996 Carrera vs 996 Turbo. Driving comparisons. Ongoing .....

Calling anyone that's done a decent amount of driving in both a normally aspirated, non-GT, 996 AND a 996 Turbo. Any comparisons between the two (pros and cons etc) would be welcome. Thanks in advance :thumb: EDIT = Updated on 19th May 2013 when I felt able to contribute personally.

I switched last November after 12 months with a C4S cab that had to have an engine rebuild. Obviously sitting in the car is not much different but once on the move - well ,what can I say. The turbo really does have amazing performance when road conditions allow or you can waft along the motorways and return around 27 - 28mpg. Besides the impressive grunt the main pro for me is the peace of mind provided by an engine which is generally considered to be pretty much bullet-proof so my former Porsche paranoia is now a distant memory. OK, I know it's still going to be an expensive car to run but, hell, I'm driving what has been my dream car since I was in my late teens. Priceless!

Bazza456 - is the torque delivery progressive or is the boost like an on/off switch? I had a modified B5 RS4 a while ago and the torque delivery was savage which could prove... challenging if it happened mid-corner or on a roundabout.

I have found power delivery to be pretty progressive but have to admit I have only driven the car for a few hundred miles so far. It certainly is not an on/off switch and at road legal speeds the car is a real pussy cat. But drop down a cog or two and hang onto your hat!

I'd say the boost is fairly progressive in that you wouldn't or shouldn't get caught out. Both the 996 and 997 turbo feel agonisingly slow before the turbos kick in, but believe me this is only an illusion :grin:

Thanks. Very helpful. For me it has to be a comfortable car to do long distances in, i.e. not at all like my RS4. That felt decidedly sluggish off-boost (heavy car and relatively small engine I suppose) and then it lurched into warp speed at about 3.5k RPM. It was very difficult to modulate the power.

I find my turbo very easy and safe when "going for it" lol, some have even complained that the 996t is a little too easy and boring to drive hard - cant say I've ever found mine boring !! !!! I must admit , I get a little irritated with it on long journeys , would rather use my golf on 100 mile plus trips , but then I am on the large side I guess , if its excitement your want - get a 996 gt2 :hand:

Sorry OP bit off topic.. :nooo: I to had B5 RS4's and now run a 550+ 996 (in noggy liked it so much on the RS) The two cars are night and day apart the 996 is a massive step forward on all points.. Apart from load lugging.... Back on topic.. If you track your car a NA car is better for feel but for road use the feel should be less important. Lets just say The turbo reduces significantly the time exposed to danger when overtaking.... Hope it helps... Darren.

Two very different cars is all I can say. The Turbo is absolutely phenomenal. The boost is progressive and not at all like an on/off switch. It was my dream car since I was a student at University and I'm glad my forst Porsche is a Turbo and not a C4S whihc was also in the front-runner list for me. I stepped up on the budget and the first foray into Porsche was the Turbo - I just knew that for the sake of £6-£8k extra if I had got the C4S I would have kicked myself the next day and said to myself "I should have got the Turbo" and of course I don't have that paranoia over mechanical issues with the NA cars. But let me tell you the Turbo apart from being an awesome beast, is an expensive car whichever way you look at it and I'd hazard a guess and say probably less forgiving to anyone who skimps on servicing, advisory items and tries to run it on a shoe-string budget. Anyone who indulges in any of these be warnned - it might come back to bite you really hard. Stay on top of the maintenance, fix the advisories before they get bigger problems and enjoy the beast. And likewise, if you're in the market to buy one, look for one with a careful enthusiast owner who has stayed on top of everything and can show an impecable service history with advisories having been done and not ignored just to get the stamp in the service book. Also there are a lot of knackered (klop-klop) shire horse turbos out there - so take care, take your time and find the right one. A knackered one can be a bottomless money-pit. It is very easy to rack up a £5k maintenance bill in the first year of ownership with the wrong car. Guess pretty much the same for any high performance prestige brand and not unique to Porsche Turbos.

Talking of running costs , I'd say my 996t is possibly the cheapest car to run I've ever owned - taking depreciation into account of course .

I can't really comment about the NA as I only had a couple of test drives in them. I'm probably not best placed to comment on the Turbo either seeing as I've only owned mine for a week, but I'll throw my 2p in. Mine is a Tip, in case that makes any difference. At town speeds and residential areas it is as easy to drive as a Fiesta or Corsa, no issues at all. It has coped with all my local speed bumps (no aero kit on mine), without scratching or scraping anything. When I hit the loud pedal the turbo kicking in is very smooth and progressive as opposed to a shunt up the back end. I think more importantly, its very easy to keep "on the boil". Last Sunday I went for a run round the dales, I spent all afternoon with Manual selected and just flicking between 2nd and 3rd. It wasn't a case of slowing down then having the turbo's spool up again. To be honest apart from the boost gauge showing the instrument cluster and the sound I wouldn't have known that it was a turbo from the cars behaviour. Not sure where you are Terry but if your heading oop north anytime your welcome to come and have a play in mine. /edit filter is blocking F L I C K I N G? Must be some perverted minds on this forum

997 Turbo.

Having only driven the Turbo, I can only offer an opinion on that car. Mine is a tip, which could possibly cloud the issue a little. The car's performance is very progressive, almost too sensible. Below 100 mph, it feels like a push from behind, not aggressive but very controlled. Above about 90-100, it feels like it is rolling up it's sleeves and saying "Right, you want to go fast then do you?..." It really starts to assert it's authority at these speeds and upwards. The only time it catches me out, is if I drive it like a normally aspirated engine. When 'balancing' the car mid corner, it does not like open-shut-open-shut type behavior on the the throttle. This results in what feels like about 1 bar of boost instantaneously, before the wastegates settle back to 0.8. It is aggressive then! Other than that, the car is absolutely immense to drive, really well sorted. I do however, hanker after driving a N/A car but due to my wheelchair, that would be really difficult to achieve.

i have driven the C4S and I have an X50...i love the sound of the NA engine but the turbo is in a different league when it comes to performance (as you would expect given how much it cost)...depends whether you crave supercar performance (ie the turbo) or a v good sports car (any 996). btw dont drive the turbo first or you will want one!

I have driven a C4S and own a turbo. I didn't drive the C4S for very long and it was a few years ago so I can't really make any comparisons... I also think that driving sensation is a personal view.. so get out there and drive both and see what you think... ...Then buy the turbo