Porsche 911 Carrera S vs Audi R8 RWS: PH Video!
The new 911 CS is a £93k car, which edges it into nearly-new supercar territory...
I don’t really need to tell you this video is a proper Porsche 911 (992) geek-out, because the moment I mention the slightly dissatisfying action of the electric window switch at the three-minute mark, that much should become clear. The objective here was to get underneath the skin of the new 911 on roads we know well. To really interrogate it. Every time Porsche’s rear-engined sports car regenerates people like me ask the same hackneyed question: does it still feel like a 911?
Not wanting to break with tradition that’s exactly the question I pose in this vid. Because while it mightn’t be a particularly imaginative thing to ask, I do think it’s a necessary thing to ask, more so at a time when the 911 is getting bigger, heavier, more sophisticated and - outwardly at least - quite unlike those very compact and fizzy sports cars that built the 911 legend.
I also wanted to address the sheer cost of the thing, because if a single 911 Carrera S leaves a UK showroom with a five-figure sum on its sales invoice, I’ll be amazed. With a list price of £93,000 the Carrera S is now in practice a £100,000 car, which to me is supercar money. That’s why the 992 goes up against a nearly-new Audi R8 (perhaps ‘junior supercar’ is a better description) at the tail end of this film. If you’re paying supercar money, you want a supercar experience, don’t you?
Thank you for watching. This is the first in a series of videos that I’ll be making for PH along with videographer Harry Rudd. Anything that’s good about this video is down to him. Hope you enjoy it. And don't forget to subscribe to be the first to see our new videos!
If you’re not using the small rear seats then it’s hard to look past mclaren - and before people whine about new vs used blah blah, who cares - you can get an ultra low mileage one for the same price so it’s extreme comparable
The two small seats are extremely useful, I can actually do the school run with two children when needed. They also double up as extra storage so I can easily do the shopping.
The 992 is fantastic to drive and can do all the practical things that most 'super cars' can't as well as having class leading residuals and not attracting too much attention.
Since I can't afford ten different cars, want to use my super car every day and don't want to lose £50k + in 12 months the MC just can't cut it (its a gorgeous looking thing though I'll admit)
To me the 992 is an absolute belter of a car.
I've had a Ferrari, Lamborghini, and a 911.... the Ferrari & Lamborghini were not practical daily drivers, simply because to go anywhere took ages. You'd have people trying to race you, stopping to talk to you when you filled up, and it all took time. They felt special, but were hugely inconvenient.
Sometimes you want a "special" daily driver - I know I do, because I work so much I don't get time to go on Sunday morning drives. My only driving time is with family on weekends (in which case, you need back seats for kids), or commuting to work. A 911 fits into that lifestyle perfectly where nothing else really does.
What other "special" car can you use everyday?
Must have 4 seats.
Must feel special but not make you a target.
Don't want something that depreciates £30k per year (like many AMG's do in their first year)
As lovely as many other 4 seaters are.... there's nothing that is:
1) As technically competent
2) Feels special yet can be used every day
3) Looks special but can be used every day
4) Holds it's value as well
5) Is relatively rare - a lot of people will say "no they're not", but I have yet to see another 992 out in the wild, and the only 911 I see regularly is my neighbours. Ultimately they only sell 3000 x 911's per year in the UK, and that's not a lot - there are 2.5m new cars registered in the UK each year, so 911's make up 0.0012% of all new car sales... - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42571828
6) Fits young children
The only other options are:
- Aston DBS / DB11 etc. - not as good, hemorage money
- Bentley GT - lovely car, but a slightly different thing (more GT than sports car)
- M3/4, RS4/5 etc... - always feels and looks like a 4 series / saloon car, as nice as they are, and again, hemorage money
A 911 is the fastest A-B 4 seater on a typical British road you can buy, that's also comfortable, and a lovely place to sit. It holds its value well, will always be a nice car, and you know exactly what you're getting into when you buy one (no mystery depreciation ala F-Type, Tesla, AMG, Aston etc). Plus they're just very good. My standard 992 C2S can crack 124mph in 10 seconds, and has a 7min24 Nurburing time....from a car that I can talk to, that has surround sound, and a heated steering wheel.
I suspect his comment was in response to people always moaning that 911s are common and everywhere. They definitely aren't rare but as a £100k + car there are many parts of the country where you won't see many of them.
I live in London and though there are plenty of Porsches you can drive around many parts and not see a 911 all day.
So NOT a common car, that's all the guy meant and he is right.
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