New 911 Test Drive

Now, the moment we’d all been waiting for: the test drive of the new 911 (992). Actually, neither I nor my husband had driven the new 911 until this day. Even though I call myself a Porsche blogger (laughs).

There were two 911s available to test drive that day, so I started with the 911 4S. I got in the driver’s seat, closed the door, and started the engine.

Vroooom!

The sound was quite loud. Even the idling noise was louder than I expected.

Once I started driving, this is just my personal impression, but the handling, body rigidity, and engine sound gave me a fleeting feeling like I was driving a 718 Cayman.

I took a corner, and without even consciously shifting weight, the car turned smoothly and cleanly. Acceleration from almost a standstill was incredible, even though I wasn’t pushing the pedal hard. The all-wheel drive probably added to that feeling of stability.

Still, the 911 4S test drive was over in no time, and I found myself thinking, “I barely had time to really feel the 911…” while waiting for my turn. So, on a whim, I asked the instructor:

“I just drove the 911, but with my skill level, I couldn’t really experience what the 911 is all about. For the next 911 S test drive, would it be possible for me to ride as a passenger while the instructor drives?”

Usually, they don’t do that, but since the group was small and there was still plenty of time after all the test drives, they kindly agreed to this special request.

Yay! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)!!

So, I got to ride shotgun for the 911 S, driven by the instructor.

When I got in the passenger seat, the instructor said, “Don’t worry, I won’t be driving that fast, haha.” I replied, “Y-yeah, right…” and the car took off—but then, suddenly, an incredible burst of acceleration!!

As we approached a corner, the instructor still hadn’t hit the brakes. “Wait, no way, no brakes yet!? Can we really turn!?” I was nervous, but then the brakes were applied much later than I expected, and the steering wheel was sharply turned…!

Wow!! This is what a 911 really is!! (ﾟдﾟ)!!

The 911’s rear end swayed, then it sharply turned with a “gyuin” motion. It cornered amazingly well! What was I thinking earlier, feeling it was like a 718? I felt embarrassed by my own driving skills.

On a longer straight, we stopped the car and then accelerated hard. My body was pressed into the seat, and the acceleration was so intense it felt like riding a roller coaster—almost scary.

(A fellow participant kindly took this photo—thank you!)

So, this is what 911 acceleration feels like…!

Then, far down the straight, the instructor slammed on the brakes and sharply turned the corner. Amazing. I couldn’t help but say, “That was full acceleration followed by full braking, wasn’t it!” and the instructor replied:

“No, no, that was Normal mode, and I was only pressing the brakes about halfway.”

What!? Seriously!? (ﾟдﾟ)!

On the second lap, I had been focused on the road ahead, but when I glanced at the instructor, I noticed how relaxed he was holding the steering wheel.

He drove with the ease of a casual city drive, yet the driving was incredibly sharp and dynamic. I even felt like the steering had become lighter than when I drove. The quick, light steering inputs unleashed a torrent of acceleration. Incredible.

The two laps flew by, and when I got out of the car, other participants asked, “How was it!?” I was so excited I could only say, “It was amazing! Pros really are on another level!!” (laughs)

Afterwards, others also experienced rides with the instructor, and everyone got out of the car saying, “So relaxed yet so fast, amazing, pros are in a league of their own!” with great excitement.

What an incredible experience.

The Power of a Professional Driver

Professional drivers are on a completely different level. I can only imagine how incredible it must be to be an F1-winning driver.

During the Porsche Track Experience (PTE) training, I thought, “I’ve learned to drive a manual and maybe I’m at level 2 out of 10 now.” But no, it’s not 10 levels—it’s more like 100, and I’ve only just reached level 2! (laughs)

If I get the chance, I’d love to have a professional drive our Boxster or GT3 and learn from the passenger seat.

I’m not a young aspiring pro driver, just a Porsche-loving mother of two in my 40s, but I want to keep improving my driving skills to get closer to being a true Porsche driver.

The road ahead is still long and endless.