THE GERMAN OPEN(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 46

The Porsche 911 Cabriolet has improved in huge measures with this 992.2-generation model, with the option of Hybrid tech and a more digitalised cabin. As before, the hood is a brilliantly-engineered piece of kit and the chassis dynamics are better than ever. It's getting pricey though.

Background word count: 148

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 though, for some people it is just a car. A pretty and fast car, but just a car nevertheless. 'Real' 911 buyers tend to sniff at people who think like that. And they tend to sniff at Cabriolet variants, denigrating those who choose them as not getting the whole 911 'thing'. But so good is this latest 992.2-generation car that perhaps those '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 actually one step ahead of the obsessives? Maybe, just maybe, this is the most complete breed of 911 we've yet seen.

Driving Experience word count: 319

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 (also offered with a manual gearbox in 911T form) gets a power upgrade from 385PS to 394PS, which means 62mph takes just 4.1s. The 480PS Carrera S improves that figure to 3.7s. 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 S and 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'. On most variants, four-wheel steering is now standard and all models get 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.