BERLIN: The Porsche 911 offers a broad range of engines for a supposed specialist sports car, ranging from 350hp to more than half that power again. Even the standard 911 Carrera can do 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 179mph: the simple addition of a PDK dual-clutch gearbox cuts this to as little as 4.4 seconds, which illustrates the level of performance we’re talking about here.
There are three core model lines of 911: Carrera, Turbo and GT3. You can have the Carrera as a rear-drive car or the four-wheel drive Carrera 4, plus as a standard 3.4-litre, a 400hp 3.8-litre Carrera S and a 430hp Carrera GTS. The Turbo comes in standard 520hp and 560hpo Turbo S guise; the latter does 0-62mph in just 3.1 seconds.
Then there’s the racecar-like GT3, in regular 475hp guise or even faster and rawer 500hp GT3 RS form. This really is a track car for the road, with intense and thrilling manners plus all the sound effects and sensations that make it a genuine Porsche. In contrast, the Turbo 911s are more sophisticated and urbane, but ferociously powerful and, thanks to four-wheel drive and the 911’s relatively compact nature, among the world’s fastest cross-country cars.
Most 911s are the more accessible Carrera cars though. Their non-turbo flat-six engines sound wonderful, have creamy performance and are genuinely satisfying to use. Any 911 is plenty fast enough for most and the engagement you get from such commanding performance is deeply rewarding. There’s a reason why people buy 911 after 911, and engine performance from the rear-mounted powerplants is a big part of it.
A word on gearboxes: there are two options, either a manual or PDK twin-clutch automatic and, unusually, both have seven speeds. The manual has an extra plane next to fifth for selecting the long-striding seventh. Ever-growing numbers choose the optional PDK to do the work for them and, as it’s an absolutely brilliant gearbox with ultra-fast shifts and a totally seamless nature, we really don’t blame them.
There’s just the one proviso with performance: Porsche is soon to phase out the ‘regular’ Carrera engines, and replace them with turbocharged motors. Hard to believe, but an even stronger-performing 911 range may be on the horizon…
Since the 1960s, Porsche 911s have had an iconic five-dial instrument layout. This remains in the current cars, with the rev counter large and prominent in the centre, and lots of auxiliary dials spread around it. In the latest cars though, there’s an additional modern touch a multi-configurable colour display screen, that can show sat nav directions, trip computer info, even audio track listings. It’s just about perfect.
The rest of the interior is as high quality as you’d expect of a car wearing the Porsche badge. It’s more complex and saloon car-like than it was the centre console is modeled on the Panamera luxury four-door but this upmarket lift suits the 911’s growing status and, besides, its low seats, perfect control placement and sporty driving position still feel purposeful.
Another sports car rarity is another long-standing 911 tradition: excellent visibility. It’s easy to see out and place on the road, and the fact it’s a bit more compact than rivals also helps the feeling of agility. Indeed, the only grumble you may have inside is the amount of money you have to spend on optional extras it’s well equipped as standard but there are still plenty of essential must-haves that you have to pay extra for…
All Porsche 911s are disarmingly fuel efficient, both according to official fuel consumption figures and in real-world use. The fact both manual and PDK twin-clutch automatics have a seven-speed gearbox helps here; left to its own devices, the PDK will select as tall a ratio as possible as quickly as possible, totally imperceptibly. The effect on fuel range is striking.
This means that using a 911 even on a daily basis won’t be quite as expensive a proposition as you may imagine. Yes, servicing can be pricier, but Porsche has extended intervals, and peerless reliability means it won’t break down or go expensively wrong such confidence is rare for a performance car.
Porsche 911s are also much in demand so retained values remain high, even for those that have been used a bit more than the norm (the market knows 911s can take high mileages, that many people take advantage of this and doesn’t punish prices for it).
