When Porsche revealed the latest generation of the 911 last year, it came with a single option of an 8-speed PDK automatic transmission. Purists raised their arms in ager if the preposterous idea of a 911 is an automatic only. However, Porsche assured that there will be one soon and it is finally here. Yes, the new 911 is now available with a 7-speed manual transmission and will be offered at no extra cost to opt for it.
Porsche had offered a 7 -speed manual transmission with the last generation of the 911 which they developed for the limited production 911 R model. The transmission was then used in the 911 GT3. Porsche has now calibrated the same manual gearbox with the new 911. But, there is a small catch. The manual option is only reserved for the 911 Carrera S and the Carrera 4S for now. However, the good news is, it offered with the Sport Chrono package and InnoDrive functions as standard.
In Porsche’s current line-up, only the 718 Spyder and Cayman GT4 offer a 6-speed manual. However, the 911 does have other manual transmission-equipped rivals which include the Aston Martin V8 Vantage which is also offered with a 7-speed dogleg manual transmission. While its other rival the Jaguar F-Type was available with a manual previously, Jaguar has discontinued the option after lack of demand from customers.
However, Porsche’s PDK Carrera S models are seven-tenths faster than the manual model when accelerating from 0-100kmph. But, the with the Sport Chrono being standard, you get a mechanical limited-slip differential and torque vectoring while the PDK models get an electronic limited-slip differential.
Porsche has not said anything about the manual 911’s arrival in India as yet. But the manual arriving in the Indian market is a long shot. Porsche currently sells the 911 Carrera model in India, but the Carrera S is said to arrive in India soon but is expected to be PDK only. Maybe if you ask nicely, Porsche could let you have a manual once the Carrera S arrives. But the Porsche India website also shows the 911 Turbo, but not the price as yet. It is possible the Turbo could also be launched in India soon.
