mrsullivan

Have always enjoyed my Porsches more as street cars, and specifically playing around in the beautiful and curvy Texas hill country backroads. Occasional track DE or PCA event, but not a serious track guy. So before the tuff track guys chime in, this short review is more for those waiting on RS that plan to drive primarily on the street.

The headline - I think this is too much car for the road. It belongs on the track exclusively. Just my opinion. I know there are auto journalist articles that disagree. And probably those here that disagree. Just my opinion.

1- the presence is monsterous and awesome. It certainly gets attention, I am assuming in any color. Certainly in my bright signal green it does. I love this color. Very pleased with the color. I personally feel the decals are too much with all the other bits. At first I thought the decals tied it all together, but after living with the car for a while, I don't like them. So I peeled them off. Was scary easy to do for factory installed decals. Just literally peeled them off. Very easy, maybe too easy. I like the car a lot without them.

2- black wheels are THE choice for the bright colors. I was a little on the fence vs. standard grey, really glad I got black.

3. the LED lights are very cool. Super expensive yes. And not as traditional of a Porsche look. But they are so bright, even at dusk. And how they sharply turn with the car is just awesome.

4. the car "snorts" on up and down shifts, and I love that sound. Its new/different from the GT3. The exhaust note is great out of the box, but having heard GMG, I like that even better.

5. Cabin very similar to GT3, awesome, comfortable, love the buckets, love all the alcantara. Not crazy about the standard steering wheel, if I could do it all over I would get the black leather steering wheel option. No one buys an RS for the stereo, but tunes are fun and for my ears it is fine. Visibility out back is better because of the higher wing. I know its functional, but I must admit I don't like the wing for the road.

6. Acceleration. At least on the road, I don't feel much difference from GT3. Maybe a little in the midrange, more punch, but really not enough to make a stink about, at least not on street.

7. Handling - turn in much better than GT3, but surprisingly the tail feels more wiggly, washes out a little easier than GT3. Kind of fun, but I expected more stickiness coming out of curves/corners. Overall handling feels very close to the GT3 to me, with some better turn in and to my butt a little more tail happiness.

8. Braking - well I just love the PCCB, for me I would have them on any new Porsche. Yes I have experienced iron also.

9. tranny - like the regular gt3, the pdk -s is just awesome. Its one of the engineering marvels of Porsche I think. The way the car will roll backwards on a hill. The way it sounds like its engaging a clutch pedal, the paddle neutral function, etc.

10- Bottom line, I am eating a little crow. Because there are some on this site that have suggested that a street-only RS doesn't make sense. I am here to tell you that personally I think I agree. The front vents, the huge wing, everything about the car is track, track, track. Its mean and cool looking. But not particularly pretty. The driveability is of course cool, but just that little bit more capable than the GT3, which on the road cant be exploited. For the downforce benefit, I think you have to be at speeds much higher than street.

Like any Porsche GT car, this causes an ear to ear grin and of course it is wonderful. But when you factor in the $200-300k price that most paid, I am not sure its worth the premium over a GT3 for a road-only car. I am not a high roller baller to have 7-figure collection, in that case, might be fun to have this in the mix, even for street. But I find myself understanding better the "case" for the 911R. And excited about the .2 GT3, if it gets the 4.0, stick, and other goodies from the 911R. I think maybe I have learned that the GT3 is a sweet spot for me. A street car that can be enjoyed some on the track. Vs. a track car that can barely be exploited/enjoyed incrementally on the street.

Will enjoy for a while, but thought that prospective buyers might appreciate a somewhat different point of view on the enjoyment of this car for road-only. There undoubtedly will be people that disagree. And that's totally ok

bronson7

Thank you for your honesty. Many going from a gt3 to the rs would not be so.

lumber

Great review.
With my viper rs showing up in the next few weeks, I fear I may feel the same way. Too much car for the street.
I have the same great roads, and my cars are street use only.
I think that's why I love the gt4 and spyder. Great cars that are fun to drive at any speed.

STG

MrSullivan, did I miss the pics???

Your tires are probably a bit slippery too still being new??

No question, the RS is a beast that's hard to hold back.

mrsullivan

Ok pic

STG

^^^^ nice

kyrocks

Good review, mr Sullivan.
I agree with you. The car is not made to be just a street car. If you want that, the GT3 is awesome. I wanted a more track focused car that I could drive on the street. The RS is perfect.
I also found that the rear end was all over the place on the street. I took the car to the track and was worried about that. No way! It was way more planted than the GT3. I couldn't believe it. I've only done 2-15 min sessions on the track with it because my GT4 is my track bitch but I'm looking forward to more!

robmypro

Nice review! Thanks.

My GT3 is too much to handle, and I barely scratch the surface with it on the street. The RS just takes that up another notch. So not a good fit for me. The RS is just too expensive for track duty for me, and with my ability I belong in a Miata.

Alan C.

Interesting perspective on the RS. I'd like to say reading this eases my decision on passing but then seeing it makes me think otherwise. Enjoy!

TRAKCAR

Wel done.

Track car = RS
Non track car you can buy so many alternatives for that money it's dizzying.

For track car there are only 2 alternatives GT3 and GT4 one an even better value than the other.

RS or GT3 fun on USA roads is illigal.

Maverick787

Fair and honest review ........and good perspective about the cars ability.

jlee504

So interesting, I have a little bit of the reverse take after taking delivery of my RS last week. I've found the last 100 miles to be way more supple than the GT3. The street ride is way better, even my son commented on the way home that it was closer to the Macan Turbo than the GT3.

I haven't noticed the wiggle on the rear yet but I can't say I've pushed it past 80mph yet. I feel the nose feels more planted and the steering is better.

I opted for PCCBs after having irons on my GT3..just love them. I have them on my Turbo S and now my GT4 too.

I like the midrange torque I think its makes the power delivery feel much more linear.

I haven't noticed a real difference in the exhaust, sounds a little deeper but I can't say it was noticeable. There certainly is less engine rattling in mine.

I feel like its basically a next gen GT3. MSRP to MSRP its well worth the $$$. Candidly, for the premium i paid, if your stretching into it, its not worth the stretch. If your not, I think its worth the upgrade. Plus PURPLE..I mean come'on, UV alone is worth a lot !

Once I get to 1000 miles on these cars I was planning on writing up a comparison of the GT4 GT3 GT3RS and Turbo..so many questions I had when deciding whether to get these cars..I'll offer it when I actually know!

Mdrnenzo

My RS is worth the price difference from my GT3. I absolutely love my RS. And in UV it reminds me of a vintage Porsh color. And I paid way over MSRP.

TONY AIR C2S

Beautiful car Jonathan. Wish I had one exactly like it in my garage. Can't wait to see your next acquisition.

Enjoy

Macca

Thanks for your review MrSullivan. Very candid.

I have no direct experience other than riding back to back between the cars as a passenger at Sebring last month.

I personally don't believe the GT3 or RS make ideal road cars although they perform that duty far better than what has gone before. I think the sweet spot for a road 911 is probably a GTS or a Turbo IMO. It's nice on those models to have the ability to personalise the interior with deviated leather options etc so something quite unique can be achieved. I think if I gave up the track Id sell the GT3 and perhaps consider a GTS...but I sure would miss saying "GT3" when someone asked what Porsche I own , if I'm being absolutely honest...

For the track the RS is the undisputed king in the GT range IMO. I'm just sad I can't justify the step up in price and the "self insurance" that would be required on the track (because our cover limits here do on track not extend beyond 160k usd). Aesthetically I prefer the GT3 but as a track guy I appreciate what all the stuff like wings, vents and bigger wheels bring to the table in terms of lap time improvements. I also like the colour pallet that was readily available.

For the power I did not notice much difference on the track. For the grip I did. With a Dundon race header system installed on a GT3 I doubt the power difference would exist at all. But you can't make up easily for the better aero and 20%F / 18%R improvement in tire contact patch. Mind you with less grip on tap you can find some fun in sliding it a bit more in corners...

Purely on fiscal terms the RS is the winner of the range which means even if you decided to move it on in the future you will be less disadvantaged than with a GT3/4 so that's a nice thing to have up your sleeve...

Enjoy!