{"id":37496,"date":"2021-02-08T06:00:44","date_gmt":"2021-02-07T21:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=37496"},"modified":"2021-06-01T23:40:25","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T14:40:25","slug":"carrera-or-carreras-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/en\/entry\/carrera-or-carreras-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Buy a Porsche 911 Carrera or Carrera S?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Porsche 911 Carrera or Carrera S?<\/h3>\n

Today, I\u2019d like to share a question someone sent us for the blog, along with my husband\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m planning to buy a 992, but I can\u2019t decide between the Carrera and Carrera S.<\/strong> I\u2019d be trading in my Macan GTS, and I haven\u2019t owned any other Porsche models.
\nYou speak highly of the standard Carrera on your blog. Could you tell me a little more about the differences between the Carrera and Carrera S?<\/p>\n

That was the question.<\/p>\n

It sounds like the reader had already used the configurator and requested quotes. With options included, the standard Carrera came to around \u00a518 million, while the Carrera S was a whopping \u00a520.5 million<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

With the budget in mind, they asked my husband for advice, since he has experience with a variety of Porsche models.<\/p>\n

Still, the 911 is expensive! My husband\u2019s first Porsche, a 981 Boxster GTS, cost just under \u00a510 million new with options. When I first heard that, I thought:<\/p>\n

Wait, \u00a510 million for a car?! Why?! That\u2019s way too much! You could do so many other things with \u00a510 million!<\/p>\n

Now, though, I find myself thinking, \u201cCompared with a 911, the Boxster GTS is quite a bargain.<\/strong>\u201d I\u2019ve completely lost my sense of perspective when it comes to cars\u2026<\/p>\n

Is the standard 911 more than enough for Japanese roads?<\/h3>\n

In response to the question we started with\u2014\u201cCarrera or Carrera S?<\/strong>\u201d\u2014I asked my husband and replied as follows.<\/p>\n

My husband\u2019s pick: the standard 911<\/h4>\n

In terms of low-speed torque and ease of driving around town, I think the standard Carrera is easier to handle. By comparison, the Carrera S may feel like it takes a moment for the torque to come on in city driving.<\/p>\n

As for ride comfort, I think the S is smoother than the standard model.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several Porsche-owning friends have said much the same thing, so I don\u2019t think we\u2019re far off the mark.<\/p>\n

When it comes to speed, the standard model is plenty for Japanese roads.<\/strong> It accelerates effortlessly when you pull away from a highway tollbooth and merge into traffic. To really notice the difference in high-rpm power, you\u2019d need to compare acceleration above around 180 km\/h<\/strong>. The S has more power, of course, but there are very few opportunities to use it on public roads in Japan.<\/p>\n

And on track, too, the standard 992 Cabriolet I drove at Fuji Speedway last year was more than fast enough, with incredible acceleration on the straights. The engine felt remarkably strong for a turbo, and with Sport Plus selected and the throttle pressed hard, it surged toward 8,000 rpm, shooting past the 7,400-rpm redline.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Porsche<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also driven a 992 Carrera 4S on track. It was definitely faster, but honestly, the difference didn\u2019t feel all that dramatic.<\/strong> To put it bluntly, I couldn\u2019t feel a \u00a53 million difference from behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

After driving the standard 992 on all sorts of roads, I came away thinking, \u201cFor driving in Japan, the standard model is more than satisfying.<\/strong>\u201d So if you\u2019re torn between the Carrera and Carrera S, it might make more sense to focus less on the difference in power and more on what matters to you: choose the S if ride comfort is your priority, and the standard model if you want something easier to drive around town.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf power, speed, and status still matter most to you,\u201d he added, \u201cwaiting for the GTS could be another option.<\/strong> Looking at previous generations of the 911, the GTS is more likely to hold its value better.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was his take.<\/p>\n

The reader who sent in the question has already booked a test drive of the standard 911 at a dealership. I\u2019d love to hear what they think after getting behind the wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next page \u2192 What I like about the standard model, having experienced a Turbo<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

After experiencing a Porsche Turbo<\/h3>\n

We used to own a Panamera Turbo (971)<\/a>. When we were choosing a trim, my husband was still weighing his options right up to the end, but then he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to say I don\u2019t need Turbo-level power without having experienced a Turbo.<\/strong> I want to find out for myself. So I\u2019m going to make the effort and buy one!\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s how he ended up buying a Panamera Turbo.<\/p>\n

\"Porsche<\/p>\n

After living with the Turbo, here\u2019s what my husband had to say\u2014a thought he\u2019s shared many times on this blog:<\/p>\n

The Turbo is incredible. It\u2019s basically a luxury car when you\u2019re cruising, but the way it transforms when you put your foot down or drive in Sport Plus can be downright scary.<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s great to get both sides of the car in one package, but in the end, I don\u2019t think I need that much power. If we buy another Panamera, I\u2019d probably go for a hybrid rather than a Turbo.
\nI feel the same way about other Porsche models. I really do dream about the 911 Turbo S, and I\u2019m always picturing \u201cthe spec I\u2019d choose if I bought a Turbo S<\/strong>\u201d while playing around with the configurator (laughs). I\u2019d love to own one someday, but I might end up not making the most of it.
\nWhen I think about it that way, maybe the standard model is the right fit for me at this point.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what he said.<\/p>\n

I know what he means.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not as if we\u2019re pushing our cars to the limit around the N\u00fcrburgring every day, or tearing along the Autobahn at 200 km\/h just to reach our destination as fast as possible\u2026<\/p>\n

And with the 992-generation 911, even a modest squeeze of the throttle on the highway delivers astonishing acceleration. It makes me think, \u201cIf the standard model is already this quick, I\u2019d be too scared to put my foot down in a Turbo.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

The different trims of a Porsche can make the same model feel like a completely different car. It\u2019s a good reminder to take as many test drives as you need at a dealership or elsewhere before making up your mind (though you might not get the chance to really put your foot down on a dealership test drive\u2014and it\u2019s a big purchase).<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Porsche 911 Carrera or Carrera S? Today, I\u2019d like to share a question someone sent us for the blog, along with my husband\u2019s answer. I\u2019m planning to buy a 992, but I can\u2019t decide between the Carrera and Carrera S. I\u2019d be trading in my Macan GTS, and I haven\u2019t owned any other Porsche models. You speak highly of the standard Carrera on your blog. 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