Touring with the Carrera T

When the kids started their summer vacation from elementary school, we spent two weeks visiting my parents’ home.

During long holidays like Golden Week, spring break, summer vacation, and New Year’s, our family tradition is for me to take the kids to my parents’ place for a while, while my husband enjoys a brief solo life at home.

While my parents watch the kids at my childhood home, I’m truly grateful to be able to focus on work.

Usually at home, I get interrupted every three minutes with “Mom, please leave me alone! Just three minutes so I can concentrate on work!” while desperately trying to get things done (laughs)… so I really appreciate my parents.

At that time, I got an email from my husband.

“Since the kids are with your parents, how about taking the Carrera T out for a drive on Okayama’s wide-area farm roads?”

By “Okayama’s wide-area farm roads,” he meant mainly the “Mimasaka Yamanami Kaido,” “Oku-Kibi Kaido,” and “Kagura Kaido.”

The Mimasaka Yamanami Kaido is about 26 km of wide-area farm road running from Route 53 in Tsuyama City to Route 484 in Akaiwa City, Okayama Prefecture. The Oku-Kibi Kaido runs about 42 km through mountainous areas from Prefectural Route 71 in Kita-ku, Okayama City to Route 313 in Hokubo Town, Maniwa City.

The Kagura Kaido runs east-west across the highlands of Takahashi City, in central Bitchu.

Altogether, it’s probably around 100 km or so…

My husband said,

“Excluding Kyushu, this is definitely the best feeling road in western Japan. And it’s long. It just goes on and on. It’s amazing that such a great road is free. It’s truly inspiring.”

Also, wata-san, famous as a Boxster enthusiast, has praised these Okayama wide-area farm roads as “Ascension Roads” and has visited many times to drive them.

Actually, for several years we had talked about “one day, the two of us want to drive these Okayama wide-area farm roads together,” but arranging for someone to watch the kids for a whole day so we could tour as a couple was quite a challenge, so the opportunity hadn’t come up.

This time, finally, we made it happen.

Off to Okayama’s Wide-Area Farm Roads

On the day, unusually for me, who’s known as a “storm woman,” the weather was clear.

We left my parents’ home at noon and returned at 10 p.m. My husband then drove home, and the total distance covered that day was about 700 km.

Before this, I had driven 450 km one way from home to Fuji Speedway, but this was the first time I’d driven such a long distance including winding roads and highways. (We took about an hour break for tea and a quick dinner at a service area, but otherwise kept driving.)

We started on the Yamanami Kaido first. As rumored, it was a wonderfully pleasant road. With just the right curves and elevation changes, we simply enjoyed driving endlessly on this beautiful road.

But I couldn’t help muttering,

“Ah, I really wish I’d come in the Boxster (981 GTS). Nothing beats the Boxster. That engine sound and the open top… definitely the Boxster over the Carrera T…”

My husband chuckled and said, “What’s with that? Well, I get what you mean though….”

Unfortunately, about one-third of the Yamanami Kaido was closed for construction, so we had to detour, which was a bit disappointing. I want to come back and drive it again once the construction is finished.

Next, we entered the Oku-Kibi Kaido and met up with Tomozō-san, a good friend of my husband’s. Tomozō-san came in his Crayon 992 Carrera S Cabriolet, and we enjoyed a Crayon-themed tour before taking a break at Ukan Jōzan Park.

Personally, I found the Oku-Kibi Kaido the most fun. The road is narrower than Yamanami Kaido (though still wider than the Royu Driveway), and the engine responded beautifully. I was able to rhythmically drive using gears 2 → 3 → 4, enjoying the bubbling sounds, engine roar, and blipping.

What amazed me was the pattern of moderate curves followed by long straights, repeating over and over. It was so long that I had the illusion of “Haven’t I driven this stretch just now? Is this an endless loop…?.”

We also got to ride in Tomozō-san’s 992 Carrera S Cabriolet, and he rode shotgun in my Carrera T driven by my husband, letting us experience different flavors of the Carrera, which was a lot of fun.

Even though they’re both 992s, different grades and models feel completely different in driving character, engine, and everything else. Porsche really is complicated! (laughs)

Tomozō-san, who experienced the Carrera T, said, “The engine sound is clear and very pleasant.” I personally think the Carrera T’s engine note is one of the cleanest, most refined, and enjoyable among the 992 lineup.

After that, we drove the Kagura Kaido, headed toward Hiroshima, and then took the highway home.

Carrera T and Tire Pressure

Actually, on the highway on the way there, we talked about how “The Carrera T’s ride on the highway isn’t as smooth as I expected. It’s kind of bouncy….” But after riding in Tomozō-san’s 992, my husband suggested, “Maybe it’s the tire pressure.”

Tomozō-san runs his tires at comfort pressure, so maybe that’s why his ride is smoother. Our Carrera T is set at standard pressure, which is firmer, so lowering the tire pressure might improve the ride.

So we let some air out to set the tires to comfort pressure and tried driving again—and were surprised at how much smoother the ride became.

Wow, tire pressure really makes that big a difference!

Also, I felt that for the 992 Carrera T, it’s more enjoyable to always keep the auto-blip function ON while driving.

Previously, I drove with the usual settings where auto-blip activates in Sport or Sport Plus modes, but the 992 responds so smoothly and intelligently even at low speeds when matching revs, and it’s fast.

Of course, it’s fun to blip manually, but I can’t match the revs as precisely or quickly as the car does (I tend to be slow on the throttle blip), so I find it more enjoyable and easier to just let the car handle it. (With the 981 Boxster GTS and Swift Sport, I enjoyed doing it myself.)

This Okayama wide-area farm road tour left me feeling completely satisfied. Driving at speeds suited to the Carrera T on these roads felt so good that I felt the car was happily alive and lively.

After heading home, the total distance was 2,800 km, and the break-in period is almost complete.

I’ve heard that after 5,000 km, the engine and driving feel change dramatically, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the Carrera T evolves from here.