Porsche 911 (992) Carrera 4S in the test

B ilder have long since given the all-clear. Nevertheless, the newcomer has to go through a kind of identity verification at the first meeting: At the front, round headlights protrude from towering fenders. The rear wheel arches are strongly modeled. The rear is divided into narrow taillights. The ignition key replica is on the left. The tachometer dominates the cockpit. Definitely a 911.

So there is no shrill shit storm to be feared in the social arousal media. But no alarm tinkling in the back of your head either. Because what would life on the country road be worth if they took the real 911 from us? Although it moves further and further away from our reality with six-figure prices, we want to at least keep it as a desire. And that's why we check every new model to see whether it is still suitable as a dream generator.

450 PS, all-wheel drive

First and foremost, the Porsche 911 has to defend a legendary technical concept: A six-cylinder boxer engine has to be duck behind the driven rear axle. The new one also fulfills this criterion - it relies on the further developed three-liter turbo of its predecessor. Fortunately, despite the dampening gasoline particle filter, it still sounds so much like an 911 that you can even hear a subtle whine of the fan wheel.

Achim Hartmann

The automatic start shoots the 1.6-ton truck up to speed in 3.3 seconds 100 (predecessor: 3.7 seconds).

Our test car from early production is a 911 4S that develops 450 hp, 30 hp more than before, and which sends up to 505 Nm to the front axle. The increase in performance follows the tradition according to which every new 911 gets stronger - the 992, as the eighth generation is called internally, thus compensates for additional weight. He even overcompensates because thatAutomatic start shoots the 1.6-ton truck from zero to 100 km /h in 3.3 seconds (predecessor: 3.7 seconds).

1.6-ton truck? Yes, our editorial scales hold the fully fueled but unoccupied test car, including the dual clutch transmission, 1,613 kilograms - 83 more than a similarly equipped predecessor model. Which brings us to a critical point: the physicality.

The buxom rear flats into the lane. In the big city, the dimensions do not yet reach their limits, but the width makes the two-door model confusing and difficult to assess; looking back over the shoulder brings little more than guesswork. You sit exemplary deep, but look over a lot of sheet metal. And a lot of interior space.

Achim Hartmann

Anyone who fears complex operation in view of the reduced number of buttons will be pleasantly surprised . Of the digital possibilities, the so-called swarm data use should be mentioned as helpful.

The slim design of the center console takes up relatively little space for passengers. Anyone who fears complex operation in view of the reduced number of buttons will be pleasantly surprised. Of the digital possibilities, the so-called swarm data use should be mentioned as helpful. The Porsche driver benefits from the data of other networked road users and receives warning messages about storms, traffic jams and the risk of accidents.

Speaking of networked: The outer areas of the displays disappear behind the steering wheel rim and are therefore useless. Fortunately, the normal, sport, sport plus and individual driving profiles can be called up in the same way - using the (optional) rotary knob on the steering wheel. Added to this is Wet, a program for wet roads. ESP and traction control are particularly sensitive to preventing any tendency to slide. Wet should also do a good job in winter, after all, the Porsche 911 has long been a year-round vehicle.

Since the Porsche 996, the two-plus-two-seater has been consolidating its everyday skills. 992 continues this development. Which is why the following statement in the press release is pure marketing gossipis: '... the 911 remains what it was from the beginning: a puristic sports car ...' These were just special versions like the RS models.

Generation eight, on the other hand, looks like a sports car, shakes its performance with unbelievable ease up the sleeve, but no customer expects the purism of this vehicle class. In short: the Porsche 992 feels like an ideal GT.

On the move to the Eifel

Thanks to the stop-and-go function of the cruise control, it jams indifferently through rush hour, The adaptive shock absorbers of the sports suspension (940 euros) convert unevenness into frictional heat in a balanced way, and he stays calm in his lane, even if an obstacle forces you to brake hard in fast corners. This allows him to dive deep into the reality of his users' lives.

Achim Hartmann

Thanks to the stop-and-go function of the cruise control, he accumulates indifferently through rush hour, the adaptive shock absorbers of the sports suspension (940 euros) convert bumps into frictional heat, calmly he stays on track, se Even if an obstacle in fast corners forces you to brake hard.

Because this consists of Nordschleife record laps less often than the online Forums like to believe. Yes, the Porsche 992 can still roll into the Eifel on its own, successfully defend the ideal line against intruders and then power it back home via the autobahn. But who actually demands this competence?

It remains the country road to claim the expertise. Anyone who does not degrade their Porsche to a mere status symbol will arrive there sooner or later - on the original terrain of the 911. Apart from the racetrack, this is where a sports car primarily shows its advantage over high-performance sedans.

First impression: The new one looks neither small, nor light, nor extremely handy. Rather, he takes up the track with his entire body, follows itSteering immediately. As in the city and on the highway, the agile response of the adaptive shock absorbers is striking. In rural areas this is pleasant for reasons of comfort, but above all it ensures that you stay in lane. Even nasty bumps cannot pry out the chassis - it sticks to the road.

Achim Hartmann

On average, the 992 with 11.4 liters of Super Plus can move over 100 kilometers. If you stroll around, you can get by with 8.3 liters per 100 km, if you push you should expect 13.8 liters per 100 km.

And it seems like there is nothing that can shake this situation. During our forced voyage, the front was never easy; Here you can already see how far the Porsche 911 has emancipated itself from its original meter. Because unlike the horror stories of a rear axle breaking out from behind, sports drivers are more likely to be haunted by the specter of the unstable front axle. But (slight) understeer affects the all-wheel drive only as a marginal phenomenon when entering the corner entry in a clumsy stormy manner.

With the facelift of the 991, Porsche put a lot of effort into relentless directional stability. So much that even the pure rear cyclist lost the nine-eleven part of the speed feeling. So driving fast on rails - the railroad has mastered that for much longer.

On the other hand, one rightly expects emotions from a sports car and looks for them on its home route. This is often orphaned far from attractive destinations and distributed over non-slip tar combinations of curves that can be conquered in second and third gear in accordance with the StVO. The predecessor passed through passages of this kind as if he had to tick them off as quickly as possible.

The Porsche 992, on the other hand, devotes itself to them, has really found itself again. It is remarkable that we are formulating something like this about the all-wheel drive model. For many sensitive feelers, the pulling front axle was considered a burden rather than a support.

The front axle runs in because of the shear forces of the oilthe multi-plate clutch - but not in the form of a stiff-necked towing vehicle: The all-wheel drive drives like a purely rear-wheel drive 911 in the best sense of the word. This is also due to the new electronic control, which emphasizes a decidedly rear-heavy design.

Rear-heavy not in the sense of an omnipresent threat, but as an offer: It is invisible in the room - you can feel it if your own driving style lures you on the track. And only if you are currently in Sport-ESP mode.

Achim Hartmann

As the weight is transferred from right to left, the cheek of the adaptive sports seats (3,273 euros) gently knocks and reports an extra load of side forces to the back.

Let's think about a dedicated change curve. In the middle of the transfer point, the foot releases the accelerator and a sweeping steering movement initiates a load change. At the moment of weight transfer from right to left, the cheek of the adaptive sports seats (3,273 euros) taps gently and reports an extra load of lateral forces to the back. That is the herald of the limit area.

It announces the offer of the stern in an easily understandable way. In this state, just beyond neutrality, you can now minimally reduce the steering angle and stabilize the track with drag gas. The new one would then be on the road in the efficiently fast way of the turbocharged Porsche 991.

However, you can accept the Herald's offer and serve excess torque in the load change. Then the rear axle enlarges its radius and can be positioned with centimeter precision with more or less Nm. The 992 dances with its driver and triggers the typical 911 feeling.

Although the turbine wheels of the two turbochargers have become larger and therefore need a little longer to get going, the thrust of the three-liter can be adjusted wonderfully . Up to the maximum area, where you are stunned to see how powerfully the 911 pushes itself off the apex and how liberated it storms towards the red area. If you miss the responsiveness below - the biturbo delivers brute force abovePerformance.

Aisles flicker up /down

Achim Hartmann

The selector lever stub is part of the dual clutch transmission - manual transmission is currently not available.

The Porsche 911 skilfully doses it via its newly designed dual clutch transmission with eight instead of seven gears and a correspondingly narrower spread. The speed levels flicker up and down accurately. If you use the gearshift paddles, then not to warn you to change gears even faster - but to take pressure off the boiler and celebrate torque in a balanced manner in the pre-selected gear. The jack-of-all-trades can do that too.

Like a chameleon, he adapts to his driver's ideas. It is difficult to estimate what the numerous options account for here - we were missing a basic model for comparison.

We therefore want to list the extras relevant for the assessment: In addition to the sports suspension and adaptive sports seats already mentioned, Porsche had ours Carrera 4S rear-axle steering (2,249 euros), roll compensation (3,213 euros), sports exhaust (2,606 euros), ceramic brake (8,937 euros), power steering plus (262 euros) and a sports steering wheel (274 euros).

Want to hide nor do we offer you the Sport Chrono package (2326 euros); its automatic start enables the impressive start of the race, its dynamic engine mounts contribute to the instant turning. Overall, the test car is adorned with options for just under 40,000 euros.

In the end, there is no doubt: the 992 is a real 911.