In a year full of disappointment, it's important to recognize the positive notes. Things we can still hang on to as everything else turns into a season finale cliffhanger. In terms of automotive, few things can calm the anxiety as knowing that one can still buy a Porsche 911 Carrera with a manual transmission. The 2020 Porsche Carrera S was announced in 2019 with several notable upgrades from the outgoing model. When it comes to the Porsche 911, the motto isn't "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" Porsche believes in make it better, period.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S can still be ordered with three pedals and a gear lever that allows the driver to row seven gears. The manual transmission had come a long way from the traditional four-on-the-floor in the first 911 back in 1965.

Power comes from the same 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six engine as the outgoing model with an added 30 horsepower bringing the total output to 450 hp for the 2020 911 Carrera S. This allows the Carrera to race from zero to 60 in 3.6 seconds. 911 Carrera S models equipped with the optional Sport Chrono package can hit 60 mph in 0.2 seconds faster. It might not sound like much, but at the track, it can make all the difference.

New for 2020, the Carrera S uses more aluminum and modern composite materials in its body to reduce weight. According to Porsche, the 2020 911 Carrera S is seven percent lighter than the outgoing model, without compromising its overall safety and structural stability. The new model was also given a new set of LED eyes with an optional Night Vision Assist. This feature allows drivers to see further during night time driving thanks to a thermal imaging camera that can pick up objects that may not be fully visible with standard LED headlights.

A world-first for the Porsche 911 is the all-new Wet Mode setting. It can detect wet road conditions using acoustic sensors fitted in the front wheel housing. When the road gets wet and wild, the car will suggest that the driver switches to Wet Mode, which will activate several driver aids to keep the vehicle on the road. Driver aids like Porsche Stability Management, Traction Management, and, if optioned, Porsche Torque Vectoring.

Automotive outlet Road & Track recently wrote a raving review on the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S with the seven-speed manual transmission. The article states that while the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic is faster going from zero to 60, by nearly a full second, in reality – who cares? As author Travis Okulski states, "Do you need to get to 60 in three seconds? Will you ever go 250 mph? Remember, bragging is reserved for something you've done, not for something the spec sheet says you could do".

Okulski brings up the argument that while the automatic transmission is often faster, not just in the Porsche 911 but most sports cars, but it doesn't matter if all you want is to drive. Part of what makes the Porsche 911 an engineering darling is that it's a sports car one can use every day, all year round. Few high-performance cars can live up to that job description, with alternatives being motoring greats like the Chevrolet Corvette and Mazda MX-5, each with their diehard fan base.

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Photo Credit: Porsche

Source Link Porsche Press Release https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/2019/products/porsche-911-carrera-s-features-mark-webber-ambassador-18372.html
Source Road and Track: https://www.roadandtrack.com/reviews/a34600635/2020-porsche-911-carrera-s-manual-review/