Porsche's Carrera Has Never Been This Bloodied After A Fight

Porsche’s 992-generation 911 is bigger and more powerful than ever, but does it still stir the soul like 911s of old? Time to find out, starting with the Carrera 4S at the Buddh International Circuit

- Sirish Chandran

EVEN AT THE BOTTOM OF A LONG LIST OF terms used to describe the Porsche 911 will you not find the word loose. Porsches are anything but loose. The steering is the most direct and feelsome you will find anywhere. The traction, with the engine hanging out back and weighing the rear wheels as you exit corners, is utterly extraordinary. The response is immediate; telepathic even. And yet, as I switch to the old 991 from the new 992, that word smacks me in the face. The old Porsche feels… loose. There is a bit of slack in the steering. The responses are a micro-second off. And on the exit of C4, the tight corner after the BIC’s long straight, I dial in a complete armful of opposite lock as I get on the gas at the same place and at the same speed as I did with the 992. The 992 didn’t so much as squirm.

And that tells me just how far Porsche has upped the ante with the new 911, the benchmark sportscar if there ever was one. Drive the old 991-gen 911 in isolation, and I drove it just a month ago, and it feels utterly unflappable. Oh sure you’ll want more noise and more touchy-feely infotainment stuff, but as for the pure driving experience there is nothing that you could say was lacking. You’d have to be a serious race car driver to pick holes in the 991’s dynamic repository. And now that benchmark has been raised. Back behind the ’wheel of the new 992-gen 911 — there’s only one old car so our track time is maximised — and the car feels tighter. More alert. And now that we’ve got our eye in, we are pushing.