Background
The Porsche 911 is more than just a car. It's a legend. As such, it carries a huge weight of provenance. Obscure design cues speak volubly. Individual colours have historical resonance. It's something to obsess over. Thing is, for some people it is just a car. A pretty and fast car, but just a car nevertheless. While most 911 purists would never choose an open-topped version, there's a healthy proportion of 911 customers who like the idea of limitless headroom.
'Real' 911 buyers tend to sniff at Cabriolet variants, denigrating those who choose them as not getting the whole 911 'thing', but so good is the latest '992.2'-generation car that perhaps the purists are painting themselves into a corner. If owner experience and enjoyment are key to owning a sports car, who's to deny that 911 Cabriolet customers aren't one step ahead of the obsessives?
Driving Experience
There's a weight penalty (70kgs) for choosing the Cabriolet body shape rather than the Coupe but that's well compensated for by the extra power on offer from the various versions of the twin turbo 3.0-litre flat six available with this '992.2'-series model. The base Carrera version gets a power upgrade from 385PS to 394PS, which means 62mph takes just 4.1s. And the GTS T-Hybrid offers a prodigious 541PS (61PS more than before), with 62mph achievable in 3.1 seconds on the way to 194mph. Why you'd now still pay more for a 911 Turbo Cabriolet is difficult to fathom. Only with the GTS do you get the option of a 4WD format.
In the GTS, all that speed now comes from a very different kind of engine. It still a boxer flat six (of course) but is now 3.6-litres in size (up from 3.0-litres) and now uses just a single turbocharger (rather than two). That's because the turbo is now aided by a 54PS electric motor energised by a 1.9kWh 216-cell 27kg battery. The end result is that everything is even more instant as the electric turbo spins at up to 120,000rpm. To the accompaniment of a rather pleasing selection of gurgles, whistles and wines.
On all variants, there are the usual drive modes and the engine is happy to rev out to 7,500rpm to the accompaniment of a satisfyingly loud sports exhaust flare in 'Sport Plus'. Four-wheel steering is now standard, as of course are PASM adaptive dampers (now revised). Plus the braking system's now borrowed from the 911 Turbo. On the GTS, the 400V hybrid tech energises all kinds of drive systems, including the starter, the alternator, the nose-lift set-up and an optional electrohydraulic roll-stabilisation PDCC set-up you'll probably want to pay extra for.
Design and Build
You'd need to be very familiar indeed with the 992-series 911 Cabriolet to spot the visual changes made to this updated model. The main difference lies with the redesigned headlamps, now with standard matrix tech, which retain the characteristic 4-point graphic but now incorporate all the illuminating functions, so there's no need for front driving lights, which creates space for larger cooling vents at the front of the car. There's also a redesigned rear light strip and model-specific bumpers. On the GTS variant, the front-end has five vertically arranged active cooling air flaps visible from the outside, with another hidden flap on each side. Otherwise, the pure 911 shape remains unaltered, as are the staggered wheel sizes - 19 or 20-inch fronts and 20 or 21-inch rears.
As before, the fabric hood is an intriguing piece of equipment. Porsche has never subscribed to the trend for folding hard tops and this roof incorporates a lightweight magnesium frame, uses a fabric-skinned composite panel for the upper and rear part of the structure and can be raised and lowered at speeds of less than 31mph. It takes just 12 seconds to raise or lower and has a series of metal bows within that maintain its shape when travelling at high speeds. You get a very effective windbreaker, too, while the roof folds itself into position more compactly than with previous generation open-topped 911s and so takes up less space.
You might more easily note the major change made to the traditionally driver-focused cockpit; for the first time, this 911 has a fully digital instrument cluster, though the rev counter remains the central feature in the 12.6-inch curved driver's display, customisable with up to seven layouts; including a 'Classic' display inspired by the traditional five-tube Porsche dial design with a central tachometer. There's also now a start button rather than a twisting dial. As before, infotainment is still taken care of by a 10.9-inch Porsche Communications Management central screen. But this monitor now offers more customisation options for drive modes and driver assistance systems, plus there are lots of new connectivity features, including video streaming.
As before, there are the usual two rear seats (unless you order the optional 'lightweight package'. And under the bonnet, there's 132-litres of storage space.
Market and Model
At the time of this '992.2' model's launch, Cabriolet pricing started from around £110,000. For the GTS T-Hybrid Cabriolet, you'll need to put aside around £143,000 for the car in rear-driven form. Add around £6,500 more if you want the GTS model with Carrera 4 AWD.
That's quite a step up from the pricing that applied to the earlier version of this 992-series Cabriolet model. At least you get quite a bit more standard equipment now as part of the deal. There's rear-wheel steering, plus Matrix LED headlamps featuring more than 32,000 light points. Their high performance high beam illuminates the road to a distance of more than 600 metres and offers innovative additional functions such as a driving mode-dependent dynamic cornering light, lane brightening, a construction site and bottleneck light and a non-dazzling high beam that is precise to the pixel. Inside, the car now benefits from a fully digital instrument display. You'll want to consider paying extra for the optional electrohydraulic roll-stabilisation PDCC set-up. And the larger 20/21-inch wheel size.
As you'd expect on a super sportscar, there's also a driving modes system that primarily tweaks steering feel, throttle response and gear change timings, with 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Sport Plus' options, along with a 'Wet Mode' that can adapt the behaviour of the car to better suit rainy or icy conditions. And an 'Individual' option so you can personalise your own preferences. These driving modes also tweak the damping thanks to the fact that the brand's 'PASM' 'Porsche Adaptive Suspension Management' system with its choice of either 'Normal' or 'Sport' modes is also standard.
Cost of Ownership
The 911 Cabriolet has long led its class in terms of running cost efficiency - and not much has changed. A base Carrera version manages up to 27.4mpg on the WLTP combined cycle - and 235g/km of WLTP-rated CO2 - about the same as the equivalent Coupe. As a result, the 67-litre fuel tank might easily take you over 500 miles between fill-ups.
If you were hoping that the installation of T-Hybrid tech in the GTS model might significantly improve this 911's efficiency figures, then you might be disappointed. Actually, they're not all that much different from those of an ordinary Carrera (and a little worse). The GTS T-Hybrid Cabriolet manages bests of 26.4mpg and 243g/km.
What else? Well, all 911 Cabriolet models are covered by the brand's usual three-year unlimited mileage warranty package. And the 911 also has 12 years of corrosion cover and a three year paint guarantee. Insurance for a car of this power and performance is never going to be cheap; all variants attract a top-of-the-shop group 50 rating. Still, residual value percentages are uber-high - think in the late fifties after three years of ownership - or better. Bear in mind that depreciation will take a hit if you load your car up with too many unnecessary pricey extras.
There's a wider dealer network than many rivals can offer and you'll only need to visit your local Porsche centre every two years or every 20,000 miles, whichever comes first. There's no option to buy into a pre-paid servicing package at point of purchase, but the brand does provide a fixed price servicing approach that makes sure you'll know in advance exactly what work will be carried out and what it will cost.