There are so many different versions of the Porsche 911 that facelifting it isn’t as simple as giving it a quick nip and tuck and unveiling everything in one go. Updated models of the current 992 generation have been trickling out for a few months, and now it’s the turn of the Carrera S.
It maintains its position as the next step up from the basic Carrera and stripped-back, lightened Carrera T, and as such, brings a power hike over the base model. Quite a big one, in fact: while the latest Carrera makes 389bhp, the S is pushing out 473bhp from its 3.0-litre, twin-turbo boxer six.
Porsche 911 Carrera S – rear
Not only is that 29bhp more than the pre-facelift car had, it’s exactly the same power figure that the original Turbo version of the 997 was making back in the 2000s. That car, though, had the benefit of four-wheel drive. Here, it’s all going to the back wheels (until a Carrera 4S inevitably turns up, anyway).
The bulk of the power hike comes from new turbos and changes to the engine’s charge-air cooling. Torque is unchanged from the old car at 391lb ft, but the power hike knocks two-tenths of a second off the S’s 0-62mph time, cutting it to 3.3 seconds in coupe guise. Top speed remains 191mph.
Porsche 911 Carrera S – interior
Standard kit that sets the S apart from the less powerful Carrera includes five-spoke Carrera S wheels – 20 inches up front and 21 at the back – a sports exhaust and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, a system not available on the basic car.
It also gets uprated brakes as standard, borrowed from the hybrid Carrera GTS and featuring 408mm discs at the front and 380mm items at the back. More devoted helmsmiths can opt for ceramic composite brakes and Porsche Active Suspension Management, which also throws in a 10mm ride height drop and rear-wheel steering.
Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet – front
Tweaks to the damping and steering, as well as the 911’s new digital instruments, round out the big changes. One thing it doesn’t have that the old car did, though, is the option of a manual. For now, at least, it’s an eight-speed PDK or nowt in the Carrera S, and the Carrera T and GT3 remain the only facelifted 992s to offer three pedals.
Now available to order as a rear-drive coupe or Cabriolet, pricing kicks off at £119,800 for the fixed-roof car and goes up by a nice, round £10,000 for the drop-top.
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