Originally Posted by Chris3963

I have two problems with the car.

First is the noise inside. Its loud (and I don't mind loud) but its a highly unpleasant loud. Not something you want to subject yourself to for a long period. And related to the noise issue is the exhaust. In the GT3.2 PDK, you can more more easily dip into the flaps opening zone of 3,600+ rpm (and hence a nicer sound) in 1st, 2nd and 3rd because of the slightly shorter gearing in the PDK due to the extra gear. Also, you get a nice "pfuump" sound when the PDK changes up at these lower revs. I.e. you get to enjoy the sound of the car at much lower speeds in the PDK. But in the manual, its a lot harder to dip into that nice exhaust zone because of the higher gearing when driving around town. And you don't get the nice "pfuump" sound on upshift. This issue is compounded too I think by the fact that in my observation, the flaps open slightly later in the manual compared to the PDK. So at anything under 4000 rpm in the GT3T, it just feels like a regular Carrera. Whereas I always feel like I am driving something special in the GT3.2 PDK.

Second is the manual gearbox. I do not like the 4th to 5th, 5th to 6th or 6th to 5th changes. The detente is so strongly biased to the 3-4 position that you really have to be very deliberate with:
- the 4 to 5 up shift where you really have to push the shifter much too deliberately to the right and up. If you don't, you end up in 3rd.
- the 5 to 6 up shift where you have to (at least I do) alter your hand position on the knot to make sure you pull back and down to get 6th otherwise you end up in 4th far too easily
- the 6 to 5 down shift where you have to make sure you have some sideways force in up shift motion otherwise it will naturally fall into 3rd too easily.

And I am not the first person who has driven that car and commented on this.

And just to be clear, I do not have any of these issues with my 997 GT3 RS or my 964 RS (which admittedly is not a 6th spd box).

IMHO, my GT3.2 is a much better tourer than my GT3T. And so is my 997 GT3 RS for that matter. Instead of the GT3T being the first car my mind goes to when thinking about a long trip, its actually the last.

Originally Posted by Taffy66

By my own admission, i've yet to drive a manual .2GT3..On the other hand i have a great deal of experience in driving Porsches as i've either owned or driven dozens over the last twenty years..Amongst my current Porsches, i own a new .2GT3 PDK and a 2016 981 Spyder and i enjoy driving them both equally...I must be rather unique as i love both a great manual and equally a great PDK..I feel my GT3 is perfectly suited to the amazing PDKS, and the Spyder is perfectly suited to the manual 6 speeder.
IMO the Spyder's shifter is the best manual box(equal to GT4) i've ever driven...sheer perfection and you'd have to be extremely ham-fisted to do cause a miss-shift..For people who own both a 981 Spyder and a new manual GT3....how to they compare..?
I ask this as my Spyder exhibits none of the foibles that Chris experiences in his Touring..If it was a less informed opinion by someone less knowledgeable then i wouldn't take it as gospel..I'm wondering whether or not if Chris's Touring is truly typical or is it a sub standard example..

Originally Posted by Taffy66

You're going completely in the wrong direction IMO..Henry Catchpole's video above was filmed in my backyard, some of the best motoring country in the world..Why do you think EVO and the rest of the Brit car mags spend so much time there, testing sporty cars..I went for a quick 100 mile drive yesterday afternoon around the Claerwen reservoir in the Elan valley..World class scenery and roads..!

Originally Posted by Taffy66

By my own admission, i've yet to drive a manual .2GT3..On the other hand i have a great deal of experience in driving Porsches as i've either owned or driven dozens over the last twenty years..Amongst my current Porsches, i own a new .2GT3 PDK and a 2016 981 Spyder and i enjoy driving them both equally...I must be rather unique as i love both a great manual and equally a great PDK..I feel my GT3 is perfectly suited to the amazing PDKS, and the Spyder is perfectly suited to the manual 6 speeder.
IMO the Spyder's shifter is the best manual box(equal to GT4) i've ever driven...sheer perfection and you'd have to be extremely ham-fisted to do cause a miss-shift..For people who own both a 981 Spyder and a new manual GT3....how to they compare..?
I ask this as my Spyder exhibits none of the foibles that Chris experiences in his Touring..If it was a less informed opinion by someone less knowledgeable then i wouldn't take it as gospel..I'm wondering whether or not if Chris's Touring is truly typical or is it a sub standard example..

Originally Posted by Laguna_Dude

i love my GT3/manual. IMO, it's the best GT car i've ever had. the ability to use the auto-blip or keep it pinned on upshift; or to do it all myself with heel-toe, etc. is unreal. and the balance, grip, dampening, steering feel, etc. are amazing; even the diff feedback is next level. I avoided the Touring spec because i prefer track-focused GT cars and feared Porsche was going to tweak the feel of that car vs. the winged version; i was right. IMO, winged GT3/w manual is going to be a unicorn. they didn't make too many and i think they will make a ton of RS'. the margin on the RS has got to be insane. My GT3 MSRP was $167k. I configured an RS and it was $230k; which for what it is, is fair; but i dont see them keeping that limited; they might make it hard to get allocations; but i see a 2-year production schedule with most who are determined; will get one. but for now, i don't see giving up the shifter for paddles.

Originally Posted by Chris3963

- the 5 to 6 up shift where you have to (at least I do) alter your hand position on the knot to make sure you pull back and down to get 6th otherwise you end up in 4th far too easily

Originally Posted by Jimmy-D

Had a GT4. The .2 GT3 Manual is even better, in my opinion, which i never thought in a million years they could accomplish but they did. It is more sure and has this slight Metallic feel when hitting each gear/shift.- hard to explain

Originally Posted by neanicu

As much as it pains people to admit,pdk is boring as heck,a total snooze fest. Any automatic is the same,it's not just pdk : it makes you old and lazy. It's great for the track where,let's admit it,the majority of us aren't no Senna. The journos can't use this language,but they are basically suggesting the same thing.
Porsche has sold a lot of manual GT3s,you can bet on it : I was at an event with my dealer,there were 4 991.2 GT3s,different colors all manuals. I think they will keep the manual around for a while...
People are nitpicking,nothing new here,it's hard to be consistent when you are changing 25 cars a year...