991 carrera s vs r8 v10

I know it's not quite apples versus apples but does anyone have any thoughts in cross shopping the 2? Currently have the r8 v10 which is a great car in most ways, love the looks, survives the odd trackday. But I don't get much of an opportunity to just take it out for just driving as I spend a lot of my weekend with the kids (5 and 4) nowadays. Considering a 991 cs cabrio. Am guessing it's slower but as long as its fun I'm easy, and cabriolets are great for weekends, and while not many track cabrios I suppose it can do the odd duty?

I not sure how much slower it is. The 991 is damn fast and it can survive any track day. One thing though is the R8 has crowd wow factor looking at it and a 911 is very common and doesn't get much looks at all.

I keep saying this very often recently; make sure you test drive the 991 S before buying one. It's luxurious, elegant and fast but... it feels like its being pushed and heavy. I didn't like the test drive experience. There has been few reviews here on P-9 about the 991, search the forum. There are pros and cons about it and I'm sure there's a big gap between it and the R8. Good luck. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Do you have an 07 Cayman S in addition to the R8? If so, have you considered an M3 sedan? It'll be a great occasional track day car and make loading unloading the kiddos a lot easier.

i had a cayman s tip about 2 years ago, i now have a cayenne at home to do the hard lifting (wife drives that most of the time). see with a 911, cabrio especially, i can drive it more on the weekends and still lug everyone around esp since the kids still fit at the back. whereas the r8 sees virtually zero use as a fun vehicle (i use it as a DD) save for the odd track day. the m3 sedan/convertible was something i considered as well but very very sadly the hard-folding top look just doesn't look right to me. Hassaan, I'll go line up a test drive of the 991 before i pull any triggers. the way the country prices cars, the 991 is quite ridiculously expensive brand new and I probably am better off with a used 997 cabrio instead.

My take- you won't be sorry. All 911s and the experience they produce vary a lot depending on how they are optioned. They are all astoundingly practical. The manuals are a slick as they come and fun. The PDK is great but really comes alive sports car style with the sport chrono option that provides several levels of throttle sensitivity and shift mapping, along with (on the 991) trick engine mounts that make a huge difference in cornering feel and performance. The difference is useful if you are serious at the track, else not so much. Recent 911s have 350- 400 HP and if you are used to 500 they may seem slow above 100, but they are more than competitive below that. The 991 suspension and chassis is VERY different from the 997, more capable all around, but with a different feel in terms of comfort and cornering that has confused some people. There is a PASM Sport suspension option that lowers and stiffens the car and roll bars, and another option that hydraulically changes roll rates. I have the former and after living with it for a month find that it definitely places the car at the sports car end of the sport-GT continuum that it is designed for. One option does not improve performance, but totally transforms the driving experience -on demand. With sport exhaust off, its great; engaged its insanely great. 997s wail like a race car; 991s sound like the entire field. Either makes commuting as entertaining as flogging. A totally worthwhile extravagance (like the car).

how do the RRPs on the 991s look versus the 997s over in the US? in asia they seem to have stepped up the pricing a huge notch. car prices have always been crazy here but you could get a 997 CS brand new in the past around 300k, whereas the 991 CS looks like 385k which is a bit of a struggle in terms of value (but i do want a porsche i guess!). a used 997 cabrio could be the solution, will try the feel of that over the weekend as well.

Not sure of the exchange rate. I liked the 997 but not enough to sell my Boxter S which is a very good ride. The 991 was a whole other thing for me- meets my "needs" for higher performance and higher comfort - so I stretched for it and have no regrets.

It is so true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, otherwise why did my beautiful wife marry me, and I certainly mean no disrespect to any R10 owner, but I am not a fan of the Audi's looks (I've seen three in person). Then again, I think the Panamera is a beautiful sedan. There is no doubt the Audi has the wow factor. When one is parked, you can be sure there will be a crowd admiring it. Although I have been a Porsche fanatic for most of my 57 years of existance and have loved the 911 all that time, I always felt it could be made a bit prettier with just a little fuss. With the 991 I feel they have hit the mark. The subtle changes have made a huge difference. In fact, I feel the 991 looks somewhat like the outgoing Cayman, which to me is a great compliment. There is no where for the 991 to go but up, and I'm sure we will see a 4 liter "S" before long with lots more nice horsepower. The 911 is an icon, how can one really cross-shop it?

To see the real beauty of an R8 you ought to drive or stand behind it to see its butt with the exhaust showing underneath. This may not make sense until you try it to see for yourself what I mean. Plus I love it more in Skittles colors than regular ones. As for the 991S, I recommend LA Boy that you drive it first. All the iconic beauty, luxury and high tech shatters once you drive it: 1) the beautiful interior consumes a lot of space around the driver that it doesn't feel like a sports car any more. 2) the steering feels like a Mercedes. 3) the acceleration is better than 997, yet it feels heavier like pushing a donkey (although I never pushed one ) 4) with the windows up, you feel even disengaged further from the sport driving experience and isolated. If I'm looking for a GT I'd pick a Masrati over it in a blink. If I'm looking for a sports car, hell no it won't be a 991 Carrera! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Had a go in a 997 turbo cab (tip) today. Was a blast, have to say it feels a lot less refined than the r8 in both drive and more so the interior. Back seats will work for my small uns for a couple years more. The torque is noticeably stronger than the r8 but it doesn't sound as great. Will call it a score draw as far as cars go, but suits my purpose more. Having a go at the 991 cabrio tomorrow and lets see how that turns out!

A friend of mine was considering swapping his V8 R8 for a 991, but I told him he was nuts and luckily manage to talk him out of it. The 911 is a sports car where as the R8 is in the super car league based on looks and performance. I sat in the back of a 991 for a 20 minute drive and I'm not tall, but it was hell! Although Porsche say there is more interior space it is nowhere to be found. I'd keep the R8 any day of the week...even though I love Porsche's!

I would not put it past Porsche to figure out a way to sell an option that lets the driver choose computer generated steering wheel feedback settings that mimic 997s, GT-Rs and R8s (based on the comments here). Kind of like PSE, there are slots on the console for more "necessities".

I love Porsche, but I think the R8 is one of the few cars I'd rather have at this moment... maybe a DBS too???

jhthornley, tried the DBS before but i thought it did everything so-so, and i thought inferior to the r8 v10 in pretty much everyway (guess ironman beats james bond). Anyway, I had a go in a 991 CS (no cabrio avail for test drive), it had ptv-plus, pdk, usual bells and whistles but no pdcc. And... frankly I loved it. In terms of outright torque it was obviously well behind versus the 997 turbo and my own r8 but the much maligned steering to me was actually sublime. Could be sacrilege but I thought one of the sweetest steering feel i've tried in a while. Interior much better than 997s. If you get the revs in the right zone, the car goes pretty quickly. PDK kicks tiptronic anyway, especially on downshifts. It is not quite super car, but given that it can seat four, and i'll get the cabrio (which means much much more wheel time than my r8), it gets my nod. I did like having a flashy car but I can get back to that when my kids get too old to sit in the back of a 911!

You will love it!

I just saw pictures of the 2013 R8 on another forum... sadly they cancelled the iconic side gills and replaced them with scooped doors. I can't understand how could they do this. I have nothing against the scooped doors, but not to replace the iconic R8 gills. Now I know for a fact I'll never look twice at this car... Idiots!

I went through this same thinking about six months ago, and it was something quite unexpected that pushed me towards the 911. After lots of soul-searching, I walked into my Audi dealer with my checkbook in hand, ready to buy a V10 R8. With less than 100 coming to the USA, I found out pretty quickly that the wait would be about a year, and that all the dealers in my area (NY) were getting about 50% over list price for these cars. In other words, mere mortals can't own a V10 R8. Unfortunately, this felt strangely familiar to me, as someone who tried to buy the old RS6, then the S4 in years gone by. As a result, I've given up on Audi, at least for the more exotic cars (in fairness, my wife has an A4, and it's a great car). I'll never understand the logic of producing something that really can't be bought. It might get me in the dealership door, but it's not like I'm going to walk in looking for a V10 R8 and walk out a happy A6 customer. In contrast, my 911 was ordered in December of 2011 with exactly the options I wanted, and it arrived in my driveway less than 90 days later. The dealer even made us a great deal on the 911. The R8 might be a terrific car, but in my experience it only exists on paper. So not only is the 911 a terrific daily driver, it's also a car you can get just the way you want it, and somehow mere mortals (with great credit ratings!) can really take one home. Sorry for the rant, but this is still a sore spot with me.

R8V10 faster that 991S? I don't know what you guys are talking about. Straight-line acceleration should be roughly the same (according to reviews and tests) and the 991S is quicker around the ring.

paco - i hate to say this since i will eventually trade my r8 in for the 991s at the end of year (or whenever they get the damn thing built and delivered into singapore) but in a straight line I don't think it'll be even close when you compare stock versus stock. Certainly FEELS much faster. That said, the 991s has its own charm and i'm not sure how well it'll do around the track for the same driver... there's only one way to find out though. :burnout: