Manifold

I'll probably get flamed, but I had a chance to test drive the 991 GT3 on the road this morning, and I wanted to share my honest report.

In a word, I was underwhelmed.

I drove it on a combination of local roads, [twisty] roads, and highway, legal to spirited speeds. Car wasn't broken in, so I kept it under 5500 rpm. Tried all combinations of settings as far as manual mode, normal PDK auto, and PDK sport; sport exhaust off an on; dampers normal and sport.

Overall, I think my 997.1 C2S and Cayman R are more visceral, fun, and engaging for road use, and manual transmission was a part of that. By comparison, the GT3 felt almost like a luxury car, certainly comfy for a DD, but really lacking a thrill factor at road speeds. I don't doubt that it would come alive more at higher speeds, but I'm not willing to drive any car that fast on the road, for reasons of safety and speeding tickets.

On the track, obviously it's damn fast. But would it be more fun than a 997 GT3 or even my 997.1 C2S (which has track suspension) or our Cayman R? I can't say without trying it on track, and if I ever get that chance, maybe I'll be convinced to get one, but I definitely need to drive it on track to be convinced.

Some specifics:

- Steering feel was just OK, certainly not as good as the 997 GT3, and I think not even as good as my 997 and our Cayman.

- Ride is comfy on the road, with both damper settings.

- Didn't notice the RWS at all. And there's no special feeling of better turn-in at road speeds either. It's fine, but so are other cars.

- Engine sound starts to get nice at 5K rpm, and I imagine awesome beyond that. And torque doesn't really begin to kick in until about 5K rpm either (unlike 997, which kicks in at more like 3500 rpm)

Bottom line, I think the car feels somewhat bland for road use, and there are better options for the road at lower cost, so I wouldn't buy one if I wasn't going to track it substantially. For the track, maybe it's the cat's meow (I don't doubt it), but I'd still want to try it on track before buying one, since I'd need to see that it adds enough fun factor over our other cars to justify the extra cost.

Sorry that I can't rave about the car, and I don't mean to hurt feelings of people who own and love it. If you love it, you love it, and I hope you continue to love it. I'm just putting this review out there for those who haven't made up their minds about the car, and might want to hear from someone coming from the perspective of having done a lot of track days in both a Cayman R and 997.1 C2S (and also briefly tracked a 997.2 GT3 and RS, as well as many older cars, including older 911s), as well as driving many of these cars on the street also.

orthojoe

Can't say I'm surprised. At legal street speeds I can't see the car being more exciting than the cars you are comparing to. The lack of a manual would certainly make street driving less exciting.

The car is made for the track. That is were I am anticipating it will come alive. That is where I will use the car mostly. 991 GT3 as a DD isn't the best choice, IMO.

If I were to pick one new car to use for everything (DD, track, weekend, groceries), it would be the Cayman GTS.

Zulu Alpha

Blasphemy, off with his head!

Seriously, interesting perspective. I was wondering when someone would come back with such a report and the thought behind it.

race7117

But would it be more fun than a 997 GT3 or even my 997.1 C2S (which has track suspension) or our Cayman R?

Yes, speed is all about confidence and this car breeds confidence everywhere on the track and for me on the road as well. I owned a 997.1S and drove a 997.2 GT3 extensively as well as Cayman R. This car blows them away on the track. I agree it is much more luxurious, I also think the PDK-S has a lot of nuances that need to be learned with time in the car. I just spent a day in a 997.2 S with 6speed and all I could think of is how the car felt less refined, unfinished compared to my GT3. I didn't feel more involved because it had a clutch pedal, it fact it felt old. Not vintage, not classic.......just old.
Like a fine wine the new GT3 requires more time and more experiences to truly appreciate it's splendor. The more time you spend with it the more it rewards both on the street and on the track. In fact I'm going to go for a drive right now!
Sorry you feel the way you do and glad you shared your experiences always a good thing to collect data and analyze from there. I'm not flaming you just a retort to maybe get some more seat time and really push the car as that is the only way you will see the beauty of this new car.

drh

Very sexy car, but I've been down the high rpm performance road before. A small bore motorcycle needs to be wrung out to ride properly. The 600cc road bikes need to be screamed to reach their potential. I prefer the larger bore bikes because I like torque and the immediate (safe) rush of power. I prefer my TT for that reason. It's a DD and I don't need to reach 5-9k to get a thrill.

But damn, the new GT3s are so beautiful, and that is a fact IMO.

hfm

Using just 61% of the revolution band may have something to do with your perspective. That's just a bit more than 1/2 of where the needle can go.

Dan (just had fun driving a Z car at 6.5k revs and looks forward to 9k)

frayed

At everyday speeds cars like this are problematic. Certain vintages of miatas are arguably more fun than the GT3 at the posted speed limits. Same with my 964 Turbo 3.6.

OTOH, my first 30 minutes with the car I was underwhelmed. Then by day 2 I was blown away. Kind of hard to explain, it takes a bit of time to get to know the car.

My Boxster loaner was the opposite. Loved it the minute I drove it off the lot and in the first curve I pitched it into. After two weeks it grew a bit bland. The GT3 is exactly the opposite.

Manifold

Interesting, would appreciate hearing more if you can find a way to articulate the basis for that feeling.

Like I said, I haven't ruled out getting the GT3 as some point, but given that I'm not willing to give up any of the current cars, I need to have some sort of WOW experience to justify adding the GT3, and I haven't had that experience yet.

I was actually signed up to instruct someone with a 991 GT3 months ago on track, but then the cars were recalled and he had to cancel. Serious bummer. That experience would likely have answered a lot of questions and maybe caused me to buy the car without hesitation.

reidry

After break-in I would think manual mode on a twisty road with the rpm at 8k in 1st or second would be pretty thrilling ��

jlanka

I don't think you can give a fair appraisal after saying this.

frayed

I think it's b/c I was expecting an other-worldly experience from the moment I rolled into traffic. That expectation coupled with shortshifting made it a "WTF have I done" moment quickly morphing into "what are my rights of contract rescission in TX" LOL.

See, I've had new GT3s in the past. And Ferraris. And as killer looking the GT3 is, I can easily strip away it's appearance, its presence, and get past the new car excitement quickly. So I didn't have that new car euphoria most people get.

Then after an hour of driving and then going into day 2, I exercised the engine a bit more, and as the tires got scrubbed in, I leaned on it harder. As I did, the car became far more animated. The way it absolutely claws for traction when accelerating over bumpy pavement, the boom of the upshifts in the higher revs, and how it feels mid-engined (almost) under exuberant driving (you can feel the rear engine-ness as you lean on it more and more). At the onset of understeer or oversteer the chassis tells you everything you need to know, even if the steering wheel is not as full of life at lower speeds than the 997 GT3 (but still much better than the Ferraris I've driven, which are precise but not terribly feelsome IMO).

The 997.1 Carrera S I owned, the Boxster loaner, and the regular 991's I've driven all lack the mechanical feel and immediacy that the 991 GT3 has.

I think a lot of the nuances the 991 GT3 delivers aren't apparent in a short test drive, but they become easily discernible and appreciated with a bit of seat time.

I don't find the car particularly luxurious though. On ****ty city streets it'll beat you pretty badly. After all it is more stiffly sprung than the 997 GT3. OTOH, its longer wheelbase and increased rigidity do translate into a decent ride on decent pavement, and low NVH levels compared to its 996 and 997 GT3 ancestors.

Manifold

You may be right, and I tried to qualify my review accordingly. OTOH, for road use, I'm not sure that often being at very high revs is realistic on the roads I routinely drive, given how fast the car will be even in 2nd gear.

BTW, I appreciate the non-flaming and I think all of the responses so far to my review are fair and reasonable. I recognize that one's perspective on the car can change after spending more time with it, and driving it in different situations, especially the track.

NateOZ

It'll be very easy to sell if you do buy it and decide you don't like it. The good thing about cars is they're much easier and less expensive to change than wives/girlfriends.

Manifold

Frayed, thanks for the perspective. Will keep all of that in mind as I look for opportunities to drive the car more and hopefully get to better appreciate its strengths. I'd love to find one that's broken in and dial it up more, but certainly wasn't going to do that with someone else's new car which was very generously () loaned to me for the test drive.

oc997

Totally agree you have not even got to the best part of the car and you would obviously will be underwhelmed on a high reving engine like this.