The other day, my husband finally got the chance to test-drive the new Porsche 911, and he’s written up his impressions. We’ll be sharing them in two parts, so we hope you’ll enjoy the series.

More than six months had passed since the new Porsche 911 (Type 992) arrived in Japan, and I’d still never had a chance to drive one. At last, I got to take the Carrera 4S for a spin.

This time, I had plenty of time to drive it both around town and on winding roads. Here are my impressions, including how it compares with the Boxster and the 991.

The New Porsche 911 (992)

The car I drove was a Carrera 4S in a stunning, highly optioned specification, with nearly ¥6 million in extras. Some of the highlights included:

・Glass sunroof
・Leather interior
・Rear-axle steering
・Sport Exhaust
・Sport Chrono Package
・Power Steering Plus
・20/21-inch Carrera Exclusive Design wheels
・LED Matrix headlights
・Adaptive cruise control
・14-way Sport Seats
・Burmester High-End Surround Sound System

…and plenty more.

The paint was Aventurine Green Metallic, a color I personally think could be the next big thing after Crayon. I’d had my eye on it for a while and always thought it looked fantastic.

In person, it’s simply beautiful. The 992’s design has strong links to the classic air-cooled era, and this refined shade of green suits it perfectly. Depending on the light and viewing angle, it can look like a sophisticated, understated green—or even take on a bluish hue.

In the shade, it can even look like gunmetal. The closest comparison I can think of is the iridescent shell of a beautiful golden scarab beetle: a subtle, elegant color that shifts with the light. “Aventurine” is a name traditionally used to describe the color of gemstones and other stones, and this shade is said to evoke a forest.

Interior

My first impression when I got behind the wheel? In a word: “mini Panamera.” The cabin is beautifully refined and, naturally, feels much more modern than the 991.

Look over to the passenger side, though, and details such as the single trim piece stretching across the dashboard bring air-cooled Porsches to mind. It’s clear that Porsche has drawn heavily on its air-cooled heritage, blending classic touches into a thoroughly modern cabin.

This test car had the Dark Paldao Interior Package, including wood trim—and it looked fantastic. The wood had the sort of finish you might find in a luxury hotel, without any of the old-fashioned, stuffy feel you might associate with wood trim. It gave the 911 a tasteful, grown-up character.

On the Road

With the Sport Exhaust fitted, the engine fired up with a fairly raucous “brrr-brrr-brrap.” Even at idle, there’s that unmistakably Porsche blend of metallic sounds and exhaust note.

The accelerator pedal felt familiar, with no real adjustment needed after driving the 991. Around town, I was struck by just how smooth and refined the PDK shifts are. The 992’s eight-speed PDK is reportedly based on the same specification as the unit in the 971 Panamera, but with further development.

The PDK in the 971 Panamera is already very smooth, though you can still sense the gears changing. The 992’s transmission may not be quite as seamless as the latest torque-converter automatic, but it comes remarkably close.

If you drove it without knowing what transmission it had, I suspect you’d be hard-pressed to tell. Acceleration and deceleration around 30–60 km/h feel especially smooth. The engine has plenty of power, of course, but what I really like is that the car simply responds to the throttle without making you think about which gear it’s in.

Here, the PDK stays firmly in the background, smoothly selecting the right gear based on how far and how quickly you press the accelerator.

The engine sounds great, too. As I’ll explain later, switching the Sport Exhaust on and off doesn’t seem to make a huge difference to the volume; even with it switched off, the exhaust still sounds fairly loud. It’s quiet at idle and under light load, but give it some throttle and a satisfying blend of metallic and exhaust notes comes clearly from the rear. Compared with the 991, the sound feels a little rawer.

My wife said it sounded “air-cooled,” and I have to agree. It’s not the same, of course, but you can sense the engineers’ effort to bring back something of that classic sound in an era of strict regulations.

The test car had standard cast-iron brakes, and they made a very positive impression: the pedal felt reassuringly firm. In terms of feel, they reminded me more of the PCCB brakes on our 991.2 GT3 than the cast-iron brakes on our 981 Boxster GTS. Most of all, they made it easy to modulate the car’s deceleration—capturing the uniquely Porsche feeling that “even braking is fun.”

Porsche brakes really are excellent.

On Winding Roads

I took the car onto some winding roads to get a feel for the steering. The overall steering feel isn’t dramatically different from the previous generation, and nothing felt unfamiliar. But the initial response when you turn the wheel is noticeably different.

The first time you experience it, you might find yourself saying, “Wow!” It’s that quick.

Compared with our Boxster and GT3, this steering feel is closer to the GT3. That makes sense: the steering ratio has changed, and the 992’s front track has widened to 1,589 mm.

For comparison, the 991.2 GT3’s front track is 1,551 mm.

The car is remarkably easy to drive on tight, twisting mountain roads. In an air-cooled 964, for example, you need to consciously load up the front end to get the car to turn properly. The 992, naturally, is a very different story.

Compared with an air-cooled Porsche, driving the 992 feels almost as if the front end is constantly carrying plenty of weight. Whether you’re climbing or descending makes little difference. Turn the wheel normally, and the car follows your line with precision, inspiring a great deal of confidence.

At the same time, I’ll be honest: compared with an air-cooled 911 or a GT3, the 992 gives you less of that feeling of mastering and controlling the car.

In Part 2, I’ll share my impressions of the Sport and Sport Plus modes, the power delivery, and the suspension.