“Porsche simply builds engineering that endures,” notes the conclusion to the 2019 TÜV report, declaring the Porsche 911 as the overall winner. In the technical testing organisation’s current ranking, the sports car icon simultaneously took the top spot across all age categories for the first time, with the lowest rate of significant shortcomings. The seventh generation (type 991) ranked first in the “2- and 3-year-old” and “4- and 5-year-old” used car categories, while the sixth generation (type 997) left the competition in its wake when it came to “6- and 7-year-old”, “8- and 9-year-old” and “10- and 11-year-old” cars. It’s the first time in the history of the TÜV report that a single model has taken first place in all age categories.
The survey was based on 8.8 million main inspections performed between July 2017 and June 2018. In that period, significant shortcomings were found in around 22% of the automobiles tested. The TÜV report is published every year by TÜV e.V. (VdTÜV) and is considered one of the most important independent guides for drivers and buyers of used cars.
The eighth generation of the 911 is already in the starting blocks
The fact that the Porsche 911 came out on top in the TÜV report is in no small part due to Porsche’s commitment to quality in its sportscars. Porsche won coveted trophies in seven categories of the renowned J.D. Power 2017 studies on automobile reliability, with two of the prizes awarded to the 911, in recognition of the model having the fewest defects and a particularly striking design – making the vehicle the segment winner for the sixth time in a row.
The eighth generation of this sports car classic will have a lot to live up to when it comes to proving itself in future rankings. This is what’s already in the starting blocks: the new 911 (type 992) will come to market at the beginning of 2019. Before that though, the prototypes need to “step on the gas”, as the trial program will put them through their paces. Every single system must function as reliably at the end of testing as it did at the outset, as Porsche have no intention of loosening the commitment to quality that results in more than 70% of all 911 models ever built still being roadworthy today.
The latest issue of AutoBILD, featuring the TÜV report, is available now in retail outlets or online at www.autobild.de.
