On the United Kingdom’s northbound M6 motorway, the mode switch points to 10 o’clock. Illuminated red lettering on the right-hand digital display reads "Normal". The sun is still creeping up over a cloudy eastern horizon and early morning commuters pepper the carriageway with slow-moving traffic.
Normal mode is the perfect set up for relaxed cruising
Normal is the default driving mode for all new 911 - the perfect set up for this sort of relaxed cruising. The throttle response is a little slower and automatic upshifts from the twin-clutch PDK gearbox happen a little earlier in the rev range. The suspension is also in its softest setting to maximise ride comfort, and the sports exhaust valves are closed to minimise engine noise. Like no other sports car, the 911 embraces the role of grand tourer with consummate ease. And quite literally with the flick of a switch. Sit back, relax and let the car do the work.
Wet mode provides intelligent support
First seen in 2019 as standard fitment on the all-new 992 generation 911, Wet mode was developed to provide intelligent, pro-active support in the worst of driving conditions. Using acoustic sensors in the front wheel housing to detect spray, Wet mode warns the driver about the risk of aquaplaning. If the system detects a wet road surface, the response behaviour of the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) and Porsche Traction Management (PTM) systems is preconditioned so that both systems intervene earlier and more sensitively. Wet mode also alters the adaptive aerodynamics and optional Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) Plus to guarantee maximum driving stability.
Heavy
clouds blowing west over the Irish Sea have indeed left the final few
kilometres into Seathwaite damp at best and in places treacherously
slippery. One click counter-clockwise on the mode switch and the Carrera
4S is fully focussed and even more sure-footed. Wet mode in
all-wheel-drive models also transfers more power to the front axle,
increasing stability, while a flatter torque curve brings the power in
more gently under a softened throttle. After a few more minutes of
cautious driving through the Borrowdale valley, the 911 comes safely to a
halt in the quiet surroundings of Seathwaite itself, its terraced
farming cottages and ancient drystone walls a picturesque contrast to
this most modern means of transport.
Heading back inland, the sun
breaks through the clouds for the first time in the day, illuminating
the vivid palette of greens and blues that make up England’s Lake
District: a National Park region that is famously beautiful and
infamously wet. The route out of Seathwaite takes in Wrynose Pass, a
long, narrow and challenging mountain road that connects the Duddon
Valley and Little Langdale. It winds east, eventually passing
Windermere, home to countless pre- and post-war water speed records, and
on across the northernmost tip of the Yorkshire Dales towards the
Pennine mountains.
Sport mode brings the 911 to life
Here,
the road widens, and with the asphalt now dry and the way ahead clear,
it’s the ideal moment to turn the mode switch clockwise to 12 o’clock
and "Sport". With a satisfying bark from the exhaust and a raise in the
pitch of the engine, Sport mode seems to bring the 911 to life. Throttle
response is sharper and shifts from the 8-speed PDK transmission are
noticeably quicker. The suspension stiffens to minimise body roll,
dynamic engine mounts engage to enhance handling balance still further
and those closed valves in the sports exhaust open up at last, allowing
the boxer’s sonorous flat-six to echo off the high hillsides.
The next stop on the schedule lies several km further east, just south of the historic railway town of Darlington. The three-km Croft Circuit was first used for motorsport back in the 1920s and today forms a popular part of the British Touring Cars calendar and hosts a round of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
Sport + mode maximises the performance
Its two short, parallel straights, connected by a series of fast righthand bends and a 180-degree hairpin, are the perfect challenge for the fourth mode in the 911’s repertoire, Sport +.
Ideally
suited to circuit driving, Sport + is designed to maximise performance
from the 992’s chassis and drivetrain, with instantaneous throttle
responses, lightning fast shifts and markedly sharper steering and
stiffened suspension. And on the empty circuit, Porsche’s rich racing
lineage is immediately evident, the Carrera 4S revelling in that unique
mix of traction, balance and steering precision to hunt out every apex
before powering on to the next. The immediacy of the controls in Sport
+, the physical and emotional connection between car and driver,
underlines the fact that for all its touring potential, the 911 remains
at its heart a true sports car.
Individual mode combines the favourite elements for a bespoke set-up
The car cools with characteristics ticks and tinkles in Croft’s empty paddock as the sun begins to set. But there is still one driving mode left to try. After sampling everything the 992 has to offer, Individual mode allows the driver to cherry pick their favourite elements for a bespoke set-up, tailored to a certain favourite road or regular journey. And after a long day at the wheel today, the route home is another tantalising series of fast, winding A-roads, chasing the sun back towards the west coast before the motorway takes over once again for the final leg south.
The combination of Normal mode’s more supple suspension with Sport’s sharper shifts and faster throttle response offers the best of both worlds, configuring the car to the conditions of the road and the mood of the driver. Five modes in one day, each perfectly adapted to the moment.
