In news that should surprise precisely no one, there will be a convertible version of the all-new eighth-generation 911 introduced last fall. In fact, here it is, the 2020 Porsche 911 Cabriolet. Also of no surprise: It'll once again be available in rear-wheel drive Carrera S and all-wheel-drive Carrera 4S guises. We'll have to hold our feigned shock a bit longer for the Turbo Cabriolet. As expected, the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet possesses all of the improvements, new features and redesigned elements found in the coupe 鈥?albeit with a fabric roof and a consequent reduction in structural rigidity. We dug into what makes the 2020 911 all-new during the L.A. Auto Show, should you need a refresher. What makes the 2020 911 Cabriolet new largely comes down to its roof. It features magnesium support elements and new hydraulics that result in smoother and quicker operation. Try 12 seconds versus the outgoing car's 13. Boom, progress. One key addition to the Cabriolet lineup is the availability of the PASM Sport Suspension that features stiffer springs and sway bars, and a ride height reduction of 0.39 inches.
It was previously only offered on S and GTS Coupe models. In terms of performance, the Carrera S Cabriolet and its all-wheel-drive 4S sibling boast the same 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six found in the coupe good for 443 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. The eight-speed PDK automated manual, revised for 2020, is standard and helps bring the Carrera S from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The extra traction granted the Carrera 4S shaves that time down to 3.6 seconds. That would be 0.4-second quicker than the outgoing car, and it gets another 0.2-second quicker should you opt for the Sport Chrono package and utilize its launch control function. Oh, and if you're not especially concerned with picking up extra tenths of a second, Porsche will still happily sell you a 2020 911 Cabriolet with a seven-speed manual transmission. You'll just have to wait a bit as it "will be offered at a later date." Remember, patience is a virtue, and Porsche's manuals are fantastic. Still, you can order a PDK-equipped Cabriolet right now with deliveries expected to start late this summer. 134,650. Of course, "starts" is the operative word, as like every other Porsche, there will be an endless list of performance, comfort, convenience and customization options that will skyrocket the price faster than you can lower the roof. As for the design, we're not quite sure the new full-width taillight design works as well on the Cabriolet. Or, at least, it contributes to a sort of two-tiered hunchback look with the roof down. The rear end on the old car was a little more pert 鈥?this one looks like it's carrying around an insect-like abdomen. Then again, maybe it's just the dark colors and the photograph angles shown. Besides, the drop-top 911 has never had the most graceful profile.
BMW follows the Problem Management Process -- PMP. It begins with the engineering phase where you need to connect with the customer -- it is then that you need to find most of the quality problems. Fewer should be found at the production phase, and even less at the customer and service phase. Long term product tests are in place at 40,000 and 80,000 km. Not Everyone believes BMW rhetoric however. I鈥檝e been worrying about BMW reliability lately. And not about either my M3 or my 530. It鈥檚 how BMW鈥檚 quality and reliability have worsened in recent years. A little background 鈥?I don鈥檛 buy new BMWs, I like to buy lightly used ones that have been well maintained by their owners. So no one in Munich (or New Jersey, BMW鈥檚 NA HQ) cares what I think. Plus, I know and accept the fact that German cars require more preventative maintenance than American or Japanese cars.
The payoff is (or at least was) a more engaging, enjoyable driving experience. But reliability is getting worse, and the word is getting out. The complexity of new BMWs is through the roof, and they are having loads of computer and electronic problems. Consumer Reports ranks the 135i and 335i models as below average for reliability, and Kelley Blue Book ranks the overall value of the current 3 series as 鈥減oor鈥?in its Cost to Own index. Part of the problem is the total lack of maintenance most of the cars receive. Back when owners paid for maintenance, BMW had a long list of items that needed regular attention. You can get that list via an email request to Mike Miller, Tech Q&A columnist for Bimmer Magazine. Now that BMW pays for new car maintenance, suddenly cars need nothing but oil changes every 15,000 miles! The rank hypocrisy is galling to me. BMW is selling cars today that are disposable after 100,000 miles. That may be OK for some buyers, who never plan to have the car that long.
It鈥檚 disastrous for enthusiasts like me, who typically want to own and drive cars well past the end of the extended warranty period 鈥?in BMW鈥檚 case that鈥檚 6 years or 100K miles, whichever comes first. BMW might respond hey, our sales are up so we鈥檙e giving customers what they want. And you Americans should be thankful our cars don鈥檛 cost even more. We have to sell BMWs for less in North America due to the large number of competitors, and we get killed on the exchange rate due to the weakened dollar. But let鈥檚 look closer at those sales numbers. Keep in mind 2009 was a historically bad year for auto sales. However, Audi sales were up 17%, Acura sales 44% and Porsche 68% (admittedly from a much smaller base). The competition has upped their game 鈥?what does BMW represent today besides brand cachet and high cost? Speaking of Mike Miller, he hit it on the head in the latest issue of Bimmer Magazine. There鈥檚 no link available, so I include the response below. Mike is responding to a reader writing in concerned about buying a used E90 M3 (the current body style). Even with not including the full reply it鈥檚 long - but a good read.