-new 992 Version of Porsche’s Iconic Sports Car is ‘a Better 911’
Autocar tests the 992 on a track and on the road to find out how much Porsche has improved the next-generation 911.
When you have passion and work hard at something, there’s a good chance you’ll eventually find success, and more. Other things usually follow success, such as recognition, opportunities…and pressure. Once you set the bar high, you have to keep reaching that level or going above it. Porsche has been feeling it ever since it made a follow-up to the original 911. And that pressure is back on again with the debut of the all-new 992 version of the 911.
Autocar‘s Matt Prior recently went to Spain to test it on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo and the roads surrounding the course. In the video above, he starts out at the track in a shiny new red 911 4S coupe. Unlike in days past, even the two-wheel drive models are as wide as the Carrera 4s. The body is nearly an inch longer than before, although the 992’s wheelbase remains the same length as it was in the 991, according to Prior.
The 992 version of the 4S is powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter boxer six with slightly bigger turbos and intercoolers positioned right behind the engine to increase their efficiency. Output is 443 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. That’s connected to a new eight-speed PDK gearbox (a manual is coming) and powers the front and rear axles, both of which are connected to the electric power steering. That rack offers a satisfying amount of feel and builds weight nicely in corners. The 911 has been rear-engined since its debut, but the newest version of it disguises its drivetrain layout well. Prior says, “With the extra front track width, this one feels a bit less rear-engined, if you’d like. It feels that bit more consistent, front and rear.”
Prior mentions that in the past, new generations of the 911 always seemed to grow more sophisticated but lose a bit of their driving excitement. Even though the 992 is more sophisticated than the car it replaces and “staggeringly capable,” it hasn’t followed the pattern of its ancestors. It’s just as fun as the 991.
Out on the road in a 2S, Prior talks about how 60 percent of the 992’s body is made out of aluminum, compared to a figure of roughly 30 percent for the 991. But instead of going on about how light the 992 feels, Prior praises the steering again. Compared to the 4S, the two-wheel-drive 911’s steering feels truer. It’s weighted well and offers great off-center feel.
Prior only had a few minutes in each car, but he didn’t need any more time than that to decide that the 992 is already a winner. “This car slips, I think, straight into a position at the top of its class. I can’t imagine testing it alongside any of the other rivals and preferring them.”
So at least according to one automotive journalist, Porsche didn’t buckle under the pressure. It made the 992 exactly what it needed to be. The pressure is still on Porsche, though. They have a new 911 Turbo to develop.
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