Riding the 911 Cabriolet (992) After a While

We have a 911 Cabriolet (992 model) at home. My husband has driven it about 5,000 km so far, but I only drive it occasionally. He often says to me, “Why don’t you drive it more!?” but since I usually only drive short distances—like a few minutes to the supermarket or to pick up our child from kindergarten—I think, “It feels like such a waste to take the 911 for such a short trip…”

The 911 is supposed to be a sports car you can drive both on the circuit and in everyday life, so I guess I don’t really need to be so careful about it…

Also, if I’m worried about driving it just a little, maybe I should just take it for a spin on the Royu Driveway and enjoy driving it to the fullest. But unlike my husband, I’m just an ordinary person who doesn’t feel the urge to drive whenever I have a little free time… so that’s why I end up driving the 911 less often.

Then the other day, when we went to pick up our child from kindergarten, my husband said, “Why don’t you try driving the 992?” So I got behind the wheel after a long time, and I was surprised at how easy and enjoyable it was to drive.

Every time I’ve driven the 911, I’ve noticed changes like “It feels completely different from when we first got it” or “The ride has gotten smoother,” but this time I think I was more surprised than ever before.

Actually, not long ago, my husband told me that his younger brother—who also loves cars—had driven the 911 Cabriolet and said:

“It’s amazing! It feels great and is so easy to drive. You should really drive it more every day!”

At the time, I thought, “Really? The base 992 has a pretty firm suspension and a solid, almost air-cooled-like, tank-like body feel, so it doesn’t seem like something you can just hop in and drive casually…” But after driving it again recently, I understood what my brother-in-law meant.

The ride has clearly become milder and more supple, and even the car’s solid, tank-like feel has softened. When I mentioned this to my husband, he said:

Yeah, it’s definitely become much milder and more supple. I think it’s easier to drive now. Honestly, when I first drove it on delivery day, I thought, “I might sell this soon” because the ride was so stiff and I didn’t have a great impression. But as I kept driving it, it gradually softened up, and lately I can drive it without any stress at all. When I drove it on the Royu recently, it cornered so aggressively I thought it was a GT3, but unlike the GT3, it didn’t suddenly snap at me, so I could drive it with peace of mind and really enjoy it. It’s so high-performance that I think, “Sports mode is enough; I don’t even need Sport Plus mode.” It’s comfortable in the city, feels great on the highway, and is fun on mountain roads. Every time I drive it, I’m amazed at how well-balanced and well-made this car is. It’s like the pentagon of nutritional balance on a box of cornflakes—992 has a great balance and scores very high in every category.

Changes in the 911 from Delivery Day to Now

After driving the 911 again recently and feeling how much better it had become, I tweeted about it and received this question:

Has it changed a lot compared to delivery day? I recently test drove a Carrera 2 Cabriolet (with upgraded wheels) and thought, “The ride is bumpier and the road noise is pretty bad…” so I’m hesitating about ordering one.

I asked my husband about this, and he said:

Yeah… compared to delivery day, it’s really changed. The unpleasant bumps are almost gone, the edges have softened, and it’s become milder and more supple, making it comfortable to drive. That said, it still feels more muscular and firmer overall than the 991 model. Also, road noise is definitely present. The 911 isn’t a luxury car that emphasizes quietness like some other brands; it’s a sports car, so that’s to be expected. So if you’re imagining something like an AMG, it’s a bit different. But if you occasionally rev the engine properly and put some load on the suspension, the more you drive it, the better it gets. By the way, I’ve heard that the 992 from MY2021 onwards has even better ride comfort.

With new or low-mileage cars, the personality and driving feel can vary greatly depending on how the owner drives it. Fortunately, my husband drives with the mindset of “nurturing the Porsche,” so our 911 has grown nicely, and I’m grateful to be able to experience that transformation as I drive it.

And to prepare for the day I buy my own Porsche, I guess I should start studying how to nurture a Porsche now! w