abiazis

I drove the new 991 S with PDK and everything seemed really muted........for lack of a better word.....

My 2003 C4S even seemed to be more involving than the 991.....as is my 993...

The car drives extremely smooth, stable, handled nicely, sneaky fast (but not scary fast like a turbo - got it up to 105 on an open road) and will do about anything you ask it to do, albeit uneventfully..........BUT....was not really that much fun to drive............a luxury GT feeling for sure, i.e. like an Aston......car is almost too perfect, which is not a bad thing, but the sports car feeling is just not there for me anyways....

I did not leave the dealer with a WOW special type feeling..........but I dearly wanted to.....was truly not excited after a 30 minute test ride....

Hopped back into my 993 and enjoyed the challenge.....maybe I would have to run the car all out and punish it a bit before appreciating the 991.....maybe higher limits to exact the brilliance out of the car?

Any other 993ers test drive the 991 yet/comment?

nile13

My opinion of a sports car evolution from Porsche:

- PDK with buttons to shift "just like a manual".
- Button for "cool sounding" exhaust notes via speakers and subwoofer.
- Button for rough seat massage to approximate the feel of connection to the road
- Button for seat back recline hitting you in the back to approximate acceleration
- Button for seat back recline to drop an inch backwards to approximate hard braking
- Button on CCU to flow air above the customer's bold spot to approximate convertible effect

Am I forgetting anything?

abiazis

Nile.....you are pretty close in approximating how I felt after the ride......

The car felt like any other expensive 2 seater to me - uniqueness, other than engine position is gone, it seems.......have to see how it wears on me...........base models used to thrill, now it appears that a 911 turbo, GTS or GT 3 series car has to be explored for more rawness......have to go test drive a Cayman S......

911Dave

Just as anticipated, it's become a 2 door Panamera. I drove the Panamera and it delivers a driving experience no different than my father's Chrysler 300C.

nile13

Andrew, I think that what happens is that the cars actually get better and better. a vase 997 can run circles around a 993 at an autocross course (I've tried, it's obvious). But the visceral feel of the car is going, going, gone.

Although many would argue that a 993 doesn't have a feel of a long hooded 911 and they will also be right.

Sacardus

Drove the 991 C2S PDK on Saturday and reached a similar conclusion. Overall very fast, sophisticated and refined. But really missed the rawness of my 993. Agree with the reference to 2-seat Panamera above. I would still go with a 991 over an Aston.

axl911

What is this lack of rawness everyone is talking about? Does it drive like a Honda? The differences between my 993 and my Acura TL are the power, the steering feel & feedback, less body roll, nimbler because of less weight, and the engine noise.

I test drove a 997 /w sport suspension a bit back, and it was downright harsh with the sport suspension.

IS my 993 missing its rawness?

RollingArt

Like the old saying go's

More fun to drive a slow car fast than to drive a fast car slow!

skl2

Exactly. My Dad and I drive up to Road America every year and have been doing it since the early 90's (he has been going since the 60's!!)...I have always looked forward to the drive more than anything, because we would take a "fun car" and there are some incredible back roads. When I finally started being able to drive, it was a dream come true. We would take different cars every year and go like crazy on the back roads. When he got his first GT3, I couldn't sleep for a week prior to the trip. On the trip, we had a blast, but got to the track feeling a little different. The GT3 was so fast, its limits so high, we never really felt like we could get anywhere close to testing them. It left us kind of wanting to go get a tricked out 914 or 993 we had and drive that because we could really hang it out. In the end, we probably covered ground twice as fast, but never felt like the rawness of it due to the dynamics of the car.

NP993

This +10

The newer cars absolutely are faster and more capable than a 993. But you can't explore the performance on public roads. It's like having a supercomputer with a dial-up connection. What's the point?

cgfen

yup+

I prefer to drive the 993 over the 997 for nearly everything other than possible stop-n-go traffic situations.

997 is much quicker / faster / techno-ier
993 is much "funner"

991 is built for a different target demographic or one that also has "older" P cars also.

Craig

the 997 IS easier to wash since its more aero.

Cactus

Thats why you have both(if you can afford it) the 993 for fun and the 991 when you pal up the missus and head on a long trip.

mjsporsche

The 991 is an outstanding vehicle.

Every generation is an improvement in the factors that the majority of the car buyers are looking for. If Porsche designed their new models for the "1%" who want the feel, technology and challenge of driving older Porsches, the company would be out of business. Every decision made by Porsche is a thoughtful, strategic and calculated move. A hiccup or two along the way but they know what they are doing.

It won't be long before Porsche only sells Hybrids if the 99% market says that is what they want.

Quadcammer

I think thats the key. The limits are clearly much higher and it makes it more difficult to reach these limits on the street, making it seem like its just snoozing a bit.

Ok, no. I have to question your judgment if you think a panamera drives like a 300c.

Mine must be too. Yes, it has some steering feedback, but its comfortable, very easy to drive, and fairly quite. With lowered aftermarket suspensions, it can be more raw i suppose, but 991s can get aftermarket suspensions too.



Then why don't we all drive 73 911s or 912s even? I certainly wouldn't want to give up my turbos engine for an NA car.

911Dave

I said the driving experience was no different; not that they have the same capabilities. Have you driven both?