Porsche 911 review - Reliability and safety

Although there have been many tweaks to the engine, the basic architecture of the Porsche 911’s 3.0-litre flat-six is now powering its second generation of 911. The unit has already proved reliable, although some owners of early cars have experienced electrical niggles that seem to have been ironed out now the 992’s been in production for a few years. 

Although the 911 didn't feature in our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, Porsche itself finished in first place (out of 29 brands) in the manufacturer ratings. Customers rated it very highly in categories such as ride and handling, reliability and infotainment.

Much of the interior tech is related to that in Porsche’s SUVs and luxury cars. The screens are clearly powered by rapid processors, as they respond quickly and almost never crash – you can expect the same in the 911.

It’s unlikely that Euro NCAP will test the 911, but we’d expect that with all this new tech it would receive a good score. Safety has undergone a big improvement, and while the body’s steel content is down from 66 per cent to 30 per cent (helping offset the weight gain from other areas like the new gearbox), it’s just as strong.

Plus, there are more technology and assistance systems, including autonomous braking with pedestrian detection. You can add to this with lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, night vision assist, adaptive cruise that now works down to a standstill and LED matrix headlights. Standard LED lights are included in the price.

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Another point that’s worth mentioning is the Wet driving mode. Acoustic sensors in the 911’s wheel arches can pick up when you’re driving on a consistently wet surface rather than just through a puddle and will recommend you activate the setting.

This alters the settings of the ESP, the traction control, the Porsche Torque Vectoring system and a number of other functions to ensure the car stays as stable as possible when on the power. It’s well integrated and the system’s action is smooth. We tried it on a wet track and it felt natural and safe.

Warranty

Porsche’s warranty package is fairly standard. There’s three years’ unlimited mileage cover, which is pretty good for a high performance sports car.

Servicing

Being a complex machine and a premium car, servicing won’t be cheap. Porsche hasn’t released routine maintenance prices for the new 911 yet, but budget a similar amount – in the region of £500 for an intermediate service and around £700 for a major service. 

Service intervals are every two years or 20,000 miles though, so they aren’t super short and mean you can genuinely use the 911 – averaged out over this period those service prices seem a little more affordable and will be competitive with performance rivals.