My Partner This Time: The 992

This year’s Golden Week gave me a rare 10-day holiday, so I decided to go on a long touring trip.

Until just before departure, I was undecided about which partner to take—981, or maybe 991, or even a 964? But this time, I chose to take the 992 along. The reason is that although I’ve driven the 992 on long distances and on circuits, I had never really done a proper touring trip with it before.

Honestly, I had some reservations. Since the 992 has a turbo engine, I worried that the speed would get too high to really rev the engine hard, the chassis is so excellent that it might feel too fast, and the sound lacks the sensuality of the naturally aspirated engines in the 981 or 991—so I feared I might regret not bringing the 981 halfway through.

This trip would last six nights and seven days. I hope you’ll join me for this touring journal, including how my impressions of the 992 changed during the journey.

Heading for Shikoku First

On the first day, I packed my camera gear and luggage into the 911’s trunk.

Unfortunately, it was pouring rain in Kansai on the day of departure. But the weather forecast showed clear skies toward the west and Shikoku. Escaping the rain, the 911 headed for Awaji Island.

Since I hadn’t driven it much lately and had left it at the dealer for a while to fix some interior noises, it had been a while since I last drove the 992. It remains an incredibly easy 911 to drive. The turbocharged base Carrera’s torque kicks in so quickly it hardly feels like a turbo car, syncing perfectly with the driver’s intentions. That makes driving a real pleasure.

Heading south at high speed on the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway, I quickly passed through Awaji Island and landed on Shikoku.

After somehow making it through the busy streets of Tokushima City, I headed south on Route 55. Seeing all the cars flow onto the Hiwasa Bypass, I smiled quietly and steered the 911 onto the old road. I’ve introduced this spot many times on the blog, but it’s absolutely a place where you should take the old road. A completely deserted, exquisite route awaits.

With the 911’s top down and Sports mode ON, leaving a gentle bubbling sound behind, the 911 sped along the empty old Route 55.

Minami Awa Sunline

Heading south on Route 55, I then turned onto the Minami Awa Sunline.

This is another favorite road of mine, a winding route with curves that seem to dive straight into the sea along the coast. After typhoons, gravel and branches sometimes litter the road making it tricky to drive, but this time the surface was in excellent condition.

After a break at the first parking lot, I enjoyed the winding road.

While a Boxster would be revving hard in 2nd gear here, the 992 is fine in 3rd gear. You can use 2nd gear at high revs, but the turbo engine’s nature means torque drops off at high revs, so it’s not very satisfying. It’s like standing up pedaling a bike hard but feeling some slip—there’s a bit of a disconnect.

With ample torque, the 992 accelerates strongly out of corners. Moreover, the chassis stability is outstanding—feeling even more impressive than the 991 Carrera 4 GTS. Entry into tight corners is perfectly proportional to steering input and car movement. The front end’s responsiveness is truly delightful. This is definitely one of the 992’s major highlights.

After working up a sweat on the winding roads, I cruised leisurely along the coastal Route 55. Even then, the 992’s thick torque is reassuring. In 7th gear at 1000 rpm, it still delivers the acceleration you expect, offering a different kind of fun—‘driving with torque’—compared to the Boxster.

From Muroto Skyline to Nankoku City

Having visited Cape Muroto many times, I skipped it and headed for the Muroto Skyline that runs through the mountains around the cape.

Climbing the steep slopes, the road follows the mountain ridges. The view of the Pacific Ocean from the lookout is breathtaking. The rain from earlier seemed like a distant memory, revealing a wonderful landscape.

After speeding through the Muroto Skyline, I returned to Route 55 and headed for Nankoku City, where my hotel was. The roads from here on weren’t very exciting. Traffic increased, so I relied heavily on ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), treating this as just transit time.

I used to think a 911 didn’t need ACC, but after trying it, I believe sports cars like the 911 especially need ACC. The reason is that busy roads, traffic jams, and two-way highways are meaningless and even painful for a sports car like the 911. Having ACC in those situations minimizes stress and lets you save your energy for the winding and fast roads ahead. You only need to drive the 911 yourself on those fun roads; for everything else, semi-autonomous driving with ACC is enough.

I arrived at the hotel early, parked the 911 in a corner where no “tonarā” (neighbor parker) would bother it, and checked in. After dinner at a nearby ramen shop, I wrapped up the first day of touring while planning the route for the next day.

Route Map for This Trip

(All daily routes are included)