linusto

On the face of it, one might conclude that my decision to say goodbye to my 2018 C4 GTS might be due to my dissatisfaction with it. And at some level, this is true - but it’s not really the fault of the car but rather that I didn’t quite correctly anticipate my own expectations for this purchase. When I bought it during the summer of 2017, I was sure that I was going to stick with this car for a long, long time. I even had it fully PPF’d and babied it during the break-in phase. This was supposed to be my ‘special’ car. In many ways, it has been special. I’m fortunate to be able to afford this car and every time I walk up and gaze upon it and begin driving, I can’t help but smile. However, it is NOT a DD for me but rather a weekend/evening car primarily for driving pleasure on the backroads and twisties. And while it does extremely well in this regard, I think I want more from an overall sensory standpoint (I could really care less about 0-60 times etc).



I’m posting in this forum, because as I say goodbye to it, I want prospective owners to know exactly why I’m leaving. It has virtually zero to do with any negatives about the car. In fact, even the way the turbos are deployed is brilliant and this is coming from a guy who doesn’t generally like turbos. BUT, it’s not a car that is fit for purpose for me. This is my fault, my miscalculation. That is why I am moving on. My DD is my 2016 Miata during the 3 warmer seasons (you’d have to pry this car out of my cold, dead hands) and the 2017 CR-V during the winter. The chief reason that I’m moving away from the 991.2 GTS is because, while it is absolutely superb, it is not a ‘special’ car for me in the sense of what I’m looking for. It is, almost too good, too forgiving.



My current routine does not allow me to drive this car frequently enough as I don’t drive to work. I have a very short, 3 minute drive to the train station and park there for the work day and then drive 3 minutes back home. There is zero chance that I’ll be parking my 991.2 GTS at the train station, considering my experiences with scratches, dings and dents. If I had a 30min plus drive to work and somewhere relatively safe to park, I would not let my GTS go. It really is that good. It combines incredible looks, sporty driving, comfort, safety (AWD, lane chance assist, assured handling) into one sublime package. But I realized that I don’t need that, at least not now and not for the foreseeable future.



Before I received my 991.2 C4 GTS, I put a small deposit down for a 991.2 GT3. I was told not to keep my hopes up as it would be very challenging to get an allocation. I had all but forgotten about my deposit and planned on driving the 991.2 GTS for an indefinite period. And then quite unexpectedly, I got the call just over a week ago. ‘Are you sitting down?’ And then it hit me. The GT3 is the car I really want but tried very hard not to think about given the difficulty in getting one. Now that I actually have an allocation, I see the GT3 as being able to define ‘special’ for my purpose. It will not be daily driven (but it will also not be a garage queen); it will not be another conservative colored car; it will not be as quiet and as comfortable as the Carrera; it will not be as easy to drive; it will not be PDK but rather have the brilliant 6-speed of the 911r; it will not be as civilized as my AWD drivetrain; it will provide a beautiful naturally aspirated 4.0 litre displacement soundtrack; it will demand focus, attention and effort on my part; it will challenge me and discipline me. And it will not only put a huge smile on my face like the 991.2 GTS does but it will give me complete sensory driving delight.

The GT3 is no doubt a very different car from the one I drive today. I haven’t driven the 991.2 version but have driven the PDK-S 991.1. And that was a brilliant car. But as many recognize, the GT3 does have its shortcomings. It will not be a daily driver for me, likely ever, for numerous reasons. But it will be there to entertain me on the backroads and twisties, and occasionally on the track.

I would love to keep the GTS for regular driving and the GT3 for my spirited endeavours, but I also don’t want to make alimony payments to Mrs. linusto. And it is extremely difficult for me to realistically justify keeping both given my driving patterns.

Of course, my planned transition away from the 991.2 C4 GTS has also created a bit of sadness as I really, really do think it is a fantastic car. If I were to do it all over again (and remain with the Carrera), I would really consider the C2/4 or the new T models. As good as the GTS is, for the type of city driving I do, I believe that I would have had more fun in the lesser powered forced induction models. The 3.0L flat-six is such a beautiful engine. As an open-minded lover of naturally aspirated engines, I think Porsche has hit the mark on its 3.0L turbo and I actually really like its relatively muted but almost air-cooled muffled soundtrack (if I can take the liberty of putting it that way). I don’t mean this in a bad way at all. I find myself no longer using PSE in my car, preferring to hear the lovely hum (not drone) of the 3.0L.

Some things I don’t like at all about my GTS:

PDK: I hate it in normal/comfort and even sport mode. Its shift map is horrible. I drive in either manual mode (95% of the time) or Sport Plus (5%). I’ve realized that I want engagement from my drive and the PDK just does not give me anywhere near enough of that. This is not a knock on the PDK but rather reflects my driving preference.

Auto start/stop: It’s ridiculous that you have to defeat this every single time you start the engine. I have programmed this in to my ‘Individual mode’ so I just turn the dial to the settings i want most commonly. This is a real advantage of having the sports chrono option. Having said this, the auto start/stop functionality is actually much better than on my Macan GTS. The car is quite intelligent and can differentiate between when I’m slowing right down to make a turn or for traffic and when I’m actually going to truly stop at a light.

Parking brake: It might just be me but I find the location of the electric parking brake to be inconvenient and engaging/disengaging is counterintuitive.

Sunshade: Much like Audis, the sunshade is perforated and doesn’t completely act as a light barrier.

Entertainment system: Has a tendency to turn on every single time you get into the car.

AWD: My car is the 4 GTS. The AWD in this car is so good that it reduces its fun factor but this is also a strength in inclement weather. Even in extremely slippery conditions this past winter, fitted with winter tires, the AWD system was a protective champ and let me put down more power to the corners than would otherwise have been possible. If I needed this car in all conditions, then the AWD would be helpful. But again, I don’t need this in a ‘special’ car.



Auto high beams in PDLS plus: It’s a bummer that you have to activate this feature every single drive with a tap of the left steering column stalk. My Mazda and Honda auto high beams always remain primed.

Steering wheel: Just a bit too thin for me. I’d prefer something slightly beefier.

You can see that the above list is really more of a pet peeve list and generally doesn’t take away from the overall driving experience (and I could have opted for the manual 7 speed).

And here are the things I love about my GTS and will really miss:

3.0L engine: As much as I’m looking forward to the 4.0L in the GT3, as I mentioned above, I’m a huge fan of the 3.0L. It is sublime, provides naturally aspirated style driving experience. You can drive it like you would a NA engine and it will reward you with its power build continuity. But, when you need the torque down low, just squeeze the trigger even in a higher gear and feel the power. I’m not talking about your body slammed into the seat type of driving, just enjoyable power build at lower rpms. I don’t normally enjoy doing this, but it is there when I need it. The power delivery of this car is very much Jekyll and Hyde. And the sound, although not your full symphonic NA variant, has its own unique melodic character that I’ve actually become quite fond of. I did not envision this when I drove the car for the first 1000km. But now with close to 7000km, I can truly say that I will miss this engine. The good news is that it’s not going away and I can always reconnect with it in the future when the conditions are right. I’m not sure I can say that about the 4.0L in the GT3 should I forgo this allocation.

Steering: Not the best out there (from what I hear), but still, very, very good. Decent feedback, on-centre with no vagueness. Just point and go.

Suspension/Chassis: Just about perfect for driving around town and then press the sport damper button for smooth highway or track driving. The entire package just feels together as if the parts of the car have coalesced into one. The vehicle’s build together with Sport PASM is never too firm or harsh and yet inspires confidence in handling. You can push this car hard before it reaches its limits, especially on the street (which is rare if you drive responsibly). The grip, traction and lack of body roll of the 991.2 is commendable. I have RWS and I feel it adds a lot to the drive but I honestly can’t remember what it feels like without it when I did the A-B comparison early last year.

Bose stereo: Who cares? I love music and I do listen once in a while but I don’t find myself listening to music all that much in this car. The DSP processing is decent. I’m not blown away by it but this doesn’t really matter as I love the hum of the engine.

LED lights: Brilliant at night. The xenons are good too, but the LEDs just take the lighting to another level.

Cockpit: I really do like the GTS interior package even though it’s quite pricey. The stitching is lovely and something that I continue to notice every time I hop in. Interior fit and finish is fantastic. I like the analog gauges and not sure I welcome a change to the Panamera style cluster and dash. This car feels like it should respect its history and only employ digital if it is done in such a way that it remains true to the analog. I don’t think we’re there yet.

PDK: Even though I crapped on it above, it is a fantastic transmission choice for those who don’t want a clutch. If I were driving way more frequently with this car in city traffic, then I probably would choose the PDK once again as manual mode is not too bad and it’s nice to have auto for those irritatingly long bumper-to-bumper traffic episodes. It’s nice that the shift lever has the direction correct - push up for downshifts, pull for upshifts.

Brakes: Generally speaking, excellent for the road. There is one time I felt a slight fading and that was when I was driving and repeatedly breaking aggressively outside of the city. Apart from that, the brake travel is acceptable and it has a nice and predictable bite each time you press down on the pedal.

Lane change assist: This is extremely well deployed in the 911. I would not order a 911 without this feature (although it is not offered on the GT3). LCA is not at all intrusive and gives the driver plenty of notice from cars at a distance. This system is the best blind-spot assistant I’ve used so far.

I’m sure I’ve missed a few other things, so feel free to ask.

Oh, and I thought I’d show you the planned configuration of my incoming GT3 (mostly similar to the one in the following pics).

PJ Cayenne

Good, honest review and self justification of why the GTS has to go and GT3 is now on its way. Good job on selling to the Mrs. Enjoy the new car.

RRDnA

Great review and sensible thought process. Is the GT3 set for an April build slot?

titan7

PJ Cayenne

Truth be told at my ripe middle age, buying my first 911, I thought I'd feel a little silly in a loud color. While I love the GT Silver, I'd be ok now in lava or red. Man, did I loosen up! Now if I can only get the dead puppy image out of my head.

Papa Fittig

Congrats on upcoming GT3. Others did not get that lucky on the GT3 allocations and have to stick to GTSs LOL.
Being an NA and a MT fan I agree to some and disagree to others likes/dislikes you posted. However, as you said yourself it is clear that it was not the GTS, but rather your own priorities (like leaving a car at a train station after a very short drive, etc.) that contributed to your decision. I respect it. Enjoy your GT3.

K-A

tstafford

R_Rated

Congrats! We all know Guards Red is the fastest color!

Although - sadly it is very hard to take care of.

linusto

linusto

tstafford

If you dislike the PDK, aren't going to track it a lot and you are only using the car on the weekends, the GT3 in manual makes a ton of sense.

Note: This coming from someone who just sold an RS and bought a C2S

linusto

linusto

linusto