2019 Porsche 911 Carrera S Review
Normal service resumes with the fact that this 911 looks almost identical to the old one. The biggest hint that it is all-new being those flush-fitting door handles, but it鈥檚 also longer, wider and gets bigger wheels - 20in at the front and 21in at the rear. The changes inside are more significant. An analogue rev counter still takes centre stage right in the middle of the instrument cluster but it鈥檚 now flanked by two 7in screens that mean you can have your 911 with kit like night vision. The 10.9in screen on the centre of the dash, meanwhile, deals with all your sat-nav needs. It鈥檚 as functional as an iPad and just as quick. The bonus of the screens is that the 911鈥檚 dashboard now has an uncluttered design that echoes the simplicity of the original model. Another carryover is the excellent driving position. The low seat and the car鈥檚 stubby nose make the windscreen feel more like an aircraft canopy, giving you a brilliant view of the road ahead. As before, you get occasional rear seats with space for small kids, or to use as a handy overflow for the 911鈥檚 small front luggage compartment.
You get this 鈥榝runk鈥?(front trunk), as it is known at Tesla but almost certainly not in Stuttgart, because, of course, the 911鈥檚 engine lives in the back. This Carrera 2S - other models will follow in time, including a hybrid - has a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre flat-six that thumps out 444bhp and 390Ib-ft of torque through a quick-shifting PDK eight-speed automatic gearbox. There鈥檚 no mistaking that top-end howl for anything less than a boxer six, even if the earthiness of the old naturally aspirated engines is missing. Despite the slight weight increase that the gearbox and a new petrol particulate filter bring, performance improves across the board, with 0-62mph taking 3.7 seconds and the Porsche able to hit a claimed 191mph top speed. And there鈥檚 no need to worry that Porsche has lost its touch in bends. The 911鈥檚 detailed steering delivers a level of communication that makes other cars鈥?numbness feel like they鈥檝e taken a direct hit from a tranquilliser gun, and the optional rear-wheel steering helps the Porsche shrink around you. Just like before, you can brake deep into corners using the weighty back end to guide the car鈥檚 nose perfectly into an apex.
Then, with the weight of the engine acting on the rear axle, you can catapult out of corners where the 911鈥檚 competitors struggle with wheel spin. It鈥檚 so deeply impressive that you鈥檒l only ever feel the benefit of the four-wheel-drive Carrera 4S at low speeds or on slippery winter roads. Wet mode only cements this view. Do that and the long and the short of it is that - no matter how silly you are - the 911 refuses to slide out of shape even if you give it a boot full. Instead, it trims the throttle and dabs individual brakes as if you have judged the limits of grip perfectly. It鈥檚 one example of what makes this 911 even more accessible than before. But if you鈥檙e willing to venture forth into the options list you can have an arsenal of autonomous aids that鈥檒l make the Porsche more than capable of driving itself on the motorway and in heavy traffic. All of which, predictably, means you don鈥檛 need to worry that the 911鈥檚 gone soft. Yes, modern kit helps it fit into your life even better than before but Porsche has managed to incorporate it in a way that makes the new 911 even more engaging to drive. As a result, it鈥檚 still the benchmark that all other sports cars want to beat.
Not only is the venerable Civic offered in three different bodystyles - sedan, coupe, and hatchback - but a manual transmission is available in all of them! In fact, both the cheapest Civic and most expensive on sale in 2019, respectively a DX sedan and Type R hatch, can only be had with a stick. Well-equipped small cars with a manual? There aren鈥檛 too many big sedans left in Canada available with a manual transmission, let alone offering it with a choice of engines. The 2019 Accord鈥檚 stickshift can be paired with either the 1.5L or 2.0L mills, the latter pumping out a robust 252 horsepower. 1300 over an equivalently equipped automatic Accord. For 2019, no fewer than three models of Honda鈥檚 littlest hatchback offer a manual transmission. Base DX, mid-level LX, and zooty Sport trims all give drivers a chance to row their own gears. Those six speeds stir a 1.5L pot making 130 horsepower while gently sipping fuel.