First 996 Test Drive Impressions

I currently drive a 2002 BMW 330Ci Sport which I love. This is my weekend car which occasionally see's HPDE and AutoX events during the summer. Even though I love the car, I have always loved the look of the 911. So I went to test drive one that had been traded in to a Mercedes dealer nearby. I'm not so sure this was a good example and remember folks on this board saying to drive a couple examples as they are all a little different. It was a Black 2003 6 Spd with 28K miles on it. Beautiful car! I was able to get into a comfortable driving position very quickly in this car which says a lot of the interior design. Very cool having that large tach in my face too. I was pretty much sold on the car just sitting in there with the engine running. It was hot here near Boston, 95 degrees so the sales guy who rode along quickly engaged the A/C. The engine felt tight and not so free revving as if it were yet to be broken in. Does the A/C really rob this car of it's power? I drove a little with the A/C off and it felt a little more responsive but still tight. I had been shifting around 4K - 5K should I have been shifting closer to redline or something? I expected the clutch pedal effort to be higher than my BMW but this one was pretty tough. I know this because I nearly pushed the clutch pedal to the floor when I got back in my car to leave. There may have been a problem with the slave cylinder or fluid bleeding. After the friction point and the gear was engaged, there was this odd grabby feel in the pedal and then a click where the pedal would go lighter at the top of the throw right before I lifted my foot from the pedal. What is that all about? The actual engagement and shifting was fine but do all 911's have this peculiar clutch feel? Come to think of it, the car had no braking power. I had to nail the brakes to stop. I know they flushed the brake fluid on this car so maybe they didn't bleed the system properly. Are the clutch hydraulics shared with the brakes? I drove down some local roads and some highway and could tell that the stock suspension was excellent. Tight but compliant. I was not able to push it in the turns because there was some traffic plus I was not confident in the brakes but it did feel good. I was probably going faster than I thought but I could not verify this with the speedo being off to the left. I can get used to that. I was just disoriented I guess. When the ride was over, I spoke to the sales guy a little and got in my car to drive home. I felt happy to be in my responsive car and kept replaying the ride in the 911. This HAD to be a bad example, right? I know so many of you come from M3s and other performance cars so i guess I just need to drive more 911's to get the impression I was looking for. Anyone else have any first drive comments they want to share?

Drive a few others. Yes the clutch feel has a lot to be desired as they put in booster spring in there that makes the pressure point difficult to feel. I wrote a post a few years back how to remove it and make it feel correct. Many have done this easy mod and like it. The brakes normally feel terrific, it's possible this had new pads that were just put on and not bedded in yet. I've driven several Boxsters and 996s and the brakes are always right there.

drive another car

Your senses and actions with a witness onboard? It all changes with nobody to worry about. The a/c isn't any problem once you are in the higher revs it seems. I kind of notice a little better responce when in lower rpms when accelerating. I'm sure you were taking it easy. The 911's wont force you to romp around town untill after you buy one. Then you are the slave. Just keep shopping till you find one you are sure of. The brakes aren't instant on hard core for a reason. Try braking at high speed with common power brakes on US cars and you'll go out of control. Believe me keep pushing a little harder and you'll stop real quick. It's 100' full stop from 60mph if my memory is correct.

edit: what I meant to say is... buck up boy, this aint the bimmer wolrd J/K

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You tell him man. No ***** footing around Gee force. You gotta live up to your name. I want to call up that dealer and ask for another test drive. Then mount a video camera or have the passenger hold it. Next you just go for broke and find out exactly what that car does best and why it's the number one winner around the world. Buckle up and no backing down. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cX-3...eature=channel

Your impressions mirror mine the first time I test drove a 911. Heavy clutch, hard brake pedal. I came from a E90 335i. I test drove 3 from the same dealership and after a while became comfortable with both the clutch and the brakes. Remember that this really is a street racing car. Effort is higher than the BMW's. I ended up buying a 996 and trading my 335i. I've never been happier. I don't miss the comfort access, much less the TPMS that drove me crazy at times and certainly not the self dimming rear view mirror which I hated (In Porsches you can disable them if so desired). They are real driver's cars. No looking back for me!

I'll echo the sentiment to drive at least a few more 996's. My car has awesome brakes, with great feel and modulation. My wife used to drive a BMW 525i that had pretty good brakes too, but they certainly were much less progressive in their application than any of my Porsches. They had huge bite at even light application, which I had to learn to adapt to; it was harder to modulate those brakes than on my 996. Press hard on my 996's brake pedal and the car will stop VERY quickly! As for the clutch pedal...I had a Ford F-150 pickup with a clutch for many years, so I have never, ever considered the clutch on my 996 to be anything near heavy. It does have a strange feel that makes it difficult to feel the engagement of the clutch; I've stalled it at lights many, many times (I just did it yesterday with my wife in her Cayman stuck behind me while I had to restart the car). In this regard, I GREATLY prefer the clutch feel of my old '84 911 - that car has great clutch feel. It's been hot in SoCal lately, so I've been using the air conditioning. I've noticed a little sluggishness in the power of the engine with the AC on (very slight). If I turn it off for a second and try again, the sluggishness goes away. Try a few cars.

These car's are more raw then the smooth sailing 330ci! You might have had a poor example of a Porsche... First time I sat in a 4S and started the engine at a local P dealer, I shocked to see how rough it was. Idle was all out of wack.... but I knew that specific 4S was neglected and had higher mileage. It all depends on it's history and how it was treated. Mine is running perfect and I'm enjoying every minute of it! The 330ci was smoother, but this is a real machine!

I believe that the computer disengages the AC automatically at full throttle so you get all the power where it belongs! Pete

I had the same impression the 1st time I test drove a 996, the brakes felt heavy, you have to apply more pressure to the pedal. The reason is that Porsche has less power assist than BMWs and other brands. but the brakes are the best in the business, you will get used to it in a few miles.The clutch will also feel stiffer, remember a 911 its a sports car.

I am surprised at all the "heavy brakes" comments heavy clutch I understand because so many econ box clutches are as light as a motorcycle, but the brakes? come on... they feel wonderful (to me) - nothing worse than Mom's Buick with the mushy soft over boosted brakes that give zero feedback - you guys didnt thing the steering was too heavy... or the key was too heavy ?

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lol.... well the *** is a bit overweight!! but I don't mind coming from a BMW, the brakes did feel a bit heavy... I got used to them and unfortunatly I didn't need to apply them to the max yet. But when I do, i'm sure they will stop on a dime! 100%, I have a lot of confidence in my car and it feels like a Tank! The 330ci felt a bit more delicate. Like mentioned above, the 911 is a sports car, therefore, you do loose some of the comfort. It's well worth it though!

??? didnt NEED to apply max brake yet ??? I am fairly certain I applied max braking everyday in the 996 (and the 86') I engaged the ABS at almost everyday, multiple times... and I threshold brake the 86 the same way...hell, I have fun and drive the car - just find those little opening with no people around and DO IT !! (no need to break laws or be wreckless, but I think usig the systems keeps you sharp for when you need them)

You 3 series commuter car lovers are perhaps confusing braking power with initial bite. Others can go into greater detail, but essentially my advice to you guys is man up.

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I had the same type of complaints when I test drove my first 911. I also didn't like the fact that the steering wheel didn't tilt! But after you drive a Porsche for a while, you understand why they are designed the way they are. They responsiveness is WAY better than the BMW. You are more in control of the car, and the feedback is correct. -td

All I remember from my test drive is how great I thought the brakes were, and how I felt when downshifting on the highway at 50mph and flooring it.... I'm on my 3rd x5 but I never drove a 3 series so I have nothing to compare this to... with this last x5 (my11 50i) BMW finally got the brakes right... they feel 1000% better then previous models.

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Power really only comes on at about 3800 rpm. So shifting at 4-5k really is pointless. The car must have felt pretty slow. The clutch is heavy but feels like perfection. Of coarse there is a night vs day difference between a new clutch and a old clutch. Old clutches are a lot more heavy. The A/C on/off doesn't effect performance at all. The only thing it effects is the noise it makes which can drone out the engine noise, specially on a car without sports exhaust. The sound really psychologically does make you feel like it has more power.

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Yes, take it toward redline, it really comes alive and wants to be 5k-7k for performance. (Just warn/tell the sales guy riding with you, don't surprise them....) Turn the a/c off and open the windows as the a/c does rob a bit and also the compressor raises the idle rpm. My A3 Sport has much more grabby brakes (sport pads), but my 996 still stops better.

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Classic comments coming from a luxo ride. This is a sports car, not grandmas grocery-getter!!!! You need feedback and that is what you are experiencing. M3 and your cars' brakes are way more sensitive than 996 brakes.

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You heard it here, the M3 has female personality traits.

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That was a GREAT vid! thanks! :-) I just added it to my facebook page..lol

if its egas.... the computer knows the load of the AC, and knows how much more gas to give for a more consistent feel of the pedal.... brilliant engineering.

OP here: Thanks to all of you for your excellent insight and comments. I totally get it now. This is a sports car and every action the driver takes needs to be deliberate. The car i drove was probably fine. Now I understand that weird feel in the clutch pedal travel. It was the helper spring! I knew something was in there. Thanks for cluing me in on that. I found the thread about removing it but it was 19 pages long! It was also very helpful to hear from those who came from BMWs as this was what I was comparing my senses to. And of course I get the fact that this is a Porsche board so thanks for not flaming me! My plan is to test drive another 996 when it's not so warm out, windows down and A/C off. I will drive the car like it was meant to be driven warning the sales guy first of course. I can't wait to push it now that I know what to expect and look for. This is an awesome board and I look forward to being a member for many years to come. Thanks again to all of you!

Well, you can drive it "like it was meant to" and as well you should, but know that the 996 is also known for a smooth and docile ride at "around town" speeds. It is a perfect Daily Driver. MPG will of course be lower than your Bimmer.

Just make sure the engine has come up to full operating temp first.

Now, if you really want a great experience, drive a Cab with the top down. I'm unsure if it gets any better than this, except with PSE. (Porsche Sport Exhaust)

Do your self a favor and drive several 911s...then you should know whether a Porsche fits your expectations of handling, braking, power, ride etc. If you don't like the Porsche 'feel' then don't buy one, and find another brand that does. GL