Porsche 911 Enters New Era

Porsche has officially revealed the next generation of the venerable 911. You’re forgiven if you can’t pick out what looks new, because the 911 has been slowly evolving over time. According to Porsche, the 992 under the skin is superior, boasting more performance, improved tech, and greater safety.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S uses a turbocharged flat-six engine with 443 horsepower, which is a bump of 23 horsepower. Porsche says 0-60 acceleration improves to 3.5 seconds, shaving off 0.4 seconds versus the 991 Carrera S. If you get the Sport Chrono package, which includes launch control, acceleration drops to 3.3 seconds. Opting for the 4S model, which adds all-wheel drive, means 0-60 happens in 3.2 seconds, which is impressive.

For now, all that power makes its way to the wheels through a new dual-clutch eight-speed PDK. If you don’t like that, a manual transmission is coming, although Porsche won’t say when.

2020 Porsche 911 4S interior (Credit: Porsche)

With greater power and quicker acceleration comes the need for more stability. Engineers provided that with a gain in width up front of 1.77 inches. All kinds of electronic gizmos also help drivers keep the car going in the right direction, like adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, and even a Wet Mode.

Like Teslas, the Carrera S boosts aerodynamics by using door handles that pop out when you approach, but otherwise stay flush with the doors. Porsche eliminated many of the physical controls, moving functions to the 10.1-inch infotainment screen.

The 992 Carrera S and 4S will arrive at Porsche dealers starting this summer.