The First Year with My 911
After driving my new Carrera T for six months, the car I had high expectations for actually exceeded them. Despite being a superlative drive, showing incredible build quality and revealing brilliant engineering, it still came with a few surprises.
I received my 911 in early December of 2023 and drove it for a few days totaling 114 kilometers before storing it for the winter. It went back on the road on May 1st after spending a long winter waiting for that moment. The odometer now reads 5132 km and has been stored again for its second winter. I have had sufficient time this summer to get to know the vehicle and even though I had watched every video, read every review, researched every aspect of the 2024 (992.1) Carrera T, I was still surprised by some of its traits, some positive, others not. I will discuss my findings below in the order in which I discovered them:
Surround View Parking Assist: The overhead surround view shown on the infotainment screen is composed of the stitched together images taken from four cameras located around the car, one located in the front, another the back end and one on each of the side mirror assemblies. An unexpected quirk associated with the system is when you fold the mirrors, the cameras move as well. You end up with a strange distorted overhead view. While the system is an amazing aid when parking in tight car parks, you have to use it with the side mirrors extended and pay close attention to those extended side mirrors as you maneuver out of snug parking spots.
Cabin Air Vents: I always thought modern 911s didn’t have much in the way of cabin ventilation. Looking at the dashboard you notice double outlets poking out the middle and single outlets on either side. By modern car standards four vents, amount to few vents. What I didn’t know until I owned a 911 is that there are two more vents on top of the dashboard, located on either side of the chrono clock. Their position is perfect for directing air at face level, which is a very clever convenience. I have not seen this dash-top vent location in any other car I have been in.
Instrument Cluster Clarity: Although at first glance ordinary in appearance, every dial, number or printed message on the instrument cluster is extremely clear in the 911. The designers use a very large bold font. Every digital readout is presented in white over a black background. Even the interior temperature displays on the center console are shown in that very clear manner. Why would simple, aviation style displays be a surprise? It’s surprisingly rare because many luxury car manufacturers bend over backwards trying to differentiate themselves by overdesigning graphics, using multiple fancy fonts and illuminating the instruments with hues inspired by 1970s cocktail-lounges. The 911 displays are like aviation instrumentation where clear and consistent legibility is the primary goal.
Red Bezel: I ordered red bezels for the tachometer and the chrono clock that sits atop the dashboard. I made that decision to add a little contrast to the car’s all-black interior. To my surprise, when driving at night in pitch-black rural areas, the red on the bezels disappears altogether. Because they are back-lit, the dials just look black except for a small area on either side of the indicator needle that bounces some light on the red bezel. This creates a wonderfully subtle halo effect that is very attractive.
Central Tachometer: The centrally positioned tachometer is an old-fashioned analogue unit right in the middle of the instrument cluster with the other instruments presented digitally on either side, albeit in the traditional 911 five-gauge layout. I have come to realize that the large central tachometer is the instrument I scan ninety percent of the time. It provides me with RPM, a red numeric readout of my speed and the gear I have selected in white. These three items of information are really all a driver needs while in motion. The second most useful display is the instrument to its right showing engine information such as fuel reserve, engine oil temperature, oil pressure and battery voltage. I glance at those readouts often during the first few kilometers of driving to ensure everything is in order, and then sparingly once the engine has warmed up. It’s amazing how you don’t need much information when operating a car that is so much fun to drive.
Invisible Rear Window Defrost: As with the 911 GT models, The T is fitted with light-weight glass derived from Porsche race cars. I have read a number of reviews of the Carrera T model mentioning it does not come with a rear defrost function, although the button activating it is positioned in the usual spot. I suppose these reviewers wonder how the rear window defrost can do the job without those clearly visible wires heating up? While contorted into a very awkward position, cleaning the inside of my rear window, light hit it at a specific angle and I noticed rows of barely visible, very fine wires running across the whole glass surface. These heating elements are invisible to the naked eye unless you are prepared to look very carefully for them. So, contrary to popular belief, the Carrera T does have a working rear window defroster, which is a pleasant surprise, especially in Canada. I have had occasion to test it in late November and it clears the back window quickly and effectively.
The Car is Large. My friend Jamie and I drove to Creemore, Ontario this summer, a town famous for its microbrewery. After finishing lunch at the local pub, we noticed a white 997 generation 2011 Porsche GTS parked right across the street. A stunning and significant car, being the very first 911 GTS model, this particular example was in mint condition and is destined to join the ranks of classic Porsches. As we were admiring it, it struck me just how small it looked compared to the 992 version of the 911. It still possessed the compact almost delicate quality of the early 911 models. For example, its wheels were much smaller than my car’s (18in diameter vs my T’s 20in and 21in), the cabin looked snug and the 997 appears much narrower.
Even Porsche designers believe the 911 has gotten too large. Head designer, Michael Mauer stated in a recent interview with Australian car magazine, Drive that he would like to see a more compact 911 but today’s legislative environment makes it impossible to do. So, how much has the 911 grown since its inception? Strangely, sources mention different numbers but looking up the Wikipedia descriptions for each generation of the car the original 901 version issued in 1963 was at least a foot shorter than today’s version while it is 6 inches narrower. Incidentally, although by the time the 997 version was introduced, the 911 had grown – it is still about 4in shorter and 2in slimmer than a current 911.
I am happy to report that living with a larger 911 does not detract from the car’s appeal. Porsche has managed to produce a car that despite its size is nimble, quick and feels very much like a sports car. Its increased girth makes for a comfortable and roomy two-seater that is a pleasure on long trips yet is still exciting to drive in a spirited manner. Of course, we must face the reality that all cars have grown in length, width and weight. I saw a well-loved Mark 1 VW Rabbit (Golf) convertible the other day. It looked like a micro car compared to the other cars motoring down the highway. I suppose the 911 is just expanding at the same rate as all other cars.
Glad you’re so happy with it !🥳