No more suspense: our 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S (992 generation) test car hit 60 mph in 3.0 seconds flat and tripped the quarter-mile lights in 11.3 seconds at 125 mph. Equipped with Porsche's standard eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (a soon-to-be-available seven-speed manual will be optional), the 911 is capable of launch-control starts that'll leave even the most jaded test driver with the giggles.



HIGHS: Launch-control warp drive, massive stopping power from optional carbon-ceramic brakes, this is still the workaday 911.

Launch control is as easy as holding your left foot against the brake and flooring the throttle with your right. Let the engine revs hang at 5000 rpm for a few beats, release the brake, and wham. The clutch snaps shut, the rear tires hook up, and the Porsche tries its best to grab the horizon. Do it again and again, and you'll get tired from being pounded into the seat before the 911 gives up.

Familiar Figures

While neck-achingly impressive, the acceleration numbers are identical to those of the previous-generation 911 GTS (991.2) with its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. A drag race would result in a photo finish, as these two are track-sheet twins, down to their quarter-mile trap speeds. To the specification junkies, this should come as no surprise. Although the new 911 has new turbochargers and revised intercooler routing, the twin-turbo 3.0-liter flat-six makes 443 horsepower, a mere seven ponies less than the old GTS.

View Photos Porsche

We've already driven the latest 911 on the street and have gone over how it has evolved. An increased use of aluminum helps keep the weight gain over the old GTS to 60 pounds. Not that the engine notices the extra mass, so don't worry too much about cheating on your Paleo diet.

LOWS: We had to fly to Germany to test one, we still can't afford one.

Remove the launch-control start and the new 911 still is on the quick side of the spectrum. Without the benefit of a high-rpm launch, during our 5-to-60-mph rolling-start test, the Carrera S slung itself to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, or 0.4 second behind the old GTS. In the new car, power comes on strong at 3000 rpm. Not that it's slow below that engine speed, it's just that a real urgency arrives as the tachometer needle swings past that mark. That slight lag could be partly due to the particulate filter in the exhaust stream fitted to the European model we drove in Germany. American versions won't get the filters, but we will get what amounts to an exhaust restrictor that will mimic the filter's additional back pressure, so we're not too sure that, once we're able to strap our test gear to an American-spec 992, our cars will exhibit a deeper reserve of low-end power.

View Photos Porsche

More to Come

Stopping is done by six-piston calipers in front gripping the 992's carbon-ceramic brake rotors, an $8970 option, while four-piston calipers do the squeezing in back. Pirelli P Zero PZ4 tires halt the action from 70 mph in a short 140 feet, which is, again, about the same number as the GTS returned. Our German test facility lacked a skidpad, but the grip from the chassis and stability imparted by the 911's optional rear-wheel-steering system made us think that the 992 might beat the old GTS's 1.05-g skidpad performance.

Before you dismiss the new 911's performance as no better than its predecessor's, understand that the Carrera S is a less extreme model than the GTS. When Porsche launches a GTS, it comes with a power bump and a host of performance gear. Our Carrera S came with similar equipment, but when a GTS version of the 992 hits, it'll certainly boast power beyond 450 horses, and those acceleration figures should fall.

Specifications Specifications 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S VEHICLE TYPE

rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door coupe PRICE AS TESTED

$150,950 (base price: $114,550) ENGINE TYPE

twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection Displacement

182 cu in, 2981 cc

Power

443 hp @ 6500 rpm

Torque

390 lb-ft @ 2300 rpm TRANSMISSION

8-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode CHASSIS

Suspension (F/R): struts/multilink

Brakes (F/R): 16.1-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc/15.4-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc

Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4, F: 245/35ZR-20 (91Y) NA1 R: 305/30ZR-21 (100Y) NA1 DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 96.5 in

Length: 177.9 in

Width: 72.9 in

Height: 50.8 in

Passenger volume: 72 cu ft

Cargo volume: 5 cu ft

Curb weight: 3395 lb C/D

TEST RESULTS

Zero to 60 mph: 3.0 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 7.2 sec

Zero to 130 mph: 12.4 sec

Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 4.2 sec

Top gear, 30–50 mph: 2.2 sec

Top gear, 50–70 mph: 2.6 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 11.3 sec @ 125 mph

Top speed (drag limited, mfr's claim): 191 mph

Braking, 70–0 mph: 140 ft EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)

Combined/city/highway: 23/20/26 mpg Expand Collapse

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