2020 Porsche 911 official: More power, new style, and cleaner cabin
A new Porsche 911 is a big deal, and so the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S and 4S are making a splash at the LA Auto Show 2018 this week. The eighth generation of the iconic sports car, the new 911 gets refreshed styling, a whole new interior, and more power, though purists will be pleased to hear that some of the mainstays have stayed the same.
Outside, the new Porsche 911 gets wider and more purposeful. Bigger wheel housings fit around 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch rear wheels. The front is now 1.77-inches wider, while the back has increased to the same 72.91-inches of the old Carrera 4 and GTS versions.
At the front, new LED headlamps flank more pronounced contours to the hood. Porsche says it's designed to evoke memories of the first 911 generations. Meanwhile the rear gets a wider, variable-position rear spoiler, together with a car-spanning light bar. All but the front and rear fascia are now aluminum.
Some of the detailing is equally modern. The door handles, for example, are now recessed: they power out when required. Inside, too, is a modern interpretation of classic styling. Completely reworked, it recesses the instruments into a far cleaner dashboard. The central tachometer gets two frameless, free-form displays.
The PCM has a row of shortcut keys for the most common features running underneath the display in the center stack. That touchscreen is bigger, too: now 10.9-inches versus the 7-inches of the old car. Porsche Connect Plus is included as standard. Adaptive 18-way Sports Seats Plus are offered as options.
As for the drivetrain, Porsche has used a turbocharged flat-six for the 911 Carrera S and 911 Carrera 4S. That now musters 443 horsepower – up 23hp over the old car – paired with an 8-speed PDK dual clutch transmission as standard. 0-60 mph in the 911 Carrera S Coupe with rear-wheel drive arrives in 3.5 seconds, while the all-wheel drive version cuts that slightly to 3.4 seconds.
That's a 0.4 second trim off the old car, and the advantage is even greater with the optional Sport Chrono Package. Then, the 911 Carrera S Coupe does it in 3.3 seconds, while the Carrera 4S Coupe takes just 3.2 seconds. Top speed is 191 mph for the RWD car, or 190 mph for the AWD.
Keeping the fans really happy, Porsche says a manual transmission option will be offered at a later date. Porsche Wet Mode will be standard, detecting water on the road and preconditioning the stability control and anti-lock brake systems, as well as warning the driver. Emergency braking for moving objects is also standard. Night Vision Assist – which uses a thermal imaging camera – is an option, as is adaptive cruise control.
The 2020 Porsche 911 will arrive in dealerships in the summer of 2019. The 2020 911 Carrera S will start at $113,200, while the 2020 911 Carrera 4S will start at $120,600 (both before $1,050 destination).