WHILE there were not many details supplied regarding the eighth-generation Porsche 911 — the 992 — which was introduced at the ongoing Los Angeles Auto Show, information made available points to a more powerful and “digitized” car. This means that complementing the new 911’s expectedly evolutionary styling are major changes beneath the sheet metal. Here are key features of the 992:
• Porsche Communication Management now has a 10,9-inch touch screen panel integrated into the dashboard, evoking the instrument layout of 911s from the 1970s.
• Online navigation feature of Porsche Communication Management relies on swarm data.
• “Road Trip” app provides information on curated routes, hotel and restaurant recommendations, and points of interest; “360+” app functions as a personal lifestyle assistant to 911 owners; “Impact” app calculates the financial contributions that Porsche customers can pay internationally certified eco-preservation projects — wind, hydro and solar power, and forest protection among them — to offset their CO2 footprint.
• Wet mode comes as standard. The function detects water on the road, preconditions control systems, and warns the driver about it. The warning and brake assist systems also detect potential collisions with moving objects and initiate emergency braking if necessary.
• Night Vision Assist uses a thermal imaging camera to assist the driver when visibility is poor.
• Adaptive cruise control can keep the car’s distance from the vehicle it is following. It works in stop-and-go traffic, too.
• A front end that’s 45 millimeters wider, door handles that pop out electrically (but remain flush when not needed), deep recess between LED headlamps that evoke early 911s, a wide variable-position rear spoiler, and a full-width light bar define a redesigned body that’s mostly made up of aluminum.
• Wider wheel housings arch over the 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch rear wheels.
• Carrera S and all-wheel drive Carrera 4S propelled by turbocharged flat-six engine that makes 30hp more — or 444hp — than that in the 991.2 which the 992 replaced. Credit here goes to better injectors and a revised layout for the turbocharger. The engine is matched to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
