Differences B GTS to S - Page 3 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Just toying with idea of trading my 7.2 to current and balking at the £75k for my top spec GTS build. Apart from the appearance changes and small top end bump, is this S (at under 50k) pretty much the same dynamically as a GTS? It has the same 'must have' options I would specify, missing only cruise. Ignore the carbon brakes, Bermister sound and interior bits from my dream build to take it to £75k. If I spend that much, would wait for the facelift. http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...

It's possible I'm being dim because I couldn't get the link to work, but you have a 997.2 S and are considering moving to a 997.2 GTS or a 991GTS? There's little in it in my opinion. The GTS is that bit shinier and am obviously wide body of you like that, but it's 5% here and there so not worth the dealer margins. However, you mention the facelift - do you mean 991 facelift? That's a whole new ballgame!

if you mean 981 Boxster, additional spec for GTS over S: +15hp +10NM Additional center radiator in front bumper PASM/X73 PDLS Tinted rear lights PSE Sport chrono 20" wheels different front and rear bumpers Sports Seats Plus Sport Design Steering wheel Full leather/alcantara interior All for an additional £5844

arcamalpha said: It's possible I'm being dim because I couldn't get the link to work, but you have a 997.2 S and are considering moving to a 997.2 GTS or a 991GTS? There's little in it in my opinion. The GTS is that bit shinier and am obviously wide body of you like that, but it's 5% here and there so not worth the dealer margins. However, you mention the facelift - do you mean 991 facelift? That's a whole new ballgame! sorry for any confusion, I have owned 911s in the past (2.7 RS and 6.2 GT3) but now, looking for a personal, everyday car. Love Boxsters (on my fourth) so I mean the 981 facelift due out later this year.

Guys, I took pains to explain the situation, so a list of differences of a standard S vs GTS isn't very helpful. in case the link only works for me, here is the spec of the used S I am looking at (includes most options from the GTS, apart from cosmetic and power bump): RACING YELLOW Black model designation on doors, Vehicle key painted, Interior package painted, Sports seats, electrical (14-way) with memory package, Porsche Communication Management (PCM) including navigation module with universal audio interface, Wheels painted in black (partially), Sports exhaust system (incl. sports tailpipe), Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK), Seat heating, 20-inch Carrera S wheel, Wheel Caps, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), Deletion of model designation, Roll-over bar with exterior colour paint finish, Wind deflector, Top tinted windscreen, 2-zone automatic air conditioning, Bi-Xenon lighting system with Dynamic Light System (PDLS), Light design package, ParkAssist front and rear, Sport Chrono Package with dynamic transmission mounts, Telephone module for PCM, BOSE® Surround Sound System, Digital radio (DAB, DAB, DMB), Floor mats, SportDesign steering wheel Edited by NicD on Sunday 11th January 08:16

NicD said: Apart from the appearance changes and small top end bump, is this S (at under 50k) pretty much the same dynamically as a GTS? From what I can make out, yes. Any dynamic advantages the standard spec of the GTS offers over the normal 's' can, and often are, specc'd on a 's'. Apart from the slight increase in power, which I doubt anybody would truly notice.

NicD said: Just toying with idea of trading my 7.2 to current and balking at the £75k for my top spec GTS build. Apart from the appearance changes and small top end bump, is this S (at under 50k) pretty much the same dynamically as a GTS? It has the same 'must have' options I would specify, missing only cruise. Ignore the carbon brakes, Bermister sound and interior bits from my dream build to take it to £75k. If I spend that much, would wait for the facelift. http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p... It is identical dynamically if you specify PASM and 20" wheels (or SS). If you actually want all of the "extras" that SFO lists, it's a no brainer to go for the GTS - it's cheaper than a similarly specced S and (I suspect) will hold its value better. If you are not bothered about, or actually don't want some of the extras (eg for ground clearance or ride reasons) then the S route may make more sense.

bcr5784 said: It is identical dynamically if you specify PASM and 20" wheels (or SS). If you actually want all of the "extras" that SFO lists, it's a no brainer to go for the GTS - it's cheaper than a similarly specced S and (I suspect) will hold its value better. If you are not bothered about, or actually don't want some of the extras (eg for ground clearance or ride reasons) then the S route may make more sense. If I go the build to order route, yes a GTS is a no brainer, but for a partly depreciated car, a used S may be a good step. Of course, I would always want a GTS, so miss that feel good factor.

NicD said: If I go the build to order route, yes a GTS is a no brainer, but for a partly depreciated car, a used S may be a good step. Of course, I would always want a GTS, so miss that feel good factor. For a second hand car you will have a lot more choice going the S route, and lower prices, in part because they are mostly older. You almost certainly won't get the GTS bodywork mods (it is an option on the S, but so expensive and so recent that I doubt there will be many (any) about.) £75k is a lot of options, so I doubt you will find that many about with all the ones you want. Something will probably have to give.

SFO said: if you mean 981 Boxster, additional spec for GTS over S: +15hp +10NM Additional center radiator in front bumper PASM/X73 PDLS Tinted rear lights PSE Sport chrono 20" wheels different front and rear bumpers Sports Seats Plus Sport Design Steering wheel Full leather/alcantara interior All for an additional £5844 Plus more noise, suspension and geometry tweaks.

DMC2 said: Plus more noise, suspension and geometry tweaks. can you elaborate? Are they not mere options? That was the reason for my post, if more than options.

I bought a BGTS in November and during the six week wait for the car being built I did consider a loaded S from the same OPC but in the end I knew I'd kick myself for not getting a proper GTS and the rarity about having one (I have yet to see another on the road down here in the south of England). To try an answer some of your questions: - The PSE on the GTS is a very different beast to the PSE on an S, being much louder and in Sport Plus mode it rivals (or beats) the Jaguar F-Type V6/V8 exhaust sound. EVO magazine proclaimed it the best exhaust sound in the world. For me, the unique PSE sound on the 981 was probably one of the main attractions of the car and so far it has given me a huge buzz with every single drive. The good thing about it is you can disable all the noise completely with a button press. The general consensus is that the BGTS with the roof down is the best exhaust sound in the entire Porsche range. - Not sure of your personal taste but that yellow S looks awful, especially how the body colour flows over into the cabin. The GTS cabin is a very, very special place to sit with loads of alcantera (which grips so much better than leather and is hard wearing) especially if you order the GTS interior pack with the carbon fibre trim and in my case the red stitching - I ticked every single box on my GTS configuration except PCCB, Burmester and I kept PASM over X73. That got the price to £69.5k so I am not sure what the extra £4 is you're spending on. I don't regret having a fully loaded car because I'll never die wonder if I should have gotten this or that feature. For the most part everything extra I spent has been worth it. - I would go for a rarer colour option if getting a GTS, nothing like making a limited run car rarer than by ordering a unique paint colour. That's why I went for Carmine Red - again, I've not seen another Porsche in that colour yet, ever. - I do notice the extra 15HP in the GTS for sure, especially since I drove the wheels off an S for more than 200 miles when test driving. The small gain in HP/NM is noticeable when you need flexibility coming out of twisty corners in hills; the GTS seems to have just that extra poke to make the drive a bit less effort. Sports Plus mode is just mental, the engine really does begin to sound like a baby GT3 and screams like a banshee. Hope this helps. Probably way too subjective to be useful, LOL!

I've got a "GTS spec" S. The only thing missing is the little extra oomph. Frankly, whilst Its always nice to have more powwweeerrr, I truly don't think it's needed if it's a fast road car you want. I do not like the additional radiator and body kit at all, the S to my eye being a cleaner looking car.

koorby said: I bought a BGTS in November and during the six week wait for the car being built I did consider a loaded S from the same OPC but in the end I knew I'd kick myself for not getting a proper GTS and the rarity about having one (I have yet to see another on the road down here in the south of England). To try an answer some of your questions: - The PSE on the GTS is a very different beast to the PSE on an S, being much louder and in Sport Plus mode it rivals (or beats) the Jaguar F-Type V6/V8 exhaust sound. EVO magazine proclaimed it the best exhaust sound in the world. For me, the unique PSE sound on the 981 was probably one of the main attractions of the car and so far it has given me a huge buzz with every single drive. The good thing about it is you can disable all the noise completely with a button press. The general consensus is that the BGTS with the roof down is the best exhaust sound in the entire Porsche range. - Not sure of your personal taste but that yellow S looks awful, especially how the body colour flows over into the cabin. The GTS cabin is a very, very special place to sit with loads of alcantera (which grips so much better than leather and is hard wearing) especially if you order the GTS interior pack with the carbon fibre trim and in my case the red stitching - I ticked every single box on my GTS configuration except PCCB, Burmester and I kept PASM over X73. That got the price to £69.5k so I am not sure what the extra £4 is you're spending on. I don't regret having a fully loaded car because I'll never die wonder if I should have gotten this or that feature. For the most part everything extra I spent has been worth it. - I would go for a rarer colour option if getting a GTS, nothing like making a limited run car rarer than by ordering a unique paint colour. That's why I went for Carmine Red - again, I've not seen another Porsche in that colour yet, ever. - I do notice the extra 15HP in the GTS for sure, especially since I drove the wheels off an S for more than 200 miles when test driving. The small gain in HP/NM is noticeable when you need flexibility coming out of twisty corners in hills; the GTS seems to have just that extra poke to make the drive a bit less effort. Sports Plus mode is just mental, the engine really does begin to sound like a baby GT3 and screams like a banshee. Hope this helps. Probably way too subjective to be useful, LOL! very useful, thank you! More to think about. the extra cost on my configurator is for PCCB, Burmester but £74k is what I paid for the GT3 new, not that relevant now, but this is still a Boxster after all.

I too have a Boxster GTS , mine however is a manual . I only drove an S for a hour prior to placing my order but i would say ( apart from the comments about the sports exhaust above ) you probably wouldn't notice the difference if you were to drive both S and GTS " blindfolded " . At the end of the day the GTS is a bit of a marketing exercise with a few nice to have options . The biggest difference for me driving the S and subsequently the GTS with different suspension set ups was the difference between PASM and X73 , the latter changes the character of the car hugely , the ride is different , yes , but the X73 adds weightier steering ( not often mentioned ) and transforms the feel of the car . I agree that 75K is probably too much to spend unless you don't mind taking a huge depreciation hit , my car has metallic paint , the GTS interior package ( classy ) , Navigation , parking beepers , phone and a couple of other minor bits and with some discount came in at £58K .

curley said: I too have a Boxster GTS , mine however is a manual . I only drove an S for a hour prior to placing my order but i would say ( apart from the comments about the sports exhaust above ) you probably wouldn't notice the difference if you were to drive both S and GTS " blindfolded " . At the end of the day the GTS is a bit of a marketing exercise with a few nice to have options . The biggest difference for me driving the S and subsequently the GTS with different suspension set ups was the difference between PASM and X73 , the latter changes the character of the car hugely , the ride is different , yes , but the X73 adds weightier steering ( not often mentioned ) and transforms the feel of the car . I agree that 75K is probably too much to spend unless you don't mind taking a huge depreciation hit , my car has metallic paint , the GTS interior package ( classy ) , Navigation , parking beepers , phone and a couple of other minor bits and with some discount came in at £58K . My previous Boxster had the sports suspension, was fine, but this would be a daily driver through outer London, must be PDK and was thinking of PASM. I haven't test driven this yet, so maybe could live with X73. My first couple were light on the options but now, I am older and less sporty, so the more the better.

[quote=koorby - The PSE on the GTS is a very different beast to the PSE on an S, being much louder and in Sport Plus. The good thing about it is you can disable all the noise completely with a button press. The general consensus is that the BGTS with the roof down is the best exhaust sound in the entire Porsche range. Sports Plus mode is just mental, the engine really does begin to sound like a baby GT3 and screams like a banshee. [/quote] Your claim that the BGTS has the 'best exhaust sound in the ENTIRE Porsche range is highly questionable.... Carrera GT? 4.0 RS GT3? 991 GT3? The Cayman S with sports exhaust unfortunately has excessive piped induction which to many is way too intrusive and sounds over synthetic. My new 2014 Cayman S sounded identical with pse on or off......way too, err, 'farty' I' m afraid. The Boxster or Cayman will thankfully never sound like the purity of any high revving GT3....new or old.....the difference being this is actual authentic engine sound. Unfortunately, piped synthetic engine noise will undoubtedly feature more and more as we move to turbos....in fact even the Lamborghini Hurracan with its n.a. V10 is unfortunately not immune either.....

IMHO, PCCB is a must, whilst expensive. Superlative braking performance, and no dust which is a great added bonus. Having experienced PSE on both S and GTS, I could discern no difference between the two from a sound point of view. Both awesome, but no way was the GTS standout or different.

I doubt you will even get close to fading steel on the open road. Unless you want to head directly to jail. And in track PCCB are known to melt away after a few decently driven days. So PCCB to add 10pct of the cost of the car on a Boxster seems insane to me. And having it to avoid dust is just plain silly. But horses for courses as they say.

NicD said: My previous Boxster had the sports suspension, was fine, but this would be a daily driver through outer London, must be PDK and was thinking of PASM. I haven't test driven this yet, so maybe could live with X73. My first couple were light on the options but now, I am older and less sporty, so the more the better. Mine is also a daily driver and i live in outer London . I am also "older " now ( late 50s ) .I also have a GT3 and the x73 is more useable but , i accept PASM is the " safe " option if you only have one car . For me it just doesn't have that "feel " that i like in a sports car . Good luck with your deliberations , I've been really pleased with mine to the extent that the GT3 will go in the spring .

rosino said: I doubt you will even get close to fading steel on the open road. Unless you want to head directly to jail. And in track PCCB are known to melt away after a few decently driven days. So PCCB to add 10pct of the cost of the car on a Boxster seems insane to me. And having it to avoid dust is just plain silly. But horses for courses as they say. Not true. IT does depend on how hard you drive and how you drive. It is however an expensive consumable compared to steels. However, with aftermarket CCB disc replacements now at under 6k a set (all round), they no longer look as expensive. Pad choice is still a problem but you get bigger brake hardware so no longer that straight forward a decision considering the overall weight savings on unsprung mass.

av185 said: Your claim that the BGTS has the 'best exhaust sound in the ENTIRE Porsche range is highly questionable.... Carrera GT? 4.0 RS GT3? 991 GT3? The Cayman S with sports exhaust unfortunately has excessive piped induction which to many is way too intrusive and sounds over synthetic. My new 2014 Cayman S sounded identical with pse on or off......way too, err, 'farty' I' m afraid. The Boxster or Cayman will thankfully never sound like the purity of any high revving GT3....new or old.....the difference being this is actual authentic engine sound. Unfortunately, piped synthetic engine noise will undoubtedly feature more and more as we move to turbos....in fact even the Lamborghini Hurracan with its n.a. V10 is unfortunately not immune either..... Well it's a good thing we're all allowed our opinions here isn't it? You can spin it any way you want but the fact is I own a BGTS, have driven a 981.S, 991, 987, 997 in various models across those series and nothing comes close to the sound I get from the GTS's PSE. This is an opinion easily found in many motoring press reviews, just google it As for piped 'synthetic' sound, I have no clue what you're on about; there's nothing piped into my GTS cabin and if there is it's indiscernible. Certainly there is no difference acoustically between Sports modes being switched. Oh and having a tin top roof is fairly pointless if you want to really enjoy the sound. Roof down for max db! Edited by koorby on Sunday 11th January 15:44

koorby said: Well it's a good thing we're all allowed our opinions here isn't it? You can spin it any way you want but the fact is I own a BGTS, have driven a 981.S, 991, 987, 997 in various models across those series and nothing comes close to the sound I get from the GTS's PSE. This is an opinion easily found in many motoring press reviews, just google it As for piped 'synthetic' sound, I have no clue what you're on about; there's nothing piped into my GTS cabin and if there is it's indiscernible. Certainly there is no difference acoustically between Sports modes being switched. Oh and having a tin top roof is fairly pointless if you want to really enjoy the sound. Roof down for max db! Edited by koorby on Sunday 11th January 15:44 Just to add another view, while I rather like the exhaust note of the standard S, I certainly wouldn't want anything louder (in fact when I'm just cruising I wish it didn't come "on song" quite so low in the rev range). Not tried a PSE on a Cayman but have on a 911S and wasn't my cup of tea. Call me a boring old non-fart if you like.

koorby said: av185 said: Your claim that the BGTS has the 'best exhaust sound in the ENTIRE Porsche range is highly questionable.... Carrera GT? 4.0 RS GT3? 991 GT3? The Cayman S with sports exhaust unfortunately has excessive piped induction which to many is way too intrusive and sounds over synthetic. My new 2014 Cayman S sounded identical with pse on or off......way too, err, 'farty' I' m afraid. The Boxster or Cayman will thankfully never sound like the purity of any high revving GT3....new or old.....the difference being this is actual authentic engine sound. Unfortunately, piped synthetic engine noise will undoubtedly feature more and more as we move to turbos....in fact even the Lamborghini Hurracan with its n.a. V10 is unfortunately not immune either..... Well it's a good thing we're all allowed our opinions here isn't it? You can spin it any way you want but the fact is I own a BGTS, have driven a 981.S, 991, 987, 997 in various models across those series and nothing comes close to the sound I get from the GTS's PSE. This is an opinion easily found in many motoring press reviews, just google it As for piped 'synthetic' sound, I have no clue what you're on about; there's nothing piped into my GTS cabin and if there is it's indiscernible. Certainly there is no difference acoustically between Sports modes being switched. Oh and having a tin top roof is fairly pointless if you want to really enjoy the sound. Roof down for max db! Edited by koorby on Sunday 11th January 15:44 Synthetic sound whoosh parrot I'm afraid........ Google e92 M3 and new M4 and you may begin to understand the difference between real and piped....

No need for me to google the BMW synthetic sound tech, I know all about that stuff and I'm not a fan of fakery like that. The new M3/4's biggest criticism is the aenemic engine note which is hardly compensated by fake sounds piped via the stereo. However none of that applies to Porsche's PSS which is a physical hose with a gas resistant membrane that is piped from the engine bay, sending mostly induction noise to the cabin under heavy acceleration. The thing is ... the GTS supposedly has this installed but I can't hear it, so go figure. Instead I drive with the hood down 90% of the time and enjoy the exhaust for what is really is.

I think alot of the benefits of the smaller engines is that you get more of a vocal range more of the time. many forum members here usually hold the gt3 up as the benchmark on sound and it probably is in third gear doing 8000rpm however you need to be doing 100mph and standing outside the car to truly appreciate it. I can totally understand why, at least in subjective terms, the Boxster GTS would trump everything else (spyder 918 pardoned) because you work the engine harder day to day, are close to the engine and have the top down. then again I did believe that the 2.9 with Pse was the best of the last generation for the same reasons so what do I know.

In a fairly recent internet poll by a motoring magazine which played soundtracks of a fair number of sporty cars (including a 911) the Aston Martin V12 came out top by a big margin. And I have to say it was (to my ears) easily the most evocative. Mind you that was from behind, rather than in the car.

bcr5784 said: In a fairly recent internet poll by a motoring magazine which played soundtracks of a fair number of sporty cars (including a 911) the Aston Martin V12 came out top by a big margin. And I have to say it was (to my ears) easily the most evocative. Mind you that was from behind, rather than in the car. I agree....the Aston sounds great from behind, so to speak.....so onlookers are actually having a better experience than the driver.........trouble is, things go downhill again after then especially upon realising the deficiences of the archaic gearbox.........

Play this at full volume http://youtu.be/y1LhUzL3qdU

Carl_Docklands said: I think alot of the benefits of the smaller engines is that you get more of a vocal range more of the time. many forum members here usually hold the gt3 up as the benchmark on sound and it probably is in third gear doing 8000rpm however you need to be doing 100mph and standing outside the car to truly appreciate it. I can totally understand why, at least in subjective terms, the Boxster GTS would trump everything else (spyder 918 pardoned) because you work the engine harder day to day, are close to the engine and have the top down. then again I did believe that the 2.9 with Pse was the best of the last generation for the same reasons so what do I know. Unless the manual gearing is shorter on the 981 2.7 than on the (GT)S models, you'll have the same problem as the GT3 in both I imagine - redline speed in second for both cars is 84mph, and ~105mph in third. PDK gearing on the 981 is about 12% shorter than the manual from memory, 2nd gives you 75mph and 3rd ~95mph

av185 said: I agree....the Aston sounds great from behind, so to speak.....so onlookers are actually having a better experience than the driver.........trouble is, things go downhill again after then especially upon realising the deficiences of the archaic gearbox......... I haven't driven one but roadtests would have you believe that the current (auto) box is better. Aston are almost the last supercar vendor to offer a manual box - I suspect the deficiencies in the auto are one of the reasons.

koorby said: Play this at full volume http://youtu.be/y1LhUzL3qdU Oh my lord I wish my 981 PSE sounded anything like that. No crackling at all from mine.

I would a) check that you have PSE and if so b) get it checked out by the OPC. My S (Oct 13) sounds just the same as that?

koorby said: Play this at full volume http://youtu.be/y1LhUzL3qdU Oh my lord I wish my 981 PSE sounded anything like that. No crackling at all from mine.

rosino said: I doubt you will even get close to fading steel on the open road. Unless you want to head directly to jail. And in track PCCB are known to melt away after a few decently driven days. So PCCB to add 10pct of the cost of the car on a Boxster seems insane to me. And having it to avoid dust is just plain silly. But horses for courses as they say. To me £2,015 for some red (or silver) stitching on doors and dash, a red (or grey) tacho, a few strips of carbon trim and red (or silver) edged seat belts, makes £4,977 for the best brakes money can buy seem fair value. Needless to say I've specified PCCB on my forthcoming Boxster GTS and not the GTS interior pack!

dreamcar said: rosino said: I doubt you will even get close to fading steel on the open road. Unless you want to head directly to jail. And in track PCCB are known to melt away after a few decently driven days. So PCCB to add 10pct of the cost of the car on a Boxster seems insane to me. And having it to avoid dust is just plain silly. But horses for courses as they say. To me £2,015 for some red (or silver) stitching on doors and dash, a red (or grey) tacho, a few strips of carbon trim and red (or silver) edged seat belts, makes £4,977 for the best brakes money can buy seem fair value. Needless to say I've specified PCCB on my forthcoming Boxster GTS and not the GTS interior pack! The salesman I dealt with actually tried to talk me out of PCCBs when I brought them up after the initial speccing session Paraphrased, he basically wrote in an email to me "Are you sure you really need ceramics ? I thought you didn't want to use this car on track very much as you had the GT3 etc". That was me told! I also didn't receive any hard sell (or any sell at all really) on my options choices which was nice. I got the car to £65k which is pretty easy to do with PDK, GTS interior and PCM so didn't really go mental on the rest. Edited by Mario149 on Monday 19th January 15:24

Options are all very personal so I understand the shall I have this or that debate but do find it strange that a GTS interior is an option on a GTS. Surely it should be a standard item.

J12KJR said: Options are all very personal so I understand the shall I have this or that debate but do find it strange that a GTS interior is an option on a GTS. Surely it should be a standard item. You could argue that. I guess the issue is that they'd probably have to charge more on the base price, but then if you're someone who wants 2 tone interior, no stitching highlights and no carbon, you might not be happy about having it as a no cost option. I think £2k for the GTS interior is about double the price I would expect to see from Porsche, but I guess the odd £k here or there on a car that's already £60k plus with a few choice options is never going to be a complete deal breaker.

J12KJR said: Options are all very personal so I understand the shall I have this or that debate but do find it strange that a GTS interior is an option on a GTS. Surely it should be a standard item. As standard there is a GTS specific interior, i.e. sport seats plus and dash in leather and alcantara, "GTS" embroidered in the headrests (in black rather than contrasting colour), Alcantara wheel and gear lever / selector, "GTS" on tachometer. It's only the aforementioned contrast stitching, carbon and colour edged seat belts that comprise the upgrade.

Mario149 said: The salesman I dealt with actually tried to talk me out of PCCBs when I brought them up after the initial speccing session Paraphrased, he basically wrote in an email to me "Are you sure you really need ceramics ? I thought you didn't want to use this car on track very much as you had the GT3 etc". That was me told! I also didn't receive any hard sell (or any sell at all really) on my options choices which was nice. I got the car to £65k which is pretty easy to do with PDK, GTS interior and PCM so didn't really go mental on the rest. Edited by Mario149 on Monday 19th January 15:24 Big mistake to ever listen to a Porsche salesman, most are clueless, you learn far more on forums such as pistonheads or rennteam. If you want valued and knowledgeable advice pick up the phone to the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone and talk to the instructors there, they are more than willing to give you the benefit of their (considerable) experience. I did this to ask about PTV and PCCB before I added them to the list.

The optional GTS interior - Rhodium/Carmine - is expensive for what it is I'm my view - e.g coloured gauges and deviated coloured stitching. The deviated stitching is nice but no essential. I'm personally not a fan of the coloured gauges. I didn't like the carbon - a bit garish IMO - If you use carbon it should be for a real purpose and not just for show, is my own view - but everyone has their own taste and i respect that. I think the standard GTS interior is fine. It is already extended leather & alcantara with grey stitching. GTS headrest stitching. This is already probably £1500 of option above a standard S or base car. I prefer the black gauges especially as it hides the various symbols when they are not illuminated - so better IMO from an OCD perspective! I would have loved PCCB but £5K is too much + replacement/maintenance and special attention - other manufacturers charge much less. Love the 6pots though. On my Cayman GTS I spent the money on special exterior paint - GT Silver. Edited by TDT on Monday 19th January 16:20

dreamcar said: Mario149 said: The salesman I dealt with actually tried to talk me out of PCCBs when I brought them up after the initial speccing session Paraphrased, he basically wrote in an email to me "Are you sure you really need ceramics ? I thought you didn't want to use this car on track very much as you had the GT3 etc". That was me told! I also didn't receive any hard sell (or any sell at all really) on my options choices which was nice. I got the car to £65k which is pretty easy to do with PDK, GTS interior and PCM so didn't really go mental on the rest. Edited by Mario149 on Monday 19th January 15:24 Big mistake to ever listen to a Porsche salesman, most are clueless, you learn far more on forums such as pistonheads or rennteam. If you want valued and knowledgeable advice pick up the phone to the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone and talk to the instructors there, they are more than willing to give you the benefit of their (considerable) experience. I did this to ask about PTV and PCCB before I added them to the list. They may be clueless, but don't worry, I read all the feedback on the forums. The main reason I'd get PCCBs for my BGTS is for reduced unsprung weight and no brake dust, which was what I told the sales chap. I said that at £5k, they weren't worth it to me, but if they could do me a deal on them, I'd consider it. There was no deal forthcoming, so at the moment I'm sticking with steel brakes. And if I decide I want fade free performance on track, I'll just change the pads to something more suitable

You get additional wrapped parts with GTS pack, don't you?

dreamcar said: J12KJR said: Options are all very personal so I understand the shall I have this or that debate but do find it strange that a GTS interior is an option on a GTS. Surely it should be a standard item. As standard there is a GTS specific interior, i.e. sport seats plus and dash in leather and alcantara, "GTS" embroidered in the headrests (in black rather than contrasting colour), Alcantara wheel and gear lever / selector, "GTS" on tachometer. It's only the aforementioned contrast stitching, carbon and colour edged seat belts that comprise the upgrade. So its really a poorly named option should have been the carbon pack or something along those lines. Don't get me wrong I wish I was in the position to be having to decide if I want contrast stitching etc but if I was I think the premium does seem somewhat inflated. Whatever you have specced gents I hope you enjoy and whoever goes for Sapphire Blue please look after it as I may well be in the market for one in 2 or 3 years time.

nsm3 said: I would a) check that you have PSE and if so b) get it checked out by the OPC. My S (Oct 13) sounds just the same as that? July '13 car. Oh yes it has pse, was the main reason I took the 981, so big disappointment. No gurgling, no crackling but some pops if you tried really hard. So I took it to Hatfield OPC and their position was total denial - that as it was making a "different" noise when you passed the button PSE was therefore functional. No attempt to do any more, nor to diagnose it. "Come back in a few thousand miles when it's run in properly." I kept going with my complaint and porsche gave me another 981 with PSE to drive and it wasn't any better.. (YouTube clips like Mr catchpoles one don't count, apparently.) I gave up. It's gone to OPC Reading for another matter (overheating) and as a punt I asked them to look at my disappointing PSE while it was in , and they immediately said there was something up when they compared PSE button on/off. Apparently a 981 needs to be "told" it's got PSE hardware - needs extra software - or so I was told on the phone. Fingers crossed, but OPC Reading have already impressed me by (unlike OPC Hatfield) noticing that IT ISNT BLOODY WORKING. ;-) Update and fix this week hopefully - then I'll post it on a PSE thread.

This video demos the GTS PSE much better than anything else. This is exactly how my car sounds like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRoxpUN8rs0 - again play it LOUD! - 2:41 is a really good example of full acceleration madness As far as I know this sound is unique to the GTS, the S PSE crackles and pops but nowhere near as aggressively and as loud (that is my experience driving the S versus the GTS as well). As far as the GTS Interior Pack is concerned, it's worth every penny and makes my GTS even more unique than others. Put it this way, the cabin feels like a very special place to be with the red stitching and the carbon, much nicer than a bog standard car.

koorby said: .....As far as the GTS Interior Pack is concerned, it's worth every penny and makes my GTS even more unique than others. Put it this way, the cabin feels like a very special place to be with the red stitching and the carbon, much nicer than a bog standard car. In your opinion the interior pack is worth over £2k, but in my opinion it is isn't.....Just as well we don't all like the same things. I'm not a fan of carbon which sways my view on it I guess. The standard leather / Alcantara trim is still GTS specific. I'd rather put the money towards the cost of equipment that improves the driving - PTV, PCCB etc - it is a sports car after all! Edited by dreamcar on Tuesday 20th January 21:36

I ticked all the options except PCCB and Burmester which I didn't need or want. Saves me lamenting about not having chosen everything at ordering time. It's a Porsche, don't skimp on the options If you want a poverty pack 981 with no options, manual tranny and small wheels, there's plenty of those on autotrader.co.uk to choose from, some even below £35,000 with lots of miles on them

koorby said: I ticked all the options except PCCB and Burmester which I didn't need or want. Saves me lamenting about not having chosen everything at ordering time. It's a Porsche, don't skimp on the options If you want a poverty pack 981 with no options, manual tranny and small wheels, there's plenty of those on autotrader.co.uk to choose from, some even below £35,000 with lots of miles on them I agree totally, nothing worse than getting a car and regretting missing this or that. With mine although I didn't go for the GTS interior pack for the reasons above, I have skimped on nothing - including PCCB, but like you not the Burmeister sound system. On the inside I've kept the Alcantara / leather standard trim I've added the interior trim strips on the dash and centre console in exterior colour ( carrara white ) to bring some lighter colour into an otherwise dark cabin. Edited by dreamcar on Wednesday 21st January 08:40