Porsche 911 (991/2) (2015 – 2019) Review

Porsche 911 (991/2) (2015 – 2019) At A Glance

5/5
Honest John Overall Rating
A Porsche 911 is the do-it-all sports car, and this generation now represents great value for money if you’re thinking of taking the plunge used.

+Turbocharged engines have plenty of power and torque. Great to drive. Superb everyday comfort. Still sounds and feels like a normally aspirated 911.

-Still not a cheap car to buy.

New prices start from £78,776
Insurance Groups are between 49–50
On average it achieves 88% of the official MPG figure

It’s hard to think of a sporting car need that isn’t answered by the Porsche 911, and even more so when it’s a used car. With added affordability in the mix, the Porsche 911 provides reasonable running costs allied to a stunning drive. Rivals such as the Aston Martin Vantage, groundbreaking Audi R8, and divisive Honda NSX find it tough to better the Porsche. Read on for our full Porsche 911 review.

This Porsche 911 probably represented the biggest change to the iconic model in two decades.

Not because of any daring alteration to the looks – as you can see, this is merely a nip and tuck of the version launched in 2011 – but because of the changes under the bonnet (or boot lid if we’re being precise).

The normally aspirated engines that had powered the more affordable Porsche 911 models were ditched, and replaced with a new 3.0-litre engine fitted with twin turbochargers. On paper, this provides more power and better economy than the old 3.4-litre and 3.8-litre engines.

But, as you can imagine, this set alarm bells ringing for Porsche purists where their favourite sports car is concerned. Yet get behind the wheel of this generation of Porsche 911 and you’ll discover the addition of a smaller turbo engine only brings benefits.

It’s still a flat-six engine with that distinctive sound and, while you can hear a faint bit of turbo whistle when accelerating, it’s not an unpleasant or intrusive noise.

And the performance benefits more than outweigh this. There’s better response from low down and thanks to an easier gearchange, the Porsche 911 is even simpler to drive in city traffic.

This all-round ability has always been what's made the Porsche 911 so impressive and popular. And this Porsche 911 continues in the same vein. It’s just as happy pottering around town as it is tackling a series of enjoyable corners. Make no mistake, this is still a serious performance car, it’s just one that happens to be very comfortable and usable everyday.

The handling is as sharp as ever. This Porsche 911 Carrera also sits 10mm closer to the road than its predecessor and features Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as standard, designed to improve handling with variable performance modes.

The Porsche 911 Carrera model has 370PS and manages 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds, if you go for the PDK gearbox. That’s hardly slow but the Porsche 911 Carrera S is the one to have if you can afford it. It develops 420PS and takes less than 4.0 seconds to get to 62mph.

Economy is unlikely to be a priority if you’re buying a Porsche 911, but it has also improved with the manual Porsche 911 Carrera averaging a claimed 34mpg.

The Porsche 911 may not be the most exclusive performance car or supercar around. In fact it has become a common sight compared to alternatives like the Jaguar F-Type or an Audi R8.

But there’s a reason for that. It’s arguably the best all-round performance car on the market of its age and has proven hugely popular.

Read our review of the latest Porsche 911 here.

What does a Porsche 911 (991/2) (2015 – 2019) cost?