991 drives like the Audi R8
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Race Car
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: 6th gear!
991 drives like the Audi R8
I've got a 991 test car for a week and I have to say...it seems they bench-marked the Audi R8.
Especially in ride quality. I can't believe how compliant and comfortable the SPASM suspension is in Sport+. On the regular setting it's frankly luxurious...like Mercedes S-Class luxurious. I'm not kidding.
Interior quality is another area they've also obviously looked to the best in class (Audi) for direction. Great material and control responses.
Sport Exhaust in Sport+ is insanely awesome.
I'd say the 991 is more a GT with super car looks and performance. Overall feel though doesn't have me pining for one as a weekend toy.
If I had a long commute I think it would be ideal.
Especially in ride quality. I can't believe how compliant and comfortable the SPASM suspension is in Sport+. On the regular setting it's frankly luxurious...like Mercedes S-Class luxurious. I'm not kidding.
Interior quality is another area they've also obviously looked to the best in class (Audi) for direction. Great material and control responses.
Sport Exhaust in Sport+ is insanely awesome.
I'd say the 991 is more a GT with super car looks and performance. Overall feel though doesn't have me pining for one as a weekend toy.
If I had a long commute I think it would be ideal.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2008
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I expected the 991 to drive more like the R8, and it does seem to do that. Up to a point. If you push it further, you can definitely feel that it's rear engined... you can feel the tail wagging the dog. I think the car actually has a sharp edge to it when pushed closer to the limit. The interior and the smooth ride and controls did remind me of the R8 as well, although I think the 991 has a better interior. The R8 looks good in pictures, but has always disappointed me when I've seen it first hand.
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Been lurking for a while as debating a 991 purchase. My wife and I had an R8 (V8 auto) for a weekend last fall with 1 day of track access and another day of free driving on roads. The car was like nothing else I've driven on a track. Loads of mechanical grip, stable at speed and no brake fade even after hard running for 2+ hours. Feedback was terrific and the car was so easy to manage that it made you feel like you missed your calling in life.
However, as a car for every day driving to/from work it felt chunky or heavy. Difficult to manage in traffic and stop-n-go was nervous. It clearly it wanted to go fast and annoyed to be sitting at a stop light.
I haven't driven a 997, but we spent some time in a 991 couple weeks ago and first thing I said to the dealer was this better not be like an R8. For me it wasn't. Although I haven't taken a 991 on a track, it was compliant in traffic, easy to manage, throttle response was smooth and could easily drive the car each day without being annoyed. In short the car felt much lighter and friendly for in-town driving.
We loved the R8, but elected to wait for the 991 b/c as a person living in a large metropolitan city we needed something that could cope with that.
Just my opinion (and my first post)
However, as a car for every day driving to/from work it felt chunky or heavy. Difficult to manage in traffic and stop-n-go was nervous. It clearly it wanted to go fast and annoyed to be sitting at a stop light.
I haven't driven a 997, but we spent some time in a 991 couple weeks ago and first thing I said to the dealer was this better not be like an R8. For me it wasn't. Although I haven't taken a 991 on a track, it was compliant in traffic, easy to manage, throttle response was smooth and could easily drive the car each day without being annoyed. In short the car felt much lighter and friendly for in-town driving.
We loved the R8, but elected to wait for the 991 b/c as a person living in a large metropolitan city we needed something that could cope with that.
Just my opinion (and my first post)
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From: Los Angeles
Been lurking for a while as debating a 991 purchase. My wife and I had an R8 (V8 auto) for a weekend last fall with 1 day of track access and another day of free driving on roads. The car was like nothing else I've driven on a track. Loads of mechanical grip, stable at speed and no brake fade even after hard running for 2+ hours. Feedback was terrific and the car was so easy to manage that it made you feel like you missed your calling in life.
However, as a car for every day driving to/from work it felt chunky or heavy. Difficult to manage in traffic and stop-n-go was nervous. It clearly it wanted to go fast and annoyed to be sitting at a stop light.
I haven't driven a 997, but we spent some time in a 991 couple weeks ago and first thing I said to the dealer was this better not be like an R8. For me it wasn't. Although I haven't taken a 991 on a track, it was compliant in traffic, easy to manage, throttle response was smooth and could easily drive the car each day without being annoyed. In short the car felt much lighter and friendly for in-town driving.
We loved the R8, but elected to wait for the 991 b/c as a person living in a large metropolitan city we needed something that could cope with that.
Just my opinion (and my first post)
However, as a car for every day driving to/from work it felt chunky or heavy. Difficult to manage in traffic and stop-n-go was nervous. It clearly it wanted to go fast and annoyed to be sitting at a stop light.
I haven't driven a 997, but we spent some time in a 991 couple weeks ago and first thing I said to the dealer was this better not be like an R8. For me it wasn't. Although I haven't taken a 991 on a track, it was compliant in traffic, easy to manage, throttle response was smooth and could easily drive the car each day without being annoyed. In short the car felt much lighter and friendly for in-town driving.
We loved the R8, but elected to wait for the 991 b/c as a person living in a large metropolitan city we needed something that could cope with that.
Just my opinion (and my first post)
Just for comparisons, I drove my 991 around town with all sport buttons off and compared it to drive around with Sport + on. In Sport +, the shift between 2nd and 1st gear coming to a stop is CLUNKY. Just really bad. But that's okay, because you don't need to drive around with Sport + on all the time. Because with all Sport buttons off, it's as smoothe as butter coming to a stop.
Porsche built a car that can be as smooth for around town and bumper-to-bumper traffic as a true automatic with torque converter that, with a touch of a button, can be transformed into an F1-type snorting kick *** car that shifts like a Ferrari and sounds like an exotic car (different tone than a Lambo or Ferrari, but just as appealing in my opinion). That is amazing, and that is one reason why I love my 991.
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Since the 991 will be my daily driver, I love the fact that it can turn into a beast at the push of a button but can be smooth as butter in traffic. What if I want behavior that is somewhere in the middle? Is the regular Sport button still available with SC? How does it change the behavior of the car?
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Race Car
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: 6th gear!
Been lurking for a while as debating a 991 purchase. My wife and I had an R8 (V8 auto) for a weekend last fall with 1 day of track access and another day of free driving on roads. The car was like nothing else I've driven on a track. Loads of mechanical grip, stable at speed and no brake fade even after hard running for 2+ hours. Feedback was terrific and the car was so easy to manage that it made you feel like you missed your calling in life.
However, as a car for every day driving to/from work it felt chunky or heavy. Difficult to manage in traffic and stop-n-go was nervous. It clearly it wanted to go fast and annoyed to be sitting at a stop light.
I haven't driven a 997, but we spent some time in a 991 couple weeks ago and first thing I said to the dealer was this better not be like an R8. For me it wasn't. Although I haven't taken a 991 on a track, it was compliant in traffic, easy to manage, throttle response was smooth and could easily drive the car each day without being annoyed. In short the car felt much lighter and friendly for in-town driving.
We loved the R8, but elected to wait for the 991 b/c as a person living in a large metropolitan city we needed something that could cope with that.
Just my opinion (and my first post)
However, as a car for every day driving to/from work it felt chunky or heavy. Difficult to manage in traffic and stop-n-go was nervous. It clearly it wanted to go fast and annoyed to be sitting at a stop light.
I haven't driven a 997, but we spent some time in a 991 couple weeks ago and first thing I said to the dealer was this better not be like an R8. For me it wasn't. Although I haven't taken a 991 on a track, it was compliant in traffic, easy to manage, throttle response was smooth and could easily drive the car each day without being annoyed. In short the car felt much lighter and friendly for in-town driving.
We loved the R8, but elected to wait for the 991 b/c as a person living in a large metropolitan city we needed something that could cope with that.
Just my opinion (and my first post)
I would tend to agree with you. If I recall correctly, the R8's automated manual is based on a single clutch design, whereas the 991's PDK is based on a double clutch design. I think that makes all the difference. The single clutch automated manuals I used to own back in 2007/8 (Maserati Coupe Cambiocorsa, 360 Modena F1, and Lambo Gallardo eGear) all drove clunky in stop and go traffic. My 991 drives totally different in stop and go traffic . . . unless it is in Sport + mode. I think that that is the difference. I hear, BTW, that Audi is replacing the single clutch design with a dual clutch design in the next generation R8.
Just for comparisons, I drove my 991 around town with all sport buttons off and compared it to drive around with Sport + on. In Sport +, the shift between 2nd and 1st gear coming to a stop is CLUNKY. Just really bad. But that's okay, because you don't need to drive around with Sport + on all the time. Because with all Sport buttons off, it's as smoothe as butter coming to a stop.
Porsche built a car that can be as smooth for around town and bumper-to-bumper traffic as a true automatic with torque converter that, with a touch of a button, can be transformed into an F1-type snorting kick *** car that shifts like a Ferrari and sounds like an exotic car (different tone than a Lambo or Ferrari, but just as appealing in my opinion). That is amazing, and that is one reason why I love my 991.
Just for comparisons, I drove my 991 around town with all sport buttons off and compared it to drive around with Sport + on. In Sport +, the shift between 2nd and 1st gear coming to a stop is CLUNKY. Just really bad. But that's okay, because you don't need to drive around with Sport + on all the time. Because with all Sport buttons off, it's as smoothe as butter coming to a stop.
Porsche built a car that can be as smooth for around town and bumper-to-bumper traffic as a true automatic with torque converter that, with a touch of a button, can be transformed into an F1-type snorting kick *** car that shifts like a Ferrari and sounds like an exotic car (different tone than a Lambo or Ferrari, but just as appealing in my opinion). That is amazing, and that is one reason why I love my 991.
Since the 991 will be my daily driver, I love the fact that it can turn into a beast at the push of a button but can be smooth as butter in traffic. What if I want behavior that is somewhere in the middle? Is the regular Sport button still available with SC? How does it change the behavior of the car?
Well...a Porsche is a Porsche of course of course
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If I recall correctly, the R8's automated manual is based on a single clutch design, whereas the 991's PDK is based on a double clutch design. I think that makes all the difference. The single clutch automated manuals I used to own back in 2007/8 (Maserati Coupe Cambiocorsa, 360 Modena F1, and Lambo Gallardo eGear) all drove clunky in stop and go traffic. My 991 drives totally different in stop and go traffic . . . unless it is in Sport + mode. I think that that is the difference. I hear, BTW, that Audi is replacing the single clutch design with a dual clutch design in the next generation R8.
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