SIMPLY PUT, THIS IS PERHAPS THE
MOST COHESIVE SPORTS CAR.
Our two favorite 911 Carrera options:
Sport Chrono and Sport Exhaust.The “entry-level” 992 911
Carrera is every bit the
well-rounded sports car you
dreamed it would be.
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera
BASE PRICE $98,750
LAYOUT Rear-engine, RWD,
2+2-pass, 2-door coupe
ENGINE 3.0L/379-hp/331-lb-ft twin-
turbo DOHC 24-valve flat-6
TRANSMISSION 8-speed twin-clutch auto
CURB WEIGHT 3,400 lb (MT est)
WHEELBASE 96.5 in
L X W X H 177.9 x 72.9 x 51.1 in
0-60 MPH 3.6 sec (MT est)
EPA FUEL ECON 18/24/20 mpg
ENERGY CONSUMPTION,
CITY/HWY187/140 kW-hr/
100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.96 lb/mile
ON SALE CurrentlyYet a supremely competent Porsche 911
is superior to many other sports cars.
And sure, the $15,900 more costly
Carrera S’ same 3.0L twin-turbo flat-six
is tuned to produce 64 more horses,
but you would hardly notice or miss
them. In the base Carrera, you’ll find
that 379 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of
torque is plenty thrilling. Combine that
with the bargain-priced $2,720 Sport
Chrono package, which adds, among
other things, dynamic engine mounts,
a sportier shift protocol, a drive mode
switch on the steering wheel, and a true
launch control system that still amazes.
With this singular option, the base 911
is all the sports car you’ll ever need or
want. Throw in the $2,950 Sport Exhaust
system with a loud button, and the car
will sound the way it feels to drive.
The first Porsche 911 I ever drove was
a limited-run 1997 Turbo S—the last of
the air-cooled-engine era but the first
911 Turbo to have permanent all-wheel
drive, derived from the legendary 959.
The mightiest 3.6-liter twin-turbo Turbo
S made 424 horsepower, and with a
six-speed manual (all three pedals hinged
on the floor!), it achieved a then-mind-
boggling 3.6-second 0–60 time.
The rear-drive 2020 911 Carrera,
equipped with its eight-speed twin-
clutch automated manual and launch
control will match or even beat yester-
year’s top-dog 911 Turbo to 60 mph. So,
yeah. We’d say it’s quick. And as advanced
as the 1997 Turbo S was, the 2020 911
Carrera is technologically 23 Porsche-
years down the road.
Our test model Carrera coupe
started at $98,750, but adding in a
leather-trimmed interior, ventilated
adaptive sport seats, lane change assist,
20/21-inch front/rear wheels, and the
aforementioned Sport Exhaust and
Sport Chrono packages brought our
as-tested price to $116,110. So not
exactly bargain basement, but also
not a stripped-down package.Will you get bored driving a base-
model 911? Well, sure, it’s difficult to read
the fuel gauge without straining your
neck, and the stubby gearshift toggle
is unsettling, but there’s no doubt that
piloting a 911—even a base model—is a
sublime experience for an enthusiast.
Certainly, there are quicker, more
expensive, and flashier 911s. But the base
911 might be the most satisfying everyday
driver and the best excuse to head for the
hills. This ain’t no consolation prize. It’s
the prize you greet every morning in the
garage, every evening on the way home
from work, and twice on Sunday. QThe variable-ratio steering wasn’t as
muted as I found in the Carrera 4S or
as magical as that of the Turbo S, which
gets model-specific hardware.
Driving the base model 911 is a holistic
experience; you drive the entire car.
I did not trade off between accelera-
tion, braking, and cornering. Instead,
I blended them all within the 911’s
impressive performance envelope. The
palpable chassis rigidity, how well the
dampers work, the trusty brakes, the
telepathic steering, and the tractable
engine and brilliant PDK transmission
all work in concert to provide an inti-
mate and ultimately fulfilling driving
experience. It’s supremely competent.