Porsche 911 (2015-2018) review - Practicality, comfort and boot space
Surprising practicality means the Porsche 911 is more usable than you might think
With a low nose and front bumper, you might think there wouldn’t be much room underneath the 911’s ‘bonnet’. However, there’s 145 litres of luggage room in the two-wheel drive version.
This drops to 125-litres in the four-wheel drive Carrera 4 due to the front differential eating into room, but it’s still a surprisingly usable space. Plus there’s that area behind the front seats – if you fold the rear chairs down you’ll find another 260 litres of room on offer.
However, they’re best used for small children when they’re up, as adults will feel very cramped back there due to the sloping roofline.
There are plenty of different seat options available, but even the standard electrically adjustable seats offer lots of comfort and support. Sports seats are standard, with four-way adjustment, while you can upgrade to Sports seats Plus or Adaptive Sports seats Plus.
The standard Sports seats provide the best balance between long-distance cruising and fixing you in place on a twisty road. However, if you want even more figure-hugging seats to hold you through fast corners, there are carbonfibre-backed two-piece bucket seats available.
Size
As this updated 991-generation 911 is based on the same chassis, the car’s physical size is broadly the same. Although the 911 has grown over the years, it’s still one of the smaller GTs on sale today, which combined with the quick steering makes it easy to place on the road. For reference, the new Carrera is 4.5 metres long, 1.98 metres wide across the door mirrors and 1.3 metres high.
The Carrera 4 features a 40mm wider body at the back, so watch those rear wheels when parking.
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Visibility is good, and as all 911s share a similar profile, thankfully the Porsche is easy to park and manoeuvre. Front and rear parking sensors are available to help out here, as is a reversing camera.
Despite the lower ride height, the long coupe doors mean it’s easy to get in and out of for a sports car, and the low front bumper means you don’t have to lift bags very high to get them into the boot.
There’s also a nose lifting kit available, which raises the front of the car hydraulically to improve ground clearance when going over speed bumps or ramps.
Leg room, head room & passenger space
Legroom in the back is limited, but this is not meant to be a full four-seater – those occasional rear seats are a bonus. In the front there’s lots of room, and the 911’s cabin manages to combine a cosseting, driver-focused feel with enough space and comfort for longer journeys.
There’s plenty of adjustment as well, and with a steering wheel that moves in and out as well as up and down, it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position. With its low-slung seating, headroom isn’t an issue, but you still get a great view of the road ahead thanks to the car’s plunging bonnet.
If you’ll be carrying young children, you can specify an Isofix option for the front passenger seat, while the front airbag can be disabled.
Boot
As we’ve mentioned, the boot is a good size for a sports car, but importantly, it’s also a good shape. In the two-wheel drive model the luggage bay is deep and square, so it’s more practical than it might first appear. It’s not big enough to need a luggage net or any tie down points, however.
