2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: Tailpipe Recall
March 5, 2013
A recall has been issued for the Porsche 991. Seems the company discovered that the tailpipes of cars with the standard exhaust (but not the sport exhaust) can detach. This was observed in test cars in Porsche's fleet. So far, no reports of incidents in the field.
The recall applies to cars manufactured from March 7, 2012 through November 12, 2012.
2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: Fuel Economy Update for February
March 4, 2013
During the month of February we drove our 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet about 940 miles. During those almost-four weeks the sedan averaged 15.4 miles per gallon of 91 octane premium.
That's quite a bit lower than the 16.7 mpg that we've averaged over the car's 2,214 miles and the Porsche's 21.5 mpg combined EPA rating. The reason? Hard driving. The Porsche saw particularly spirited use this month and was also track-tested, where the throttle is used with impunity, eroding its fuel economy.
2013 Porsche 911: Commendable Handling
February 27, 2013
I might be a Porsche guy. I never thought I would be, but between our 2013 911 and our departed 1985 911, I think I'm headed that way.
2013 Porsche 911: These Gauges Never Go Out of Style
February 25, 2013
Much like the exterior design of the Porsche 911, the design of the gauges hasn't changed much over the years. Porsche's designers still put the tachometer in the middle and everything else wherever its fits. It works, so why mess it up?
2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: Octane Requirement
February 21, 2013
Apparently, nobody at Porsche realizes that a good chunk of the USA technically does not meet their minimum requirement of 93 octane.
2013 Porsche 911: Wrong Steering Wheel
February 15, 2013
When we were buying our long-term 2013 Porsche 911 many members of our editorial staff were passionate about the steering wheel. "Scott, whatever you do don't get a car with the standard wheel with those weird shift buttons," they told me several times. "Make sure we get the SportDesign steering wheel with the real paddle shifters."
2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: Hokey Key Fob
February 14, 2013
I don't know. I guess this was cute for a couple of hours when it was introduced (I think) on the Panamera, but today the car-shaped key fob for our long-term 2013 Porsche 911 strikes me as...a bit cheesy.
The romantic notion of yesteryear was that the Porsche owner would plop his keys on the top of the bar with pride. With this thing, no way. It feels weird when operating its buttons, and sticking a miniature car into the key slot in the dashboard? Let's just say that this key fob would be the coolest thing in the world to the fifteen year-old version of me.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: PDK Dual-Clutch Transmission Is Brilliant
February 13, 2013
Okay, as much as I'd prefer that our long-term 2013 Porsche 911 was equipped with the conventional manual gearbox, I have to acknowledge the brilliance of its PDK transmission. It really is the best dual-clutch gearbox in production today. Not only does it shift imperceptibly smoothly, the gear changes occur in what appears to be no time at all. These characteristics are no surprises, and they're ones we've come to expect from competent, modern dual-clutch gearboxes.
What makes PDK stand above the rest is its manners, intuitive programming and quick reflexes. Unlike many other dual-clutch 'boxes, with PDK there's no low-speed nonsense, no clunkiness, and during three-point turns it swaps between 'R' and 'D' and back right now.
2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: Sport Chrono And Visibility
February 12, 2013
Dashboards are heavily textured not simply to look good, but so that they don't reflect light. It's an easy way to avoid casting reflections on the inside of the windshield. They're also almost universally colored black for the same reason. Dashboards of race cars are 'flocked' to take this visibility-maximizing approach to the next level.
2013 Porsche 911: Engine Bay Access
February 11, 2013
Remember when the Boxster came out and everyone complained about not being able to see the engine? Well, it's 1997 all over again. Our long-term 2013 Porsche 911 is the same way.
Hit the switch to open its engine cover and the clamshell motors upward not very far. Doesn't matter because there's not much to see or do here. Servicing the engine will at minimum require a lift and some surgery. Then again, service intervals are so long that tending to the engine itself will presumably be a rare occasion. This assumes that Porsche's recent DI engine architecture doesn't experience issues to the degree found in the earlier water-cooled flat-sixes.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
2013 Porsche 911: Still Not Sure About PDK
February 8, 2013
An automatic in a Porsche 911? Yeah, it sounds bad, but only if you've never used Porsche's PDK automatic. It makes a very good case for the demise of the manual transmission.
Shifts from the PDK are ridiculously quick, well timed, and every bit as firm as you can muster with a manual. And that's before you even put it in "Sport" mode. You can try to confuse it and nothing happens, it does the right thing anyway.
2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: One of Porsche's Better Navigation Setups
February 7, 2013
Porsche has never done navigation very well. Not sure why, probably because it was too busy building the best sports car in the world. Or maybe it was that detour into SUVs?
Regardless of why Porsche user interfaces were poorly done in the past, its latest setup is much better. As you can see, the screen is sharp, easy to read, and big enough to see without squinting. Even with L.A.'s mess of freeways clogging the screen, you can still pretty much tell what's going on.
2013 Porsche 911: Adding Oil and Water in the 991
February 6, 2013
Hanging the engine off the back end of the 911 creates its own unique set of challenges, like basic maintenance for one. The engine in a 911 is buried so deep within its bodywork that you're lucky to see so much as a single hose let alone any of the actual mechanical parts that make this thing run.
2013 Porsche 911: Unique Light Design
February 5, 2013
You might have noticed that all Porsche 911's look somewhat alike. Sticking to a design formula for over 50 years will do that to most people's sense of recognition.
The new 991-series 911 is way different. It's bigger, faster and has an all-new interior. Of course, none of that really helps when you spot one on the road and start thinking to yourself, "Is that a new 911? Or just one of the fourteen models that came out in 2012?"
2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: Fuel Economy Update for January
February 4, 2013
The 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet has been with us since the beginning of January, and we've burned just six tanks of 91 octane fuel so far.
2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: Half Way to Break-in
January 30, 2013
Yes, it was dark, rainy and 5:45 a.m., but I got off the freeway anyway in order to catch the 1,000-mile mark in our 2013 Porsche 911. It's a nice round number, and (I supposed) it represented the end of the engine break-in period.
Not so.
2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet: Auto Stop/Start
January 29, 2013
One of the first things I noticed when I got into our sleek, smells-so-new 911 is that it has an Auto Stop/Start function. And that it had been turned off.
I totally understand why. A couple of months ago, I was shuttling a short-term 2013 Porsche 911 from the photo studio to the office and had stopped to make a right turn when the car, apparently, died. I was sure I'd killed it somehow and would have some serious explaining to do to Oldham. Then I realized what was up. Not sudden death. Just Auto Stop/Start. Whew.
2013 Porsche 911: Large Trunk
January 25, 2013
That is not a small box. It measures 12-inches tall, 16-inches wide and 22-inches long. I didn't think there was any way it was going to fit in the Porsche's frunk (front trunk, remember, the engine is in the back).
I was wrong. Very wrong.
It not only fit, it fit with several inches of height to spare, and many inches of room around the sides as well.
Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief @ 870 miles
