jmsc

After reading more than 10 reviews on the 991 judgement still lingers.

Apparently, Zuffenhausen has injected some novocaine into the power steering to suppress some feedback that's been around since the 1960's. This per request of german porschephiles.

I will decide for myself when I test drive on 2/4/12.

aamersa

I think one should be very comfortable with a high end sports car steering even at top speeds, and if the previous one wasn't perhaps it needed to be reworked.

ADias

Are you new to driving Porsches? The Porsche steering was the hallmark of sports car driving. Less of that is not good.

aamersa

Granted earlier porsche steerings were popular for the generous feedback they provided, that pleasure is understandable. However, lack of stability at high speeds is a serious complaint, in my opinon, which led to the revision of the steering in the 991.

I hope the complaints have been resolved.

Ray S

Porsche has given the reason for the change. The new system reportedly draws less power from the engine and saves up to one liter of fuel per kilometer vs the engine driven pump.

Here's a radical thought. Why not wait until the car it out to take it for a test drive and see (for yourself) whether the new system works well or sucks rather than relying on the old moldy fig approach of anything new from Porsche automatically sucks and everything old from Porsche automatically rules?

tibookx

Autocar review #2 link below -- focus specifically on the drive of the manual, and makes a VERY interesting comment regarding the dreaded steering change....

Autocar Review #2

In short? STOP GETTING HUNG UP ON THE 911 DRIVE. If you've driven the new A6 (incredible IMHO) and felt the new steering system and how it "quietly" tells you everything you need to know on the road through the steering wheel, I think this 911 is going to surprise a lot of people. Stop being so grouchy about it, and enjoy the newest evolution of the greatest sportscar ever! I (personally) cannot wait to order my 4S.

If anyone wants me to expand on my 2012 A6 steering vs new 911 steering theory from every review I've read, I would be happy to do so.

Galion

One of my favorite sources.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/porsche/91...test/carrera-s

Betternotbigger

If this from Autocar:

"It imbues the car with a grown-up sense of poise and accuracy, while robbing it of a fraction of that movement and liveliness that was part and parcel of driving a 911 in the past"

isn't a euphemism for "the quintessential essence of driving a 911 has been seriously eroded", then I'll eat my hat.

Donning my literary mortar board for a moment, let's analyse those two sentences:

It opens with praise for the steering's virtues of poise and accuracy, but the writer can't stop the adjective "grown-up" slipping out to suggest the very opposite of "fun". His use of the qualifying "a fraction" attempts to moderate the condemnation implicit in the second sentence (I bet he only added it when he remembered that advertisers pay his wages, and for his expenses-paid trip to California) but then the truth sneaks out as he admits that the quintessential character of the steering is a thing "of the past".

I bet its a great car, mind. And maybe I'll be fortunate enough to buy one in due course. But let's not pretend the critics are saying any more than that the new qualities compensate for the loss of some old ones. Hey, that's progress for you...

Galion

Pistonheads reviews the 991, they prefer the 07 speed manual BTW

http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=52&i=24729

Ray S

Interesting, he seems to really like it w/the 7 speed. Not so much with the PDK (like you said).

washington dc porsche

Current Autoweek, starts at the 2:07 minute mark.

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2011...NEWS/111129984

jrt600

Full test review from Inside Line - http://www.insideline.com/porsche/91...carrera-s.html

draxa

I just spent some time at my dealer looking round a silver 2S.

Overall impressions are excellent - but tragically, the bulbous headlights are a bit of a downer.

ze_shark

We just published the english version of our first review of the car, and what a 911 it is !

Makes you wonder (and regret) why it took so long to Porsche to achieve such handling prowess. Wheel in hand, side-by-side comparison with a 997 is shocking, almost comical. Very easy to figure out how Porsche can claim such agressive Nordschleife times. What is less comical is the weight trend. On real scales, the 991 is heavier than the 997, our test car came in at 1519kg with a full tank and nothing in it. Just like the 458, modern cars seem to be getting heavier in spite of the lower emissions they claim to achieve. Does not bode well for the next GT3 ...

Still, the 991 is a far superior car to the 997.2 and, esthetics aside, I can hardly expect a 997 customer come back from a test drive and say he prefers the old thing.

Rushman71

Read the Car and Driver comparison test if you are still having any doubts the 911 rules the roost in this price range.