I'm wondering if anyone has upgraded from a 991.1 NA or older Carrera or GTS to the new 991.2 turbocharged version and has any regrets in their decision?

The old school among us really enjoy the NA engines of the previous generations and has the turbo made it so that you wished you hadn't upgraded and now you want to go back to what you had before?

Thanks.

 

Ooooh, very interested in the answers to this question - I test drove a 991.1 base and S, and 991.2 base and S back to back, and I can say I honestly hated the .2 after driving the .1. Maybe my opinion will change with time, but here in the US the 991.1 base already has more than enough power to get you into trouble - and the sound is the most fun.

I found the 991.1 base without PSE to sound significantly better than a 991.2 S with PSE engaged. I was upset, because I really wanted to like the 991.2, but I couldn't.

The 991.1 S with PSE just made me giggle.

 

If anyone is man or woman enough to admit that they like the car they just traded in better than the one they just bought then hats off to them. I would also be interested to hear from anyone who went .1 to .2 and likes the newer car more. Would be great imo to keep it to actual ownership reports and not test drives or general turbo vs na debates as these have been covered extensively elsewhere!

 

I had a 997 Carrera, and then had a 991.2 Carrera base and now a GTS. I found the NA engine had to be really rung out to get power, so great on the track but not as great on the street, as the torque in the lower rev range was not great. The 991.2 base pulled better at lower rpms, but I did notice very slight turbo lag and could hear the turbos spool up. The 991.2 GTS however, is perfect. The engine is buttery smooth and the power is immediate, and I have noticed no turbo lag at all. I prefer the 991.2 GTS engine.

 

They are both good in their own ways.

If you put a premium on power and acceleration, it's no contest. Plus, easy to get a lot more power out of the turbo motors and they start at a higher performance point to begin with. The torque rush down low is fun. You don't need to hit redline to feel a nice push.

If you're into naturally aspirated throttle response you might be disappointed there in the lower rev range but really it feels like Porsche tuned the 9A2 to appease naturally aspirated purists. The spool is quick and the torque delivery is fairly linear.

If you were talking about a GT3 that would be different but I can't think of anyone regretting going from the Carrera 3.4 or Carrera S 3.8 to the new turbo 3.0.

I mean, it literally is night and day:

 

Some have been man enough to admit missing aspects of the 991.1 - mainly sound and engine feel. The trade is effortless power and much better stereo interface/screen.

Everyone should have a high torque, fast acceleration from any speed car at least once. If you don't know what you're missing in this category, get the 991.2... the 991.1 is the last of a kind with the low torque and high revving engine. It's not as fast but very special in that regard.

Again - Never has any new 911 been called slow or underpowered. The 991.1 base is faster and lighter than previous S trim cars. Keep that in mind when you hear the comments about how slow it is; compared to the 991.2... It's not THAT much slower, you just have to work for it where the 991.2 is much more effortless. Driving in the right gear significantly closes the gap but the newer generation will always be faster.

 

Weird as the 991.2 GTS turbos will take longer to spool than the 991.2 Carrera.

 

Too bad you don't seem to be man enough to admit the flaws of the 991.1 which is that it is severely underpowered for the current performance climate.

The 991.2 Carrera easily runs away from the 991.1 Carrera S. This is just from my own comparisons. It isn't all that close.

The engine sound is subjective and I prefer the turbo sound. Completely up to the individual.

Where you really see the difference is with a tune on the 991.2. The 991.1 won't be in the same zipcode and there is nothing a 991.1 owner can do about it. It literally is night and day. Yes, the 991.1 is underpowered.

 

Anyone that states they feel no lag doesn't know what lag is.

 

I upgraded from a 981 Boxster S NA motor to a 991.2 C4 but I kept the 981.

I needed to keep the open air feel, drive a roadster and keep the NA engine so I held onto the 981. Both have PSE, SC, Manual transmissions, and PASM.

981 is much more fun to drive and with the mid-engine is just on rails. 911 is fun to cruise in and is much quieter. The exhaust note matters a lot to me. The 911 sounds pretty good in the cabin but sucks from listening to them on the side of the road as they go by - at least compared to the 991.1.

I think the 991.2 engine is as far as I am going to go with new Porsches if they only offer hybrid or electric in the future. 992 should still be a good car when it comes out since it will likely have a tuned 991.2 engine.

 

The 991.2 won drivers car of the year - twice. It does 0-60 in sub 4 seconds. The performance is fine and drag racing isn't the only performance measure that I or most Porsche buyers care about. Was driving through the mountains yesterday and had a shocking amount of grip... I forget just how well the car handles when I go so long without fun driving.

Turbo vs NA is subjective and turbo tech has gotten light years better in the past 5 years. Aftermarket will also be light years ahead for a boosted car[vs NA] - no question. This is very important for drag racing from a stoplight.

The 991.1 is hardly [severely]underpowered. You can't go by comparing simple HP numbers or else 20hp increase is hardly newsworthy. Porsche has always punched well above its weight in terms of power because of how it is put down. A driver in the right gear isn't going to be going faster enough to matter on public roads and isn't going to have any more fun on the track. Arguably the NA is going to be MORE rewarding.

The turbo is much more efficient and the power is absolutely more accessible. This doesn't mean the 3.8 (or 3.4) are underpowered or slow.

Some do like the sound of the turbos. Others are car enthusiasts

If I was selling cars - I'd push a 991.2 on someone daily driving the car and the 991.1 on someone wanting to enjoy driving the car. You can also daily a 991.1 and enjoy driving a 991.2... each person's criteria for each is going to be personal and have variances.

Power was not a flaw in the 991.1 and it's ignorant to suggest otherwise.

 

I upgraded from a 997.2 GTS to a 991.2 GTS (turbo's). the 991.2 is only 40 more HP but its the 100 ft lbs of torque that are absolutely noticeable. On the street I am not experiencing Turbo lag. I will see what I think at the track soon.

So yeah...Major power difference with the 3.0 Turbo GTS engine.I've driven 991.1 cars. Its the torque that is a the huge difference. On the street much more get up and go.

I will be at Sebring in a month or so and I fully expect the 991.2GTS to out pull my NA 997.2GTS coming out of corners easy.

 

Why would you expect to see more turbo lag on a track? If anything, you will be noticing less since the turbos will stay spooled up at the higher RPMs.

 

Since this has already descended into an argument about what car is better, I'll chime in.

It is entirely 100% subjective, period.

I see someone saying they like the 991.2 sound better (which is an unpopular opinion) - while stating the 991.1 is "underpowered" - but stating the latter as a fact.

Me, I could not possibly disagree more. Where I live, on the streets I drive, the 991.2 is incredibly overpowered. I find the 991.1 base model more than enough power, and nowhere near "underpowered".

Maybe it's a difference in how people like to drive. I like to actually push the car. I don't like the Turbo S because it feels like riding a horse and asking it take little slow baby steps.

So these things are opinions, plain and simple. The 991.1 isn't "factually" underpowered, because how much power one wants in their car is a matter of preference. I forget who it was, maybe Jalopnik, who said they enjoyed the 3.4 more than the 3.8? And this was in the much slower 991.1...

I just can't understand the need/want for more torque than a 991.1 has, because on the streets at least in the US, the 991.1 already has more torque than you need. Whatever floats their boat.

 

I test drove a new 991.2 base (no PSE) and didn't like the turbo motor. The plan was to custom order, fun color, maybe even pick it up in Germany. Oh well.

Nothing beats the NA motor, the linear acceleration and wonderful unadulterated induction noise it produces. Those characteristics are far more important to me than torque down low or getting from 0-60 .5 seconds faster! There are many cheaper options to get you there...

Sticky - were you dropped on your head as a toddler? Behave like an adult at least for once, difficult as it may be! We get it that you like the turbo motor, no need to be so defensive, it shows insecurity which undermines your argument and credibility. And you did rebuild a V8 M3 NA motor "more times than you care to count," if I recall correctly. So wear your closet NA shirt with pride!