Had the misfortune of a blown brake light which required (I'm rationalizing)a visit to the dealer to resolve. In the back of my mind was the hope that perhaps they would have received a 991 and I could take a good look. My hope was rewarded as I pulled up and saw not one, but two in the showroom, (Carrera White and Speed Yellow).
Explain the brake light issue to the staff, as I'm doing so, the guy who sold me the Cayman comes over and asks if I'd like to test drive a 991. Turns out they had a third (black) in the back. So, out it comes...
PDK, S, Sport Exhaust, PSAM, PDCC, Sport Plus, Sunroof, Electric Mirrors, Heated and Ventilated Seats, Sport Design Steering Wheel, Full Leather, Power Sport Seats.
Impressions:
From photos I thought the cockpit would feel slightly clumsy - especially with the intrusiveness of the door pockets - but that wasn't the case. In fact, the interior felt slightly wider than a 987/997. Fit and finish top notch, the all-leather interior w/alacantra lining the roof and the pillars creating a much higher quality feel than the gen 1 Cayman interior.
Everything is electric, wheel adjustment, emergency brake, retracting door mirrors. At least the glove box opens with a mechanical latch (unlike the 458). One of the dealer's talking points was the electrically retracting door mirrors - he prattled on on that topic for a few minutes.
Very quickly got to a comfortable seating position - feels somewhat lower to the ground than the Cayman. The gauges are typically simple and legible. The rising center console places the shifter easily at hand, lots of buttons all around. I fear this would present a problem with a manual box.
Gripe 1: The placement of the air-con controls needs to be given a rethink. You really do have to reach around the gearshift to get to them. The defrost controls are all but invisible to the driver without bending around to look for them - not good.
Gripe 2: The multi-function display in the cluster. The brightness and contrast of the screen seemed unbalanced with the other gauges and was therefore a tad distracting. It includes a left/right and fore/aft G-Meter. Is that really necessary? If you're pulling enough G's to be interested in knowing shouldn't you be looking at the road and not a gauage? Leave the Granturismo gadgets to the GTR.
Engine - fabulous. PDK - fabulous. Steering - great (more on that later).
Unless you make an effort to remind yourself that the engine is hanging off the back you just don't feel it. very different then the 997 (as each 911 iteration has minimized this attribute over prior).
Sport exhaust? OMG. The exhaust ranks as the most shockingly positive surprise. Porsche has actually spent some time on the accustics of the exhaust and has come up with something that is, shall we say, Italian. The always wonderful noises from the flat six are now joined by a symphony of bellows, cracks, crackles, and burbles, especially on overrun - any overrun. Dawdle in 2nd at 3,000 rpm, lift off, and bark, pop, burble. Get into it and move up and down the gears? Superlative.
Steering and handling. Perhaps the area that comes in for the most scrutiny. The electrc steering is different - no question. In the Cayman you feel everything - pebbles, even the slightly raised surface of paint marks on the road - you're one with the car and one with the road. The level of tactile feedback in the 991 is nowhere near what we're used to from the 987/997 - and that is a shame - the 991 really is a step backward in this one crucial regard. That said, the steering in the 991 is extraordinarily precise - choose a line, turn the wheel, and follow the trajectory - the car is PLANTED! With PDCC the corning is flat, very little body movement.
Rear leg room is up slightly. Nobody over ten would ever be comfortable in the back - even for a few minutes - but for those under ten it is now passable. Love the new sunroof. The new design eliminates wind buffeting - got the car up to 145kph and I can verify no buffeting and little wind noise. If it weren't for the exhaust you could now have a normal conversation with the sunroof open.
All in all a great experience. Wouldn't say goodbye to the Cayman for one, but if my wife allowed me to retain the Cayman as the pure toy, the 991 would make for a great short-trip weekend family car (at least for a few years until my daughter gets older). If on ethe scale of 1 - 10, the Cayman is an 8, and the 458 is a 9.5, I'd rate the 991 a 9.
Really nice and candid review. Very much appreciated.
Your observations on the steering feedback are very interesting and I think the most pertinent point of your whole review.
Cheers,
Steve
I, too, enjoyed your insightful review, friedman.
I'm a former 2007 Cayman S owner (stick) who switched in 2009 to a 997.2 with PDK and Sports Chrono.
My test car was also an "S" and equally well equipped as yours. I agree in nearly all points with your assessments, but I like to add a few observations:
I drove the car on a windy day and was surprised that the sunroof's front wind deflector, which supressed buffeting excellently, caused a constant loud whooshing sound (the sunroof in my car was considerably more quiet under the same conditions).
Also, I noticed a slight howling noise when the sunroof was fully opened. I think it came from the front edge of the open sunroof, which, since the roof opens outward, is more exposed to the headwind. This seems to produce some kind of flute effect at certain vehicle and wind speeds.
I also liked the steering at speed. It was precise but less nervous on rougher road surfaces. However, my test mule had 'Power Steering Plus' and I really disliked the way the steering quickly got lighter when transitioning into low speeds.
Even though I do like the interior, I noticed that the door armrest is a too far out to comfortably rest my left elbow on it during long boring freeway rides. It works perfectly in my 997.2.
P.S. Need to update my avatar...
