Since Carlos already mentioned all the important points, I will summarize my driving experience (992 Carrera 4S Cabriolet) to a few short points:
- Very easy to drive, this is a car I would even give a beginner to drive, no kidding (the power output is of course a bit too much for beginners).
- Even in Sport Plus mode very difficult to provoke uncontrollable driving reactions, very safe setup.
- Excellent daily driver capabilities, very comfortable (chassis, steering, noise level).
- Not worth 160k EUR in my opinion, this is a car I would pay 120k for.
- Very nice interior, kind of has a 993 vibe but the "wow effect" is missing, quality impression is in the league with Audi but not a 160k car, sorry to say that.
- Exhaust sound (keep in mind this is the cabriolet I am talking about and I was driving with the top open only) is very muted, even with sport exhaust barely noticeable, not even in the upper rev range. For a comfortable ride definitely the right sound but for a sports car? No. I was driving in Sport Plus most of the time but the sound is very very disappointing.
- There is a very very very annoying fake(?) "waste gate blow-off sound" when you accelerate hard and release the throttle. Who in his sane mind approved this? It sounds ridiculous, bad, annoying, just plain wrong. I know the original waste gate blow off sounds from older turbo charged cars and I mostly like them but this one in the 992 sounds stupid.
- Instrument cluster display and navigation system display have a very strong mirror effect, very very bad. When the sun shines from a certain angle when you drive with an open top, you can barely recognize what is on the navigation display. The instrument cluster display isn't that bad but still...it is annoying.
- The new "gear lever" works well but sometimes requires a firmer operation. I think Porsche should have taken a micro switch type of operation approach instead of a "mechanic lever" feel approach. If you do not apply enough force, you can end up in N for example, instead of D. Or vice versa.
- The steering paddles are too small and too short but maybe I am biased because I drive a Lamborghini. Still, I don't like them.
- Shifting manually is no fun in the 992, sorry to say that. It feels a bit "detached" and artificial, it is difficult to explain but the automatic mode of PDK is the best way to go with.
- The PDK auto mode works pretty well, no need to shift the gears manually, unless you really want to (you don't, trust me).
- The front seats are excellent, typical Porsche. No complaints here.
- The engine feels powerful but it lacks the "punch" of the V8 Biturbo in my wife's C63 S AMG Cabriolet, especially in the lower and mid rev range. My wife drove the 992 as well and this is the first thing she noticed, she thought the 992 is much slower than her C63 S (it isn't).
- There is a turbo lag, you can clearly feel it is a turbo engine but surprisingly, it feels better in the higher speed range. Porsche managed to give the 992 engine a slight n/a engine feel in the upper rev range, which is nice.
- The chassis is sporty and comfortable at the same time, for a daily driver probably the best setup on the market, combining both worlds (comfort and sportiness) in perfection. Unfortunately the chassis feels a bit, how to put it, too "soft", everything is "moving", it just doesn't feel firm and like a sports car. It is difficult to explain but my E63 S "taxi" chassis feels firmer, there is less "movement" in the body, especially in curves and I am not talking about side roll. Everything about the 992 chassis screams "comfort" to me, not my cup of tea, sorry to say that.
- The 992 feels lighter than it is but this probably also has something to do with the excellent steering setup and RWS.
- The car I drove had Goodyear F1(?) tires and I have to say that I was a little bit perplexed by this choice. They feel a bit "hard" and when you push them hard, they are a little bit smeary, they don't offer the precision I am usually expecting from a Porsche 911. They offer a safe setup, no doubt, the switch to oversteer is very very soft but I just had the feeling that they are not the right tires for a 911. Maybe for a Panamera.
- The brakes felt OK to me, very good braking feel, typical Porsche again.
- The roof opens up very very fast, I get the feeling that it is faster than it was in my wife's 991.2 Carrera GTS Cabriolet. Very nice.
- The new (slightly flatter) key is nice but still not as small as I would have loved to see it. Not that other car manufacturers do better but at least Porsche is on the right path.
VERDICT: The new 992 feels (almost) perfect and this actually seems to be the main problem with this car. It doesn't feel special anymore, it lacks that "wow, I need to have one" feel and it feels like another Mercedes E class or BMW 5 series or maybe an Audi A6 if you get my point. There is no challenge in driving this car, no sweaty hands, no heart palpitations, no excitement, nothing. You just drive it, it offers excellent performance whenever you need it and an impressive amount of comfort and that's it.
Yes, this setup is sensationally good, no doubt. It requires a lot of engineering skills and testing to create a car which can be fast on the track but also can move you comfortably from A to B on a daily basis. This is a car you can use all the time, not only a weekend toy for those special moments.
This is exactly the problem: The 992 Carrera 4S Cabriolet costs a huge amount of money and for this kind of money, you want to have something special, something which puts a smile on your face, something which makes you want more. This car doesn't do it for me, sorry. If I'd need a fantastic daily driver and I could afford to have one car only, this would be it: The 992 Carrera 4S Cabriolet. Everything in one: Sports car, winter car, track car, daily driver and even to move little kids around. As a weekend toy car or special car you want to enjoy from time to time, this is the wrong choice. You'll get bored fast.
Even my wife's C63 S Cabriolet feels more special due to that monster V8 Biturbo and the nice sound. The chassis feels firmer, the excessive torque is always a bit of a challenge when you drive this car, it just feels special and I'm really not a big fan of the C63 Biturbo (I liked the predecessor with n/a engine a lot).
So if you are looking for an amazing daily driver sports car, maybe one even your wife or kids can drive from time to time without any major concerns, the 992 Carrera S is perfect. With AWD, this car can be used all year long.
If you are looking for a weekend fun toy, something special you want to enjoy, the 992 Carrera S is definitely wrong for you, don't waste your time, you will get rid of it fast. Better wait for the GT3 or get that new Cayman GT4.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), Mercedes E63 S AMG Edition 1 (2018), Mercedes C63 S AMG Cab (2019), Range Rover Evoque Si4 Black Edition (2019)