There are very few people who have driven the newest version of Porsche’s iconic 911. One of those lucky few is Top Gear host Chris Harris. He’s been an incredible car reviewer for as long as I can remember, and his is an opinion worth trusting. When you give him the keys to a new 911, he’s going to hang the rear end out a bit and tell you the hard facts of how it compares to the competition.
While a track test isn’t going to do much for on road feeling, as roads tend to be considerably bumpier and unforgiving than race tracks, it’s encouraging that Harris is still impressed with the new 911’s handling and dynamics. It’s bigger, heavier, more powerful, and allegedly better on fuel, but is it better? Well, it’s nicer. The interior seems to be an improvement still over the 991 while providing a throwback to prior generations of 911.
The car is really fast, but it doesn’t bristle quite the way an older 911 did. It’s still a sports car, says Harris, but it’s too comfortable and competent to really inspire. It’s not a revolution, but a sensible and clever evolution. All of that might seem like a big negative, but in Harris’ eyes it’s a nice piece of kit. I think it looks properly good in Speed Yellow, too.
Complaints? The cupholder is ugly and hardly useful. The door handles are fiddly little pop-out deals. The engine is, as before, hidden under a couple of fans and a plastic cover. And, despite being a brand new 8-speed PDK, the gearbox is “a little lackluster” compared to the unit in a last-gen GT3. If you can live with that, the new 911 might be a really good choice.
