The new Porsche 911 Cabriolet: What the critics say

EdmundsInsideLine.com

Porsche purists have always sneered at soft-top variants of the venerable 911, and no doubt they’ll moan about this one, too. But they shouldn’t. Gone is the “humpbacked” look of past cabriolets, and this edition offers the same engine, transmission, and suspension options as the impressive new 911 coupe. If there’s any difference in the “astonishing” driving ability of the convertible and the hardtop, “few will notice.”

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“It’s really only on broken pavement where you feel a shimmy through the body” of the cabriolet. Even so, the aluminum floor pan that’s being used in all the new versions of Porsche’s rear-engine supercar gives the car impressive structural rigidity. Power is up, too: The 911 Carrera “kicks out” 350 hp, while the more powerful Carrera S can go from 0 to 62 mph in 4.7 seconds.

Automobile

If anything, the new 911s are too perfect. We wouldn’t complain about the cabriolet’s smart new roof, which is a near ringer for the coupe’s roof and folds away in just 13 seconds. But the new electric power steering setup quiets feedback from hard cornering and coarse pavement so well that you’ll “believe you’re driving on glass.” For “a special set” of drivers, the loss of the 911’s old edginess won’t feel like progress.