neanicu

Have you driven the GT3/RS in the 991 platform? They feel like boats compared to older gen. The cabin is large and doesn't feel as intimate from a driving perspective. pdk and all the nannies,including electric steering don't help either. The GT4 feels quite large as well compared to older gen of cars.
My point is : newer Porsches are very capable and need to be pushed to the limit to feel involved. By that time you've reached 100 MPH on the street and you're either in jail or in the ditch.
So the 991 R might not feel as involving as the RS 4.0,but it's the most involving from the cars Porsche is producing at the moment,that is the point. Forget older Porsche " feel ",it's gone. And it's gonna get worse.

JDHertz11

Going from early Beetle, to early 356 to late 356 to early 911 to late 911 to 993 to 997 I can tell you that you feel the natural progression. I've been fortunate enough to have owned them all over the years. I drove a friends 991 C2S and it feels like a nimble monster! I loved the ride but it is by no means the lithe, nimble sports car it once evolved into. It's more like the late Elvis. He was still Elvis, in voice, in showmanship, but no longer the OG he once was. Please don't blame this on airbags and ABS...

kyrocks

It was a joke.

Anyways, I'd take the GT3 RS 4.0 any day as well.

TRAKCAR

The R is not for me.
I love my RS for wat it is and it fits my use perfectly.
Better, faster, warranty.

Money no object; If I want a pure driving experience for when I'm pretty much anywhere besides where I live, then a 964 with a 4.0 hot rod would do. Singer, or singer-like but maybe a bit more original like an RS or CUP clone for the street. Kinda like the car I just sold but better and faster.

All pre 991's feel a bit clunky and cumbersome to me but that's the charm, pure feeling....

Money factored in; I'd pick a lighter GT4 to beat on.

But that's they beauty of Porsche; on variant for every nuance of the car hobby.

richk

Maybe I am getting old and fat but the 991 doesn't feel that big to me. And I have owned alot of 911's.

Plus the motor is so smooth!!!

Interesting post...I personally would take an R over a 4.0! In my dream world I have both.

doubleurx

While I agree they are large, they are far from boats, out handling both my 964 and 996 easily. I have it parked in line between my 964 and 996TT, and it does look big, but surprisingly, it is lighter than both!

Archimedes

Aren't there some kids you need to yell at to get off your lawn?

ScottKelly911

Michael, Sorry, I missed your call. I apologize for not getting back to you. Hope you had a great time in Pebble Beach during car week.

I applaud you for your review of the 'R'. It's honest and how YOU felt. While some people may actually take exception, however, the fact is, you certainly have the pedigree of experience to be able to have an honest comparison with much time behind the wheel of both the GT2RS and 3RS 4.0's. Now, other's may have other opinions and that's definitely their prerogative's to feel differently. Some people like Red Wine, others prefer White Wine, then there's people like me who'd rather have a good beer or whiskey. So too, people will have differing opinions on which cars they favor. That being said, it sounds like a fantastic car and one that would be a hoot to drive. Just not as fun compared to a 2RS or 3RS 4.0! I'd be interested in hearing how you like the 991 3RS. I think the PDK in the 3RS would make it less comparable and you may look at it as an entirely different driving experience. Whereas the manual transmission of the R, immediately makes you want to make comparo's between it and the others. Hope you're doing well, thanks for your input on the R! BTW, the Porsche Experience in Carson is mostly finished and just about open, infact they've got a HUGE parking lot filled with Porsche's of all sorts visible from the 405 freeway. If you come to town to take part in one of their events, let me know and we'll go have a beer!

WernerE

^ I'd sure like to see some evidence supporting this assertion.

As far as the OP's tepid impression of the 911R, it's a minority one among the many others with reputations behind them. To each his own, I guess.

Apolo1

Some good points.
Think a lot comes down to the feel interaction of the PDK to MT. I would not take my R over my 991RS on track, or over my Gen 2 Turbo S on a 1000 Mile Euro blast. But for a 2 Hr Sunday morning drive round the mountain roads, no better car made from a fun interaction point than the R. Imv.

I know a few Jurnos that have driven the R, along with a few race drivers that have won their respective series that have also driven, or own an R. All say that the R is the real deal.

Dante

Hello Secretcollector , nice to hear somebody who stands out from the crowd having driven the car, from your reputation within this community I understand you can give us a valuable and unbiased view.

I agree with your opinion about the comparison with 997 4.0, it is surely more involving (but not as pleasant to drive on the road) and a way more meaningful under a collector’s point of view even without considering production numbers – if I should be obliged to choose among the two I would surely keep the 997, but they are different car and they belong to different generations.

I underline that they are different cars because the R is simply the perfect Porsche for a day to day use, the great achievement by AP and his team is that they succeeded in making such an involving (for the 991 gen standards) and enjoyable on the road car keeping unaltered the soul of GT’s, as I stated previously this car is more than the sum of the parts. The 997 RS 4.0 is a special car, it has a soul, you immediately perceive the direct link with motorsport, it is surely more a “event” to drive than the R, but it is mainly a track car, with all its limits for a street use.

I underline also that they belong to different generations, I referred to “991 gen standards” because undoubtedly with this series we lost in driver involvement compared to 997 GT’s, which were slower cars but more demanding and also more rewarding for the driver (as far as I conceive the essence of driving), and we lost also in driver feeling (I think 997 is a more communicative car…not only for the hydraulic steering).
With 991 RS, Porsche did a too extreme car to be enjoyable on the road, while superbly road compliant and comfy compared to previous generation there is too much grip, braking, driver aids (pdk) to be engaging, when I drive it I think that 90% of involvement is the bang when upshifting at limiter and the engine sound, different story on track where it is another league (although I’d rather something more demanding).

The keyword is de-engineering, I guess that manufacturers are beginning to realize that they push too hard in increasing the level of performances, Porsche understood before others that there is niche of passionates asking for something else…and it did the R.

I think the R is the 911 you can keep for years and years forgetting completely what Porsche will do in the future for a number of reasons: the design is perfectly balanced…aggressive but elegant and discrete, the NA engine is at terminus, the manual transmission is simply perfect, such a low weight will be hard to match in the future (look at 991.2 turbo engines which are 40-50 kilos heavier than 991.1), it is a collector item.

The hype around this car is certainly astonishing but to this extent we must reconsider all what’s happening in the market right now; 2 years ago Porsche didn’t sell an hypercar like the 918 at 1 million and today a Tour de France, which is a traditional car, sells at 1 million on secondary market, is the TDF a 1 million $ car in a “normal” world? Don’t think so…

I think the 911R must be considered for what it is and for the msrp that Porsche offered it without being biased by crazy market prices…and this is great great great value in my opinion. Just drive it and enjoy it!

Sorry for bothering, not trying to convince anybody about something, just my 2 cents…

red route 1

I drove one the other day, SMFW. Clutch very light, motor of course sounds like the current RS only better because there's less insulation, SMFW racket is there but subdued compared to the 2011 GT3RS that sounded like a can of nails. Best part for me was the steering. I don't know what they did, but this this feels very close to the prior gen hydraulic. If they would make that software update available on the RS, the car would be perfect.

Leica 993

That's why I sold my F40. It was too long, too wide and too big overall. Traded it for a 993 Cabriolet.

Larryf

Been getting some interesting feedback from 918 owners comparing the GT4 clutch to the R's: universal comments so far has been after going from the R to the GT4; GT4's clutch feels like you're driving a truck.

Having owned both a 2RS and a 4.0 yet waiting on my R: I don't expect the R to be in the same category of "feel" one gets when driving those previous mentioned examples as well as a CGT. For me, when I want feel in a Porsche, I take out my 68 911s Rally. Still my favorite Porsche to drive out of my stable.

patekswiss

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