New Porsche 911 (992) launched in Malaysia
Sime Darby Auto Performance launched the all-new Porsche 991 (992) moments ago, with the Carrera S and Career 4S available from RM1,150,000 and RM1,220,000 respectively. And unlike previous versions of the 911, both these cars will share the same wide body – the preferred and much better looking one, in any case – and the same power output. Don’t worry, you can tell them apart by, for example, looking at the louvres at the rear. If its black, it’s the C2S but if the rear grille has a chrome element to it then you’re looking at the C4S.
For the first time also, the 911 will come with staggered wheel dimensions – 20-inch at the front and 21-inch at the rear. This aids with handling and gives the car better balance and control, and equally important is that it looks flipping good.
The flat-six at the rear of the new 911 generates 450hp and 530Nm of torque. This unit has been reworked over the 991’s engine and is very much new, up by 30hp and 30Nm, and comes with improved cooling, efficiency, and packaging. I’ll report about this in a separate article because well, it’s just that extensive.
This upgrade contributes to a quicker car, of course. 0-100kph takes just 3.7 seconds for the Carrera S and 3.6 seconds in the all-wheel drive Carrera 4S. Despite this, the car is still remarkably efficient with the Carrera S and 4S claimed to drink 8.9L/100km and 9.0L/100km respectively.
There’s 36 per cent less steel in the body structure now at just 30 per cent. The rest are mostly aluminium to reduce weight (outer skin is in fact entirely aluminium).
The new and larger rear wing is quite gorgeous to look at. The adaptive system extends to what is called the ‘Performance’ position when driving at speeds above 150kph, and completely retracted below 90kph. In between, the spoiler is in ‘Eco’ position for downforce but limited drag.
Another first – there is also the option for Night Vision Assist with thermal imaging camera for the 911. Adaptive cruise control option includes automatic distance control, stop-and-go function, reversible occupant protection and an innovative autonomous Emergency Assist function.
Maybe you’ve heard of Porsche’s new Wet Mode. It’s a standard feature so is available here too. What it provides is a layer of extra safety should the system determine that the road surface is wet and may be slippery. Because if it is, measures taken include making the throttle response more blunt and initiating the spoiler’s Performance position (for more downforce). Switching Wet Mode on is just a suggestion, however, because you can still ignore it should a little bit of slip and slide is what rocks your boat.
We suspect it does. But something like Wet Mode is still a very useful thing to have. We all know just how intense the rain can become, yes? This new feature makes the 911 even more true to the ‘daily sports car’ claim it holds.
