Porsche has announced a raft of updates and extra options for the 992-series 911 Carrera models, chief of which is a new manual gearbox for the 450hp derivatives.
Three pedals good
The seven-speed manual gearbox is a no-cost-option alternative to the standard-fit eight-speed PDK and it is available on the two-wheel-drive Carrera S and four-wheel-drive Carrera 4S variants, be they a Coupe or a Cabriolet body shape. Choosing the manual gearbox automatically adds in Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with a mechanical limited-slip diff on the rear axle, as well as the Sport Chrono package (rev-matching on downshifts, dynamic engine mounts, an additional Sport mode for Porsche Stability Management, a rotary drive-mode switch on the steering wheel, a dashtop-mounted stopwatch and the Porsche Track Precision App for the infotainment) and a new feature - a tyre-temperature indicator.
This little gizmo first appeared on the 992 Turbo S and it's combined with the tyre-pressure monitoring system. When the tyres are cold, either at the start of a journey or in wintry conditions, a series of blue bars in the instrument cluster are displayed. As the tyres warm through, these bars change through blue-white to pure white, once they're up to optimum working temperature. A further benefit of the manual models is that they are 45kg lighter than the equivalent PDK models, although they're not quite as accelerative. Taking the lightest, the RWD Carrera S Coupe manual (1,480kg), as an indicator, it will run 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds and go on to a 308km/h maximum. That benchmark sprint is 0.8 seconds slower than the fastest PDK 450hp model (a Carrera 4S Coupe with Sport Chrono and Launch Control) and around half-a-second down on its PDK-equipped 2WD equivalent, but this minor penalty should be worth it for the extra interactivity that three pedals will bring. Indeed, Porsche is identifying this option as the 'choice of driving purists'.
InnoDrive and Smartlift
Two more features for the 911 Carrera family, meaning the 385hp entry point versions to 992 ownership are also included in this, are InnoDrive and Smartlift. The former was first seen on the Panamera and Cayenne model lines, and it is an evolution of the adaptive cruise control system on the 911. InnoDrive can predict the road up to 3km ahead, using the navigation system for information, to alter its set speed for corners, gradients and even roundabouts. It is only available on PDK-equipped 911s, however, but it's a useful feature. Smartlift, meanwhile, is an electrohydraulic front axle which can be jacked up by 40mm to clear speed bumps and ramps. Better still, if the driver presses the Smartlift button at an obstacle like this, the system remembers the GPS co-ordinates for next time, so that it will automatically raise the 911's nose as you drive towards the obstacle.
Lightweight glazing
Further options for the 911 Carrera family include the leather package 930, again lifted from the Turbo S, which invokes memories of the original whaletail 'Type 930' Turbo of 1975-1989 with quilted trim and various colour highlights, as well as a seven-colour interior Ambient Light Design Package and a new exterior paint hue called Python Green. There's also the choice of lightweight and noise-insulated glazing on all 992 Coupes, which saves 4kg of weight when compared to the standard glass.