CGT & 918 Meet
08-09-2015, 10:23 AM
#16
Racer
Thread Starter
I had 90 mins in a 918 yesterday and i'm sure this will be a controversial post...especially as i am a GT owner.
The 918 is absolutely perfect in that it's fast, stunning and does everything you want of it with extremely accessible speed and comfort with field leading components and an interior that makes you feel at home straight away. The infotainment system is very easy to use with no prior knowledge and the Burmester sound system is incredible.
After 90 minutes in the car I came away VERY disappointed after recently being upset that i hadn't upgraded to one and i'll give a few of my thoughts as to why:
What initially shocked me was the smoothness over the gear changes - you literally cannot feel either upshifts or downshifts. I was amazed and i'm sure this is due to the torque from the electric motors. What this does is make the car hyper-reactive with acceleration and is incredibly quick as expected. The negative to this is that as a result it has absolutely no feel - you do not feel at one with the car nor that you have much input - the car is too clever and too heavy to sense what's going on.
And here comes the controversial aspect of my post: It is not a drivers car. The car is clearly designed to be used in auto - the paddles click rather than pull like on its competitors and it loses the driver interaction as a result. Don't get me wrong, the 918 is a phenomenal car in that you can take the roof off, cruise and enjoy your surroundings, be faster than almost any other car out there and be able to accomplish all of this with a coffee in your hand whilst doing it. Similarly you could throw that coffee out and take it around a track faster than almost any other car out there but for enthusiasts that want to be able to learn and master a car and appreciate the challenge in doing so i believe many will agree that the car does not tick the box for interaction and fun. The car becomes a computer game - the 918 lacks character and feels clinical which is something i didn't expect, especially at this price range. My Speciale which also has a flappy paddle gearbox is far more fun and wild than the 918. It also has far more feel, sounds better and brakes just as well...so why have they engineered this out of the 918?
Quick thoughts on a few areas:
The brakes were phenomenal.
Electric mode - incredible especially with the torque.
Looks - amazing - better than the GT.
Quality - wow - what attention to detail...except why can't you see the engine...what a shame.
Sound - very average unless at full wide open throttle (my speciale stock sounds better, let alone with the capristo) and the 918 doesn't have a patch on the CGT.
My summary::
I honestly think the car strokes the ego (price and hypercar status) more than the senses. The car would be PERFECT in congested Cities and on road trips - you can just hop in and go without having to think about anything other than making sure you don't go more than three times the speed limit in the blink of a few seconds. I would LOVE to add one to my collection but i wouldn't trade my GT against it for the simple fact that the pair compliment each other perfectly. I would want to take the 918 to the track and have the GT waiting for me to take on. Similarly for an early morning Sunday blast where you'd be sure to have no traffic the GT would always be my first choice - it's a special car but is only best enjoyed where you have lots of corners and no traffic as it is a PITA in traffic as you have to constantly pay attention to when the traffic lights will change, anticipate each input etc - you must concentrate. However this does all add to that experience...the CGT really does decimate the 918 in terms interaction, driver fun and the feeling that what you're driving is truly special and I really didn't expect to come away with those thoughts when comparing it to the 918.
The 918 is absolutely perfect in that it's fast, stunning and does everything you want of it with extremely accessible speed and comfort with field leading components and an interior that makes you feel at home straight away. The infotainment system is very easy to use with no prior knowledge and the Burmester sound system is incredible.
After 90 minutes in the car I came away VERY disappointed after recently being upset that i hadn't upgraded to one and i'll give a few of my thoughts as to why:
What initially shocked me was the smoothness over the gear changes - you literally cannot feel either upshifts or downshifts. I was amazed and i'm sure this is due to the torque from the electric motors. What this does is make the car hyper-reactive with acceleration and is incredibly quick as expected. The negative to this is that as a result it has absolutely no feel - you do not feel at one with the car nor that you have much input - the car is too clever and too heavy to sense what's going on.
And here comes the controversial aspect of my post: It is not a drivers car. The car is clearly designed to be used in auto - the paddles click rather than pull like on its competitors and it loses the driver interaction as a result. Don't get me wrong, the 918 is a phenomenal car in that you can take the roof off, cruise and enjoy your surroundings, be faster than almost any other car out there and be able to accomplish all of this with a coffee in your hand whilst doing it. Similarly you could throw that coffee out and take it around a track faster than almost any other car out there but for enthusiasts that want to be able to learn and master a car and appreciate the challenge in doing so i believe many will agree that the car does not tick the box for interaction and fun. The car becomes a computer game - the 918 lacks character and feels clinical which is something i didn't expect, especially at this price range. My Speciale which also has a flappy paddle gearbox is far more fun and wild than the 918. It also has far more feel, sounds better and brakes just as well...so why have they engineered this out of the 918?
Quick thoughts on a few areas:
The brakes were phenomenal.
Electric mode - incredible especially with the torque.
Looks - amazing - better than the GT.
Quality - wow - what attention to detail...except why can't you see the engine...what a shame.
Sound - very average unless at full wide open throttle (my speciale stock sounds better, let alone with the capristo) and the 918 doesn't have a patch on the CGT.
My summary::
I honestly think the car strokes the ego (price and hypercar status) more than the senses. The car would be PERFECT in congested Cities and on road trips - you can just hop in and go without having to think about anything other than making sure you don't go more than three times the speed limit in the blink of a few seconds. I would LOVE to add one to my collection but i wouldn't trade my GT against it for the simple fact that the pair compliment each other perfectly. I would want to take the 918 to the track and have the GT waiting for me to take on. Similarly for an early morning Sunday blast where you'd be sure to have no traffic the GT would always be my first choice - it's a special car but is only best enjoyed where you have lots of corners and no traffic as it is a PITA in traffic as you have to constantly pay attention to when the traffic lights will change, anticipate each input etc - you must concentrate. However this does all add to that experience...the CGT really does decimate the 918 in terms interaction, driver fun and the feeling that what you're driving is truly special and I really didn't expect to come away with those thoughts when comparing it to the 918.
08-12-2015, 08:01 PM
#17
I feel what you experienced as a passenger in my car was not the ultimate expression of the cars capabilities to be fair mate. Driving you from Joe Macari to Notting hill mostly in traffic just was not going to give you the thrill you were expecting.
I am not jumping in to try to defend my car here at all. The whole time I was driving the car and LaBrit was asking me about it I replied that I was indifferent and that the car just was not that exciting to drive. LaBrit has the pleasure of knowing me reasonably well by now and he knows the smile I get when behind the wheel of my speciale or 599 GTO. The 918 even with the top down on that particular day just was not setting my pants on fire...
I'll try to explain why...
1.
The car is very solid and very weighty in feel. At low speeds although razor sharp the car can feel a bit numb. i think many modern Porsches feel like this at first (new 991 RS included) however push them and they come alive. As you know in a speciale it does not matter what speed your are going, the car is alive and brimming with feel.
Now when a Ferrari fizzes and vibrates I'm sure a Porsche engineer would just laugh and say it's put together badly.. Well that may be partly true, or it may be possible that slack is built in to the car for purely emotive reasons ? I had an interesting few drinks with one of the owners of the BAC Mono after a track day recently. We were talking about the speciale and how much it rolled. He absolutely raved about the time he drove one around a track and commented the reason why they roll so much is because of the sensation the driver gets. You could argue the same about the tight steering rack on the speciale, some say nervous.. Others get a hard on....
2.
The way the power delivery works is it offers all the torque from the motor straight away, obviously before the engine has come to song at all. This gives you a great shove without much noise or vibration (emotion?) coming from the engine. This is the biggest weakness of the car imv. It's just too good around town. Too easy, manageable and comfortable. It makes no noise and would be a wallflower if it didn't look like it came directly from outer space. I'd love a bit more emotion and madness here. I would have liked a mode which limits engine torque to give you a more revvy requirement low down then lay the torque on thick up top but Porsche thought better.
However:
I did 400 miles in the car on Sunday. It blew my mind. Nothing and I mean nothing shifts like the 918 does. The way it lays its power on has to be experienced to be believed. It is so fast and has so much traction, offers buckets of feel and excitement. You just need the right roads for the car. The noise it makes when really on it and the way the flick through the gears is just sensational. Forget all other cars you have tried as you just have to appreciate the way the 918 does its job of going ****ing fast! Let's get out of London soon and do this properly. I have a track day coming up very soon and a Eurotrip too.
Seriously loving the car, just don't compare it to a CGT they couldn't really be any different .
I am not jumping in to try to defend my car here at all. The whole time I was driving the car and LaBrit was asking me about it I replied that I was indifferent and that the car just was not that exciting to drive. LaBrit has the pleasure of knowing me reasonably well by now and he knows the smile I get when behind the wheel of my speciale or 599 GTO. The 918 even with the top down on that particular day just was not setting my pants on fire...
I'll try to explain why...
1.
The car is very solid and very weighty in feel. At low speeds although razor sharp the car can feel a bit numb. i think many modern Porsches feel like this at first (new 991 RS included) however push them and they come alive. As you know in a speciale it does not matter what speed your are going, the car is alive and brimming with feel.
Now when a Ferrari fizzes and vibrates I'm sure a Porsche engineer would just laugh and say it's put together badly.. Well that may be partly true, or it may be possible that slack is built in to the car for purely emotive reasons ? I had an interesting few drinks with one of the owners of the BAC Mono after a track day recently. We were talking about the speciale and how much it rolled. He absolutely raved about the time he drove one around a track and commented the reason why they roll so much is because of the sensation the driver gets. You could argue the same about the tight steering rack on the speciale, some say nervous.. Others get a hard on....
2.
The way the power delivery works is it offers all the torque from the motor straight away, obviously before the engine has come to song at all. This gives you a great shove without much noise or vibration (emotion?) coming from the engine. This is the biggest weakness of the car imv. It's just too good around town. Too easy, manageable and comfortable. It makes no noise and would be a wallflower if it didn't look like it came directly from outer space. I'd love a bit more emotion and madness here. I would have liked a mode which limits engine torque to give you a more revvy requirement low down then lay the torque on thick up top but Porsche thought better.
However:
I did 400 miles in the car on Sunday. It blew my mind. Nothing and I mean nothing shifts like the 918 does. The way it lays its power on has to be experienced to be believed. It is so fast and has so much traction, offers buckets of feel and excitement. You just need the right roads for the car. The noise it makes when really on it and the way the flick through the gears is just sensational. Forget all other cars you have tried as you just have to appreciate the way the 918 does its job of going ****ing fast! Let's get out of London soon and do this properly. I have a track day coming up very soon and a Eurotrip too.
Seriously loving the car, just don't compare it to a CGT they couldn't really be any different .
Last edited by Woppum; 08-12-2015 at 08:18 PM.
08-13-2015, 02:04 AM
#19
LA Brit, you wrote a review of the 918 after being a passenger for 90 minutes? Interesting.
I usually like to drive a car to form an opinion. Maybe your friend will let you drive it out in the country sometime.
Cheers
I usually like to drive a car to form an opinion. Maybe your friend will let you drive it out in the country sometime.
Cheers
08-13-2015, 02:36 PM
#22
I think if you have to choose between the 918 or Cgt it would be fairly straightforward. They are totally and utterly different, why many people have both. People I suppose compare them because they were the pinnacle of what Porsche decided to make at the time, however to be honest you might as well be comparing a 959 to a CGT easy to do but respectfully pointless.
08-13-2015, 03:15 PM
#23
^^^^ very true words there