2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds long-term update of the 2013 Porsche 9111 Carrera Cabriolet includes discussion of the fact that the 911 lacks even a single steering wheel button.

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davisdvm

There are no buttons because you ordered the sport design steering wheel. If you'd like buttons Porsche offers the multifunction steering wheel (in one of the previous blog postings the author laments NOT ordering the multifunction wheel). I've had them both and my preference is the multifunction wheel for the added convenience. The choice is up to the buyer.

cjasis

davisdvm is spot on. I, for one, am grateful to have the option of a simple steering wheel which is button free.

BTW - the sport wheel you ordered also has a slightly thicker rim which provides better grip and feel.

deanstevenson

On a cruiser or GT car? Buttons on the steering wheel are fine. On a sports car? I'll pass thank you.

majin_ssj_eric

Neat little displays between the spokes!

sharpend

To all the people who [non-permissible content removed] and moan about steering wheel buttons on a 'sports' car: a Ferrari 458 or F12 doesn't seem to suck because of them. And an F1 car does pretty well with them as well.

agentorange

"Answering the phone, in the Porsche 911, means reaching for the center stack, which is fine with me." Here's a thought. Don't answer your phone when driving. Better still turn it off to stop whatever annoying ringtone you have from distracting you from the job at hand.

panamera4

Although I have the heated wood/leather multifunction wheel in my Porsche, it's fairly well known that the lower right hand stalk takes place of the multifunction controls and can, in turn, be used to answer the phone. Reaching towards the center stack to control most functions in the pcm is superfluous with or without the multifunction wheel, although the stalk admittedly has a higher learning curve, which could be unbeknown to the occasional driver/automotive journalist.

tempesting_

I don't need many.. just a volume up/down and a fast forward/rewind
two buttons... I don't like reaching out to the center console.

fordson1

"Possibly Porsche knows that a steering wheel's function is so fundamental to what happens while driving that cluttering it up with a bunch of buttons is something it refuses to do." Yeah, right - except that 90% of Porsches come with steering wheel buttons. I have often marveled at Porsche's ability to have people pay astronomical dollars for things like crests on the door sills, etc., but this is one better - they got people to pay Porsche to decontent the car, and then have overly credulous reviewers praise them for it. Beautiful thing.

legacygt

This car has a radio, right? Also navigation? What about cruise control? Do those features belong on a "driver's car?" That's another debate. But if a car comes with those features, I think that letting the driver control them while keeping hands on or near the wheel is an advantage.

cjasis

Sharpend - have you actually driven any of those cars? The wheel in the 458 is just stupid. EVERYTHING is on the wheel and its a mess. One shining example of the fact that everything Ferrari does ISNT great.

And comparing an F1 car to a street car is silly.

Fordson1 - I'm one of those knucklehead Porschephiles that smiled when I signed the paperwork to pay for the painted crests on my wheels and floormats in my $100,000 911 so I completely get your point. And agree. But damn it if I still don't love the way these cars drive.

jkrc

That bottom right lever behind the steering wheel (which you can see in the photo ) can be used to answer the phone and many other things. It will access almost everything from the center stack, except the sound volume.