For folks who have driven the new 911 with the turbo six, base or S:
a) How is the turbo lag? Read conflicting reviews. Car magazines and Porsche engineers (quoted in said magazines) seem to say there is a lag whose time depends upon rpms and gear. Makes sense.
b) How is the noise inside the cabin compared to the old 3.4 and 3.8L with or without SE. Is it muted or does it sound artificial with rythmic pops and gurgles. Is there a lot of tire roar?
c) is the manual gearbox improved?
d) how is the interior quality?
e) finally how is the steering and is the PASM better i.e. is the ride better.
I know I can go for a test drive or lurk at a dealership (which I hate) but I always end up being pressured into buying when I do that so can't/don'twant to do the impulsive thing. But I would rather hear first from people who have driven the cars. Don't care about apple connect etc. And if there are Boxster or Cayman owners, their perspective would be extra valuable.
Gracias.
a) laggy below 3000 rpms. Slightly elastic throttle. No perceptible lag above 3000 rpms. From C&D "Under intense questioning, one of the Porsche engineers admitted that at 1800 rpm, the engine needs three full seconds to produce full torque from a closed throttle, though he was quick to add that the turbo lag dropped to two seconds at 2000 rpm and only one second at 2300. If a bit of turbo lag at very low revs is the price for a 7500-rpm redline charge, I think most of us will happily pay it."
b) noise? Is quiet. SE adds volume. Sound is synthetic. Lots of tire roar with the 20 inch wheels. From C&D "The sport exhaust brings in slightly more crackle, but there’s a certain robotic repeatability to the backfiring it does when you lift or downshift. Even knowing that the three perfect pops from the tailpipe are a bit of electromechanical theater staged by the car’s computer, it’s still fun to hear it. " Harry's review mentions the noise from the 20 inch wheels and tires. Also from C&D "At the same time, the damper-response envelope has been tweaked to make the ride less crusty in Sport and Sport Plus modes, which are now selected with a four-position dial on a pod emanating from the steering wheel. The extra cushioning in the suspension is welcome, even if the superwide tires, 245/35 in front and 305/30 out back, still generate a lot of white noise in the cabin. "
c) manual is better than the old one. Shorter throws. Clutch takeup is still high. From R&T "The 991's seven-speed manual is derived from the car's seven-speed automatic; it uses the same case and shares some internal parts, including ratios. It's not a patch on the intuitive, mechanical-feeling six-speed manual in the current Boxster/Cayman—an update of an older Porsche unit—but it's gotten better. The Boxster/Cayman's gate is wide, its synchros positive, the feel and embodiment of the age-old rifle-bolt cliché. Early versions of the seven-speed had narrow patterns and vague spring-loading. It was deeply preferable to the automatic, but it still felt like someone had thrown too many gears into too small a box. The transmission was updated for the 911 GTS, and you have to assume the technology carries over. There's stronger self-centering to the lever and the gates seem more defined, whether they are or not."
d) interior is the same. Standard sucks, full leather is nice. (I assume so based on the crap standard interior in my car).
e) ride quality is much better.
Hard to get more than a 20 min drive at a dealer so nice to get a more critical perspective before venturing out for a test drive.
So were these all rhetorical questions... or did you decide we were not quick enough with the answers? :hilarious:
i just answered my own questions after reading a few reviews and watching a few videos. Not just the gushing ones.
The verification stage should follow soon. I guess not enough new 911 owners on a Cayman forum to answer these questions.
I did a half day autocross with the new 911.
a) Personally, I didn't feel any, I was at full throttle almost the entire time, the 20 second boost button works and is pretty cool.
b) Most of the cars had PSE, sounds good, didn't sound synthetic to me.
c) No ideal, all the cars were PDK
d) I have full leather in mine and the ones with full leather seems just as nice.
There is a slight lag, as to be expected, not horrendous. Very different power delivery compared to a NA. No need to red line it or push it to the upper rev range limit due to the increased levels of torque.
Noise is not nearly as loud as the NA engine, sounds ok, but pretty quiet. Was the most noticeable aspect of the car. It does sound good, just not louder than a NA engine.
ride quality is more refined than the 991.1.
I would not sell my GTS for one, however were my car to be totaled, I'd be ok buying a 991.2.
BTW, interior is comparable, personally am not phased my the apple integration, though is a nice upgrade.
Good to know. Not wanting to sell your BGTS for a 911.
I am in my 4th year with my 13 Boxster S (that I dearly love) but I am driving it less and less. Winters, it just sits for 6 months. Only has 15k miles.
Was wondering if I would be able to drive a 911 more especially if I got the 4. Don't know. But it has to push the right buttons.
I am taking a 991.2S out on the PEC Track in Atlanta next week. I will report back with details.
Well, how about a review from someone who actually ordered and owns a 991.2 C4S PDK and has 5k miles and over 200 minutes Track time?
Turbo lag, what's that? The car is so fast, I don't have time to think about turbo lag if it exists at all!
No SE, I don't like interior cabin noise. Noise level comparable to my 981 B with the top up. Quiet.
Put in S or SE, noticeably louder outside with burbles and pops on downshifts, enough for me.
20" P Zero's compared to my 18" Dunlops, more tire roar.
Can't do anything about it, required to handle the power.
Manual gear box, what's that? PDK is required to get maximum performance out of this car other wise the car is wasted!
Interior quality? Same as my Boxster, excellent, VOC excellent, a little more leg room.
PASM, ride is way better than non-PASM cars so now that PASM is standard, it's a mute point because you have no choice!
Steering, at 144mph at Road America, not really concentrating on steering but still trying to find braking points for this car as it's overtake speed can be high and the brakes require much less distance than most of what's out there.
Very few times I'm not catching other Porsches and just don't want to overtake at those closing speeds at the end of the straights. I have zero problems or concerns with the steering.
The car is just blazingly fast on Track and has way too much power for US roads.
Of course ACC(Auto Cruise) and LCA(Lane Change Assist), Multifunction Heated Steering wheel and SC(Sport Chrono) turn the car into a fine GT with virtually no operations except ventilation temp change where your hands leave the wheel.
SC gives you a little knob on the steering wheel instead of the buttons for S, S+ and I(Individual) and a 'Push to Pass' button in the center of the little knob.
I have never used the 'Push to Pass' button on the road and as I'm now in S+ on Track, it's superfluous.
The reviews you read are from 'Professional' Journalists and I use the word Professional loosely.
They get free trips, perks and probably money(under the table) or ads for their publications.
They are not objective and any time I view a reviewer going sideways and howling with laughter, I just turn the whole thing off.
I'm usually hanging on tight to the wheel, marveling that this car has actually done what I want it to do at an almost incomprehensible rate of speed. At least incomprehensible to me.
If for road use only, stick with a C2 or C4.-Richard
BTW PIC is at the Milwaukee Mile at about 120 mph
