Porsche 911 Carrera S 3.8 PDK Review: Natural progression

There’s an all new interior under the skin, which Porsche says is inspired by the Carrera GT’s. The dashboard features the trademark Porsche five circular instruments layout with the rev counter taking centre stage and the rising centre console in between the front seats. The latter features a myriad of switches that look like they came off a Vertu mobile phone’s. The sea of switches around the gear lever look a tad messy and not so intuitive to use at first but closer scrutiny will reveal that the switches are logically clustered according to their functions – switches to alter the car’s dynamic settings for example, are grouped on the area below left of the gear lever. A new feature within the instrument cluster is the high-resolution 4.6-inch TFT colour screen that displays readings for the trip computer, audio system, navigation and on cars fitted with the Sport Chrono Pack, additional info like oil pressure and temperature, lap timer and G-force measurements.

The driving position is excellent thanks to the wide range of electrical adjustments for the superbly supportive and comfortable driver’s seat and new to the 911, electrically reach and rake adjustable steering column.

Overall build quality is exemplary – Perceived luxury and quality in Porsches have improved by a quantum leap since the introduction of the 997 models seven years ago. The 991 here feels every inch like a car that is worthy of its half a million dollar price tag.

The new 911 not only looks sharper than before but also drives sharper and performs better. Despite its additional dynamism, Porsche has also amazingly made the 911 more refined and better riding than before. Thanks to these improvements, the new 991 brings Porsche’s iconic sports car onto another level.

Credits: Story and photos by Raymond Lai