Porsche 911 Review

One of my favorite cars of all time the Porsche 911 has been every driving enthusiast dream off all time. When people or auto journalists talk about driving dynamics it is this car that comes first to your mind. Well that has been the story for the last 54 years. The Porsche 911 was launched back in 1963 and has been one of the most powerful sports cars ever since. The last model ran from 2012 to 2016 and now in 20017 we have a new 911. This car has been major part of Porsche’s success story. Let us have a look at the 7th generation 911 and how Porsche plans to carry things forward.

Porsche 911 Price

Those are a lot of variants for a sports car. Porsche is trying to leave its mark everywhere considering there are 13 variants from a price of 1.5 cr to almost 3 cr. That is a difference of 1.5 cr and that is a huge difference. Porsche has tried to give something for everyone, obviously for those who can afford it. From a simple Porsche 911 Carrera to the Turbo S performance has not been compromised.

Also Read: Porsche Boxster Review

Porsche 911 Design

The front remains true to the typical Porsche 911 design. Low slung bonnet that scoops upwards towards the windscreen and broad muscled shoulders on the sides for the headlamps. Porsche call this the wing design. There is an LED DRL ring that run around the whole headlamp and looks like a halo around it. The twin projector up and down look like a futuristic double barrel bazooka. The Side indicators are on the corners of the bumper. The grill is on the bumpers and has a valley type design the bumpers too have a chrome strip to bring in the premium feel.

From the side Porsche has tried to mix sport with elegance. There is a bold shoulder line they runs through the lower side of the window. This runs from front to back. You get the feel that there is no B-Pillar in the car. From far and as it rained some time back I get the reference that at stand still the Porsche 911 looks like a frog ready to leap forward. The rear windscreen is big and I wonder why is it small in the Macan as it is an SUV and needs more visibility. The wrap around taillamps are sharp and the powerful LED make it look like Lazer blades from a Star wars movie.

There is a grill which is again typical of Porsche rear or mid mounted engines for cooling and that is just below the glass. The rear bumper scoops in and then jets out for a more sportier feel and the exhaust pipes on each side are again big like cannons ready to fire. In between the taillamps is the Porsche 911 Carrera Badging.

Also Read: Audi TT Review

Porsche 911 Interiors

The steering of the Porsche 911 is the typical three spoke Porsche steering. But this steering has no controls. The area is hollow. The volume and track changer is a knob extending at the lower right side of the steering. Just in front of the of the stick for scanning through the system. On the left there is a similar stick for cruise control. Behind all this are the chrome paddle shifts. The three pod instrument cluster are again typical Porsche. The A/C vents are rather simple and blend with the dash. The centre vents blend with the centre infotainment screen.

Below the vents there is a chrome strip that runs across the dash board and is really broad. There is more chrome on the door livers and around the front speakers that are on the doors too. The large screen for the infotainment is good but the icons seem old and not up to the current level of cars. Luckily this car has way less button than the likes of Macan, Cayman etc and leads to less confusion. These seats in spite of being extremely sporty are extremely comfortable. The Sports seats are comfortable and provide support even during performance driving. They come equipped with electric backrest adjustment and mechanical height and fore/aft adjustment. The seat centres are lined with Alcantara®.

ISOFIX child seat preparation for the front passenger seat is available as an option and includes a deactivation function for the front passenger airbag. The Porsche equipment range of genuine accessories offers a selection of Porsche child seats specially tested and approved for Porsche cars.

Porsche 911 Colours

The Porsche 911 is available in the following colours

• Carrara White
• Guards Red
• Black
• Speed Yellow
• Arctic Silver
• Cobalt Blue
• Midnight Blue
• Macadamia
• Meteor Grey
• Forest Green
• Ruby Red
• Slategray
• Gt Silver
• Atlas Grey
• Dark Olive
• Malachite Green
• Basalt Black

This is one of the biggest list of paint I have seen. I know I have said this before but I had not seen this list then. As far as paint is concern Porsche is giving you one hell of a choice. My pick as usual is the black and it remains.

Also Read: Audi RS7 Sportback Review

Porsche 911 Specifications

With so many options for performance every variant has something different to offer. Whether is it is power, or speed or quickness or a bit of flair with all of that or the last outright maniac performance. Doing a 0-100 in 4.8 sec to doing a 0-100 in 2.9 sec, the 911 has it all. Even the top speed being a low for the car at 289 km/h to 330 km/h. There is a lot of offer. A good variation for those who like somethings and do not like the others.

Porsche 911 Mileage

If the claimed mileage is true this sports car is one rare efficient vehicle. And a fuel range of 550 km before hitting a fuel stop is a good range for a sports car. Considering the small dimensions and lightweight, I couldn’t expect a bigger tank. If you are a couple what better car to head to goa in for a winter break. This is just 50 km short of the Cayman but way higher in terms of performance.

Porsche 911 Dimensions

A 1.8 meter width is broad and that adds to stability to the Porsche 911. The speed that it attains and the quick nature, needs a car with good dynamics. The ground clearance of 109 mm is bothersome but is just about right for a sports car. Unfortunately our Indian roads do not favour this. Mumbai-Pune highway and roads like this this car would be a bomb but anywhere else would be a nightmare even on our dear Carter road at Bandra. Any guy trying to show off would only turn his car into a seesaw if he doesn’t know to ride it RIGHT!

Porsche 911 Ride and Handling

This is one area where it is really really really hard to come close to a Porsche let alone beating it. Each Porsche is made for a purpose and yet delivers an amazing driving experience  The steering feedback is precise and so is the suspension.The suspension is a bit still but manageable. This prevents the car from scrapping in bad potholes. On the bright side the car is amazing in corners. You would really enjoy this car on track.

The seats are comfortable and soaks most of the thuds that is not filtered by the suspension.  Porsche has portrayed this as a luxury / performance oriented sports car. The seats of a sports car but the cushion of  a luxury car. The 911 is all about performance shattering figures and it delivers so rightly so. On track or off it the car is in sync with you heart. If it was Nicky Lauda he would say his butt was in sync with the car.

Verdict

Lets face it the Porsche 911 is un supercar league. Specially the Turbo and GT3. I have given a 3 star as some are value and other are quite a bit more. The price diff of over 1.5 cr is a lot. Yes import duty is a pain but we can’t help it. When it comes to performance, Porsche 911 sets a benchmark for handling. It may not be the most powerful but it is surely among the best.