Simple pleasures with the 992 Carrera

You might argue that a cold and wet winters day is not the ideal time to explore the vagaries of the new 911 Carrera. Equally you might suggest that a few hundred miles in the worst sort of driving conditions our little island has to offer is the shortest possible route to some definitive answers. Let’s go with the latter.
 
This is the base 992, which means no S suffix and no all-wheel drive. Less power – some 65bhp less, in fact – and the standard eight-speed PDK transmission sending everything aft. Also gone is the usual glut of performance trimmings, meaning no PASM, and therefore a standard ride height, and no Sport Chrono package with its dynamic engine mounts, quicker shifts et al, all activated via Sport Plus on that now familiar mode switch. By and large, this is as basic as it gets. Or as basic as a new 911 can ever get these days.