Yahoo News Porsche 911 Carrera – long-term test: is a 911 really the best all-rounder?
Selflessly testing the widely-held theory that you can use Stuttgart’s finest as an everyday car, Kyle Fortune tries family life with a 911 Carrera Coupé
Our car: Porsche 911 Carrera Coupé List price when new: £76,412 Price as tested: £84,891 Official fuel economy: 34.0mpg (EU Combined)
March 13th, 2018
Fuel economy this week: 21.5mpg
I’m not expecting any sympathy, but the Porsche 911 Carrera has gone. I’ll admit to being more than a little bit distraught when the man from Porsche came to collect it; still, better to have loved and lost and all that…
And love it I did, which isn’t unusual for long-term test cars, but there’s usually a lengthy list of provisos attached to that. With the 911 there really wasn’t. I’d asked to borrow it out of a genuine interest to see if a sports car would work as a daily driver. Not just a car for selfish old me, but one that would work with the family, doing things like going shopping, doing school runs and more.
Porsche 911s, for as long as they have existed have been touted as ‘useable’ sports cars and for three months we as a family put it to the test.
I’m not going to tell you it’s perfect, if you want the perfect family car then buy a Seat Alhambra or Skoda Superb estate, but what was enlightening was just how few compromises there actually were.
With my children now no longer needing pushchairs the need for a huge boot is no longer such an issue, and the 911’s front boot swallowed everything we asked of it during our ownership - far more booze than is sensible for Christmas parties, as well as the weekly shop.
Had I been hanging on to it longer I would have investigated some roof bars to take bikes and roofboxes for those few occasions where we might have needed the greater capacity. A quick look around social media underlines that the 911, more than any of its sports car rivals, does seem to get used, with pictures of everything from skis, kayaks and more strapped to the roof of Porsche’s iconic sports car.
Crucially for a family car, the kids fitted in it, and loved it too. The small back seats weren’t an issue, indeed, their proximity to the front (and the B-pillar) actually made getting the kids in a cinch. I soon learned that letting them clamber in and then sitting on the sill allowed me to buckle both of them up easily - certainly far more easily than conventional coupés, like my wife’s Mercedes-Benz E-class where you have to clamber in with them.
The fuel economy impressed, too, the number for the 911’s last week a little misrepresentative, as I admit to taking it out for some indulgent, brisk drives before it went back. In usual driving it would be a few mpg higher, with low- to mid-20mpg the norm, while longer journeys saw as much as 30mpg and even slightly more achievable.
What I particularly enjoyed was the honesty of the 911. It was simply specified, superfluous of things like cruise control, any autonomous functions and ‘safety’ aids that beep, bong and distract. It was so old school to even be specified with a manual transmission, which never proved tiresome, even in traffic. Sure, a PDK automatic would have been more convenient at times, but in a world where shifting gears is becoming a rarity, the ability to do so in the 911 was a real bonus.
What the base Carrera also underlined was that despite a multitude of different models above it, the standard Carrera is quick and engaging enough. Once depreciation does its magic in the longer term I’d seriously consider trying to find it, or a similarly specified car, and continue the experiment.
Until then I’ll just have to play the waiting game. To replace the 911, I’ve once again gone for something different - I’m going to embrace our electrified future and run a BMW i3s for six months.
February 27th, 2018
Fuel economy this week:23.1 mpg
Okay, I admit it, the 911 isn’t perfect. As good as it’s proved as a daily driver, it was defeated by a trip to Center Parcs for a family half-term holiday. Not surprising really, as packing for the family, with two kids, bikes, scooters and more is a chore even in a sizeable estate - a Skoda Octavia Estate stepping into the role very adequately indeed.
That did necessitate taking the child seats out of the back of the Porsche, though, something I’ve not done since it arrived back in December. They’re snug back there, getting the Isofix to release being a chore of knuckle-scraping and fingernail-breaking difficulty. Still, they came out, the 911’s cabin feeling distinctly roomier without the big pair of Recaro seats in the back.
Now my lad’s getting older he can legally use a Group 3 Booster, rather than the full child seat he’s been using until now. While I’ll more than likely keep him in the “big chair” for a while yet, there are occasions when I’m happy enough to have him use a booster.
Those occasions will more than likely revolve around sports cars, where access is sometimes a bit too tight for a conventional seat. Having seen how we were getting on with the 911 here, theplushcompany.com got in touch with the offer of a loan of one of their booster cushions.
While there’s nothing wrong with one you’ll find in any car accessory or department store, the Plush models are a bit special. Hand-finished in leather, they can be matched to the colour of your car. The underside is soft-covered, too, meaning no scratching on your expensive seats.
It fits the 911 perfectly, and, in my son’s words: “Is comfy”. That it fits in my own 993-series 911 is a boon, too, where it’ll probably see most use.
Elsewhere the 911 continues to provide much joy. I’ve yet to tire of driving it, and the fine economy is a welcome bonus.
Some mucky, wintery roads means it’s overdue a wash, but with it due back next week I’d rather spend the last few days with it behind the wheel than with a bucket and sponge…
February 13th, 2018
Fuel economy this week: 22.8 mpg.
A rare week where I’ve spent more time in other 911s than the one I’m using as my daily driver. The Carrera has proved fine this winter, though as I’ve said before, if it were ‘mine’ I’d probably invest in a set of spare wheels and winter tyres to ensure I’m never stuck. If you’ve never tried winter tyres then you really should, which is exactly what I’ve been doing in those other 911s this week.
Included with every new Porsche purchase you get the chance to visit Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone to explore the limits of your car. There’s low friction surfaces, kick-plates (to induce a skid) the idea being that you can learn how your Porsche responds in all sorts of different situations - in complete safety.
If that tickles you, then Porsche offers all sorts of other experiences available via the Porsche Travel Club. The range of trips on offer is incredible, with everything from weekend road trips in the Alps, Scotland, Tuscany, South Africa and more to a full-on round-the-world tour.
There are also motorsport introduction and instruction packages, winter driving experiences - one of which I experienced this past week.
It’s not often you can say you crashed a 911 and got away with it, but that’s exactly what I did. Indeed, I did it five times. Taking part in the Camp 4S in Porsche’s Experience Centre in Finland saw me drive everything from Panamera Turbos to 911 Carrera 4 GTS and 911 Turbo S models on a huge variety of tracks at temperatures as low as -28 degrees C.
I can honestly say I’ve never, ever, had as much fun driving a car. The low grip on the snow and ice (even with proper studded winter tyres) and the instructors encouraging you to exploit and enjoy it is like nothing else, allowing you to drive almost everywhere with some corrective lock on the steering wheel - feeling like you’re rally legend (and now Porsche ambassador) Walter Rohrl.
The five crashes underlined that I’m not in the German rally ace’s league, but there’s a friendly instructor with a Cayenne who’ll tow you out of the snow bank with no damage done.
You don’t need to own a Porsche to take part, either, it’s open to anyone, and given they book up quickly plenty of people enjoy it too. All those snowy, sometimes abruptly stopped, miles in those 911s on snow and ice allowed me to really enjoy the 911’s unique handling characteristics, though back in the UK I’ll not be trying them out on the road.
What was telling though, was just how different the four-wheel drive cars felt to the rear-wheel-drive Carrera I’m running. If I lived in Finland I’d have a Carrera 4, just for the extra traction on offer, but here in the UK it’s just not necessary. Which is a good thing, as they’re cheaper.
And with the day the 911 goes looming ever closer I’m looking at every conceivable means way I might be able to continue the sports car family car experiment in a new 911, as it’s working out perfectly…
February 6th, 2018
Fuel economy this week: 23.4mpg
There are some big anniversaries for Porsche this year; it’s 70 years since it began building sports cars and 30 years of four-wheel-drive 911s, too.
Over all those years it’s inevitable that the company has evolved, with SUVs making up the bulk of its global sales. It’s hardly surprising that it’s the Macan that is Porsche’s biggest-selling model. The last full year of sales figures in 2016 underline that, with some 95,642 Macans finding homes. In comparison the 911 sold 32,409 in the same period.
Good as the Macan is, and its larger Cayenne relation, I doubt whether they’ll ever be cherished like the sports cars. Of the million-plus 911s that Porsche has built, the company claims that more than 70 per cent are “still ready to drive today.”
I’m lucky enough to own one, a 993 model, the last of the air-cooled 911s, from 1995 that gets occasional use as a daily driver, it largely being the reason behind my experiment in running a current 911 as the family car.
That life with the 911 has worked hasn’t been a huge surprise, as on the occasions I use my 23-year-old 911 it’s always worked perfectly. Only the usual classic car conundrum of keeping unnecessary miles off it prevent it from being used more often.
That changed this week, as really I thought that my old one ought to meet the new one. They are largely similar, although the 23-year age gap is clearly apparent, because of Porsche’s fastidious commitment to retaining the 911’s signature shape.
So too is the rear space, the 911’s unusual rear-mounted flat engine allowing that, making it the most practical of sports cars.
The gap in years demonstrates the advancement of the 911, the new Carrera having 100hp more at 370bhp, delivered by a turbocharged 3.0-litre engine. It takes just 4.2 seconds to reach 62mph and has a 183mph top speed. The new 911 is about 100kg heavier, though, that allowing my old 911 to claw back some advantage, with a 5.6sec 0-62mph time from its naturally-aspirated, 3.6-litre flat six.
What is telling is how the new car retains the old car’s character, particularly as in being the base Carrera it does without a lot of equipment that I consider superfluous. Its simplicity is its appeal; the manual transmission, the lack of adjustable suspension, driver aids or much else making it feel closer to its ancestor than a more heavily equipped Carrera would.
That and the 911’s inherent practicality mean perhaps a few of those Macan and Cayenne buyers could be just as well served by the company’s most iconic - and enduring - model.
January 30th, 2018
Fuel economy this week: 22.4mpg
Choice is a good thing, right? Porsche seems to think so, offering the 911 in so many guises it really can be everything to everybody. The line-up can be a bit daunting to the uninitiated, consisting of the 911 Carrera, Carrera S, Carrera GTS then Turbo and, at the top, the Turbo S, all offered in either Coupé or Cabriolet form. If you’re undecided on open or closed then there’s the Targa, which adds a complex folding hardtop into the mix.
Those Targa models are all four-wheel drive, which you can also specify with any of the Carreras (Coupé or Cabriolet, Carrera, Carrera S or GTS), four-wheel drive being denoted by a 4 on the engine cover. The range-topping Turbos are already four-wheel drive, and only available with a PDK automatic transmission. Obviously, that paddle-shifted automatic is available on all the Carreras and Targas optionally - a seven-speed manual being standard. Phew.
Let’s not even get into the exotics such as the GT3, GT3 RS and GT2 RS; these more focussed, lightweight, high-revving naturally-aspirated (except the GT2 RS which is turbocharged) machines being a different, more hardcore branch off the expansive 911 tree.
Still with me? Plenty of choice then, which you’d think had every conceivable base covered. It seems not, Porsche adding a new model, the Carrera T into the mix. It’s an intriguing model, positioned around the same point as ‘my’ Carrera, but being a little bit lighter - a scant 20kg or so if you remove some necessities like air-conditioning and PCM info and entertainment (the radio and nav) - in a bid to appeal to more enthusiastic drivers. As I count myself as one of those, I thought it’d be interesting to try one.
The T comes with a few options not offered on the Carrera. There’s a Sport Chassis, a limited-slip differential and a short-shift transmission. There’s also lighter rear glass and the opportunity to leave out the rear seats. Much as I like the idea of a two-seat 911, if you’ve read my previous reports it’s being used to haul the family. The changes, as is often the case with Porsche, don’t look too extensive on paper, but the reality is different on the road.
The T feels surprisingly different. That T might stand for Touring, but the standard Carrera is the more comfortable long-distance car, the T more engaging. The key change centres on the chassis and the gearshift, which is such an improvement over the standard shift that really it should be the baseline for all models. Oddly, despite no mention of changes, the T’s engine feels more eager to rev, the standard sports exhaust filling the cabin with a more rousing note - helped by a little less sound deadening and that thinner glass.
Choice then, it seems, is a very good thing, as while it’s not perfect the T’s specification is closer to how I’d like the Carrera to drive. Until I’d experienced it I wasn’t unhappy with the Carrera and, in reality, still really enjoy it, but having experienced how much better it could be then I have to say my perfect 911 would be a Carrera T. A manual one, with rear seats, PCM and little else.
I’ve already looked at the Porsche configurator and specced up my ideal car, though I warn you; with so much choice you might lose a lot of time on there. I’m just dreaming, as however good the Carrera is actually proving as a family car, laying out about £90,000 on one isn’t presently an option.
If it is for you, all I can say is go for it, I doubt you’ll regret it. Silver, manual please, with a black interior, with just 911 on the engine cover - just so I know there’s one out there that I might be able to buy once depreciation takes its toll…
January 23rd, 2018
Fuel economy this week: 24.1mpg
I’m not about to tell you that the 911 is the perfect family car, but to be honest I’m surprised how little the compromises have been. A month into ‘ownership’ and it has fitted into family life impeccably, being used as a daily hack, going shopping, doing school runs and more besides.
Every time it’s at the supermarket people comment about fitting a trolley-load of shopping in the front, but the deep boot has yet to be defeated.
A trip to the cinema at the weekend did present me with a bit of a wobble. It necessitated using a multi-storey carpark, which aren’t particularly easy at the best of times, but with Mrs Fortune and the two little ones on board I was more than a little bit concerned about getting in and out. I always loved the sliding doors of some of our previous family cars in such situations, but with a bit of planning we managed just fine with the Carrera.
It was fine when I parked as I managed to find a space with nothing either side, but on our return a pair of cars had joined us. Even surrounded, access was easy enough, without having to resort to pulling the car out of the space to get the kids in.
The fuel economy continues to impress, dropping to the mid-20s as the journeys have been shorter than usual and the 911 at its best when striding along in seventh gear at motorway speeds. The cold has highlighted how good the heated steering wheel and seats are, although with four on board the ventilation does take a bit of management to keep the screen clear of mist.
Wet, cold roads, and cool tyres also need a bit of care, as until there’s some heat in the tyres it can prove a little slippery. If I were buying and running for a longer period I’d invest in an additional set of wheels and some winter tyres.
For all its practicality and family-friendliness it’s also remaining a joy to drive on those occasions when I’m in it on my own for a while. It might be a base Carrera but I’ve not once felt like I needed more than the 370bhp on offer, it feeling quick and engaging enough for any road I’ve encountered so far.
A PDK paddle-shift automatic would be more convenient in some situations, but three pedals and a stick would always be my preferred choice, providing a connection and control that I like.
It’s a shame, then, that the shift quality from the seven-speed manual isn’t a little better; the springing further up the gearbox being fairly awkward and taking a bit of learning to master.
My wife noticed it immediately when she drove it, the shift quality nowhere near as precise as in Porsche’s six-speed manuals in the 718 range below the 911.
It’ll be interesting to see whether the changes Porsche promises with the new Carrera T make a real difference. That is something I’ll find out next week when I take this car to Reading and borrow a T for a direct comparison.
January 16th, 2018
Fuel economy this week: 28.2mpg
With the 911 pretty much redundant over the festive break it’s started 2018 with a bang, being used frequently in the daily grind as well as some longer, more enjoyable drives. It’s caused something of a stir via social media, as more than a few people have been in touch asking about my experiences with it, and others highlighting their own.
For all you parents out there I can confirm that a couple of child seats will fit in the back, which is good news... at least for all those people trying to convince their partners that a 911 is a useable family choice.
My kids sit on Recaro Monza Nova seats with Isofix mounts, which fit, just, in the back. They were bought well before I was running the 911, and if I were to go shopping for similar seats now I’d look for slightly narrower ones. Even so, the Recaros fit on the two individual rear seats and, with a bit of fiddling, the seatbelts go in easily enough, too.
For those with even younger children, I can confirm from previous experience that rear-facing Isofix-based child seats are also possible fit, though they’re a bit easier if they’re in the front - where the cup holders are pretty handy for holding baby milk bottles, too.
The proximity of the child seats to the backs of the front seats does mean I have to adopt a driving position a touch further forward than I would like. Even so, it’s not uncomfortably so, either for me or my youngest (a 3-year-old) who’s sat behind me; in fact, the children seem to like the snug rear.
The rear seats’ closeness to the door opening has actually proved useful. In comparison with larger two-door cars it is actually beneficial, it being easier to reach in and help with seatbelts than it is in my wife’s significantly more spacious Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupé.
Likewise it’s less effort for the kids to clamber in, or for you to lift them in. I’m not going to tell you it’s the perfect family car, although it’s nowhere near as compromised as you might anticipate, even if it takes a bit of practice to find what works for you.
All that means it’s getting used; it’s been to the swimming pool six times in the past week and a bit, the supermarket twice, school eight times and more besides. When I’m not tasked with being a taxi driver it’s been a joy on longer drives, the 911 covering more than 400 miles since my report last week.
Those longer trips have thrown up another surprise, the economy proving very palatable for a 370bhp sports car. Longer runs have seen as much as 30mpg showing on the trip computer. That’s with it not being driven with any real regard to economy, the long seventh gear making for economical high-speed cruising.
The downside of all those winter miles is that it’s now filthy, so before next week’s report it’ll be off to the hand carwash, even if I admit to rather liking this most practical of sports cars wearing its daily toil with a grimy winter coat.
January 9th, 2018
Fuel economy this week: 24.2mpg
I’ve written it countless times, as have all my colleagues, saying the 911 really is a car you can use as a daily driver. In my pursuit of finding out whether we’ve all been hoodwinked into buying unnecessarily big cars to run our kids around in I thought I’d put that to the test, for a month or two.
Selfless, I know, and I’ll admit I was (and remain) a little giddy at the idea of running a 911 Carrera for a while. Indeed, I’m already dreaming up reasons why I might need to keep it for a few more weeks.
It arrived just before Christmas, sitting on the driveway alongside the Range Rover Velar, which has just gone back. With too many parties, and one or two too many drinks, I’ve not been doing a huge amount of driving during the holidays, so only now as we enter the second week of 2018 will life with the Carrera begin properly.
Not that it wasn’t used, indeed its first job was to nip to the off-licence to stock up for a party we were having. The deep boot proved its worth, hauling more than enough beer, mixers and the odd bottle of fizz, wine and gin to make for a decent party. Consumer testing, hell yes. Oh, and you get some funny looks loading up the nose of a 911, particularly when you have a sizeable trolley-load.
As it’s a daily driver it’s a simple Carrera, much as I’d love one of the more focused 911s like the GT3 they are not much good if you need to seat more than two. The standard Carrera is often overlooked, too, which is a shame, as I’ve always thought it’s a real sweet spot in the line-up.
Without options this one costs £76,412, which for a 370bhp sports car doesn’t seem too bad to me. Obviously there are options fitted, but they’re sensible, well-considered ones rather than the sometimes expansive, unnecessary list that so many press test demonstrators come with.
Even so, the options add a little over £8,000 to that price, the addition of metallic paint, red/black leather seats, LED Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus, Park Assist, Bose Surround Sound, 20-inch wheels, a heated steering wheel, heated seats and, usefully for us, an additional Isofix child seat mounting point on the front passenger seat seeing the sales invoice reach £84,891.
I reckon that’s representative of what a customer might actually option, and that’s still less than the Range Rover Velar that it replaces.
I can’t deny I’m not new to running a 911 as a family car - occasionally at least - as I have an old 1995 Carrera in my garage that sometimes gets put into use to do school runs and more besides. The idea of trying a new one, some 23-years younger, appealed, and the specifications are very, very similar.
Both are coupés, both are manual, though the new car dwarfs my old Carrera in scale. The rear seats also have Isofix mountings, which means with a bit of effort I managed to get my kids’ Recaro car seats in securely.
Over the next few weeks we’ll see how it - and we - cope with day-to-day life, and whether all those times I’ve written that a 911 is a practical, sensible even, sports car really ring true.
For all the latest news, advice and reviews from Telegraph Cars, sign up to our weekly newsletter by entering your email here
More long-term tests
