manual 981S compared to PDK 981S
03-04-2013, 08:29 AM
#1
manual 981S compared to PDK 981S
My GT3 is in for its hub recall, and OPC provided a 981S PDK as a loan car for a week. 981S has 20” Carrera Classic wheels with P Zero tyres, no Sport Chrono and no PASM.
The PDK gearbox is very impressive in Sport Mode (no Sport Plus). Shifts are near instantaneous with automatic throttle blipping on downshifts. You are always in the right gear with maximum power available if you are aggressive with the throttle. There is sometimes a slight delay when you floor the throttle in 6 or 7, but generally response is almost immediate. Even more fun to be had on manual mode though, as you are almost completely in control.
Engine spends quite a lot of time beyond 5.5k rpm. Result is that it feels like it has 50hp more than the manual 981S which I had for 4.5 months and 4500 miles. The coasting feature in normal mode is impressive on motorways, nearly imperceptible in operation, and instantaneous power back on when throttle is pressed. On the same 120 mile journey that I did in my manual 981S and driving in the same manner with similar traffic conditions, the PDK box returned 27.5mpg .. my manual 981S’s best was around 25mpg. And that is with the manual car spending less time in the higher rev ranges – somehow in manual car, I was less inclined to go high revs .. probably because you have to plan better, and time your down changes much more carefully.
Car also has MF steering wheel, which I despise. The push/pull switches on both sides are not ergonomically sound as it requires more contortions and thought with your thumbs and fingers that merely pulling sport design wheel paddles. Worse, the removal of the stalk for the PCM and replacement with an over sensitive thumbwheel really doesn’t work for me. It’s fiddly and too small. And I kept hitting it when changing gear, resulting in the right hand screen changing by mistake.
Compared to my manual 981S with 19” wheels and Goodyear F1 tyres, the PDK car’s ride is noticeably harsher (not uncomfortable, but bordering on it on really rough roads). Cabin noise with roof up is much worse than 19” wheels. It’s almost as bad as a 987S with 19” wheels. 981S with 19” wheels is so much quieter. Handling and chassis control is sharper, with none of the slight squishiness that the 19” wheels sometimes suffer from. However, PDK car can be a bit skittish at high speeds with big direction changes; something which my 19” wheels never suffered from.
If I was specifying a 981S again, I would probably go for 19” wheels and -20mm sports suspension.
I also missed BOSE’s rear speakers. PDK car has Sound Package Plus which only produces sound from the front, and the output is pretty poor. Clarity at high volumes suffer, as does bass. Not a patch on the BOSE system.
PDK has no leather interior and sports seats, with carbon fibre trim on dash and rear center console. CF trim is lovely, and you can see and feel the quality – and so you should bearing in mind the cost. Standard leather is coarse, and plastic all over the place makes the car ordinary. I also really missed the sports seats plus of my 981S; sports seats are too narrow and do not offer enough support on upper back and shoulders. First time I have not been able to get really comfortable in a Porsche.
Would I choose PDK or manual next time round? Very difficult question. I actually really don’t know.
The PDK gearbox is very impressive in Sport Mode (no Sport Plus). Shifts are near instantaneous with automatic throttle blipping on downshifts. You are always in the right gear with maximum power available if you are aggressive with the throttle. There is sometimes a slight delay when you floor the throttle in 6 or 7, but generally response is almost immediate. Even more fun to be had on manual mode though, as you are almost completely in control.
Engine spends quite a lot of time beyond 5.5k rpm. Result is that it feels like it has 50hp more than the manual 981S which I had for 4.5 months and 4500 miles. The coasting feature in normal mode is impressive on motorways, nearly imperceptible in operation, and instantaneous power back on when throttle is pressed. On the same 120 mile journey that I did in my manual 981S and driving in the same manner with similar traffic conditions, the PDK box returned 27.5mpg .. my manual 981S’s best was around 25mpg. And that is with the manual car spending less time in the higher rev ranges – somehow in manual car, I was less inclined to go high revs .. probably because you have to plan better, and time your down changes much more carefully.
Car also has MF steering wheel, which I despise. The push/pull switches on both sides are not ergonomically sound as it requires more contortions and thought with your thumbs and fingers that merely pulling sport design wheel paddles. Worse, the removal of the stalk for the PCM and replacement with an over sensitive thumbwheel really doesn’t work for me. It’s fiddly and too small. And I kept hitting it when changing gear, resulting in the right hand screen changing by mistake.
Compared to my manual 981S with 19” wheels and Goodyear F1 tyres, the PDK car’s ride is noticeably harsher (not uncomfortable, but bordering on it on really rough roads). Cabin noise with roof up is much worse than 19” wheels. It’s almost as bad as a 987S with 19” wheels. 981S with 19” wheels is so much quieter. Handling and chassis control is sharper, with none of the slight squishiness that the 19” wheels sometimes suffer from. However, PDK car can be a bit skittish at high speeds with big direction changes; something which my 19” wheels never suffered from.
If I was specifying a 981S again, I would probably go for 19” wheels and -20mm sports suspension.
I also missed BOSE’s rear speakers. PDK car has Sound Package Plus which only produces sound from the front, and the output is pretty poor. Clarity at high volumes suffer, as does bass. Not a patch on the BOSE system.
PDK has no leather interior and sports seats, with carbon fibre trim on dash and rear center console. CF trim is lovely, and you can see and feel the quality – and so you should bearing in mind the cost. Standard leather is coarse, and plastic all over the place makes the car ordinary. I also really missed the sports seats plus of my 981S; sports seats are too narrow and do not offer enough support on upper back and shoulders. First time I have not been able to get really comfortable in a Porsche.
Would I choose PDK or manual next time round? Very difficult question. I actually really don’t know.
03-04-2013, 10:29 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
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Thanks for a very thought out review. I test drove the 981s with the 20 wheels and I think I would also go with the 19s... Better ride,less road noise,less likely to damage the tires and wheels and less expensive replacement cost. The PDF really should only come with the sport wheel with the true paddles. It's stupid that Porsche didn't offer these sooner.
03-05-2013, 09:43 AM
#3
Thanks for a very thought out review. I test drove the 981s with the 20 wheels and I think I would also go with the 19s... Better ride,less road noise,less likely to damage the tires and wheels and less expensive replacement cost. The PDF really should only come with the sport wheel with the true paddles. It's stupid that Porsche didn't offer these sooner.
03-05-2013, 01:37 PM
#4
I would like to encourage all prospective owners to opt for the manual when ordering. For starters I hope to buy your car in 3 years! my selfish cost-saving intentions aside, however impressive PDK may feel, its still an automatic Boxster that fools you into think you are doing the shifting directly (mechanical vs. automation). Fine if you're tired of rowing gears for the last 20+ years. The rest of us want to keep rowing.
And unless something that mysteriously engineered comes with an infinite warranty, I will avoid all of them in the second hand market just for the possibility of liking the car so much that I decide to keep it when the CPO runs out. It will be interesting to see if manuals sell faster than PDKs in the second hand market. Or if they retain more value like will probably be the case with the 997 GT3s.
And unless something that mysteriously engineered comes with an infinite warranty, I will avoid all of them in the second hand market just for the possibility of liking the car so much that I decide to keep it when the CPO runs out. It will be interesting to see if manuals sell faster than PDKs in the second hand market. Or if they retain more value like will probably be the case with the 997 GT3s.
