My first week in a new 991 cabriolet (Warning: self indulgent long post!!)
#16
As far as the stitching is concerned you need codes:
24891 Seats
24901 Dash
24902 Door trim
24905 Rear side
26741 Door centre
26761 Door handles
26751 Armrest
The Sports steering wheel (with paddles) doesn't come yet with deviating stitching though I hear that is due soon. Because the stitch on the wheel is a cross stitch rather than a linear stitch I'm not sure it wouldn't clash. It certainly looks fine with black thread and doesn't spoil the look (thank goodness!). If it did I would have it seen to by an upholsterer but I haven't been so motivated at all.
#20
#21
Thanks for the feedback. The car is a UK model with full leather as standard so I can't help you much on that front. In UK cars the only trim piece that could do with being leather is the plastic lid to the console storage bin, but even then in black it doesn't look bad at all.
As far as the stitching is concerned you need codes:
24891 Seats
24901 Dash
24902 Door trim
24905 Rear side
26741 Door centre
26761 Door handles
26751 Armrest
The Sports steering wheel (with paddles) doesn't come yet with deviating stitching though I hear that is due soon. Because the stitch on the wheel is a cross stitch rather than a linear stitch I'm not sure it wouldn't clash. It certainly looks fine with black thread and doesn't spoil the look (thank goodness!). If it did I would have it seen to by an upholsterer but I haven't been so motivated at all.
As far as the stitching is concerned you need codes:
24891 Seats
24901 Dash
24902 Door trim
24905 Rear side
26741 Door centre
26761 Door handles
26751 Armrest
The Sports steering wheel (with paddles) doesn't come yet with deviating stitching though I hear that is due soon. Because the stitch on the wheel is a cross stitch rather than a linear stitch I'm not sure it wouldn't clash. It certainly looks fine with black thread and doesn't spoil the look (thank goodness!). If it did I would have it seen to by an upholsterer but I haven't been so motivated at all.
#22
Better--
I have a 997.2, and am planning on ordering a 991 soon! I will get the coupe though.
I will also get it in Guards Red, which is stunning on the 991.
I am not sure about which interior to get though. The dealer had a Guards Red/Beige demo which was stunning (Ferrari-like!). However, I do love your black interior with the red stitching. Question: Would red gauge dials look good with your interior? They are now being offered as an option for 2013...
Btw, as we discussed earlier, my other (winter) car is still my (Gen 4) 2008 Subaru Legacy, like yours!
I have a 997.2, and am planning on ordering a 991 soon! I will get the coupe though.
I will also get it in Guards Red, which is stunning on the 991.
I am not sure about which interior to get though. The dealer had a Guards Red/Beige demo which was stunning (Ferrari-like!). However, I do love your black interior with the red stitching. Question: Would red gauge dials look good with your interior? They are now being offered as an option for 2013...
Btw, as we discussed earlier, my other (winter) car is still my (Gen 4) 2008 Subaru Legacy, like yours!
#23
Better--
I have a 997.2, and am planning on ordering a 991 soon! I will get the coupe though.
I will also get it in Guards Red, which is stunning on the 991.
I am not sure about which interior to get though. The dealer had a Guards Red/Beige demo which was stunning (Ferrari-like!). However, I do love your black interior with the red stitching. Question: Would red gauge dials look good with your interior? They are now being offered as an option for 2013...
Btw, as we discussed earlier, my other (winter) car is still my (Gen 4) 2008 Subaru Legacy, like yours!
I have a 997.2, and am planning on ordering a 991 soon! I will get the coupe though.
I will also get it in Guards Red, which is stunning on the 991.
I am not sure about which interior to get though. The dealer had a Guards Red/Beige demo which was stunning (Ferrari-like!). However, I do love your black interior with the red stitching. Question: Would red gauge dials look good with your interior? They are now being offered as an option for 2013...
Btw, as we discussed earlier, my other (winter) car is still my (Gen 4) 2008 Subaru Legacy, like yours!
I'm a red and black guy myself but those Ferrari interiors can be very seductive. To answer your question, I like the red dials in a sport oriented 911, so would have been perfect in my Guards Red GTS, probably less so in the cab, where the subtlety of the colour highlights and luxury touches pay off.
I see no reason not to go for it. There's a thread on PH asking whether lime gold with all red interior is going to work. Next to that combination I don't think any of us have much to worry about!!
Last edited by Betternotbigger; 08-09-2012 at 06:11 AM.
#24
Race Car
"There's a thread on PH asking whether lime gold with all red interior is going to work. Next to that combination I don't think any of us have much to worry about!!"
ROFL
ROFL
#25
I promised an update to this thread and now I've put two and a half thousand miles under her fan belt, including a blast round the Highlands and I’ve been able to really open her up at last (and on some great roads). Here's my attempt to answer a few questions I posed myself in the original post.
It is widely recognised that the 991 represents a huge leap forward in comfort over the 997. For that we have to thank the longer wheelbase, the improved PASM, the dynamic engine mounts that come with Sports Chrono and the new PDCC. And the cabriolet is an even bigger step forward over its predecessor, owing to the new panel bow roof, its magnesium panels and the highly effective insulation.
As a daily driver, it is a quite brilliant compromise of practicality, good looks, comfort, handling and speed.
But this much I had already concluded after a few days’ ownership. More to the point: how good is it to drive on a hoon? And what difference does the PDCC make?
“Seriously blinkin’ fast” is a good starting point. The PDK transmission is night and day better than on the 997, and makes for ear to ear grins at every depression of the loud pedal. Nevertheless, on a sweeping A road at moderate speed, I’d say that the compliant suspension and the much lamented drop in steering feel, makes for a less engaging car than any earlier 911. That’s the price you pay for the extra liveability. By way of compensation, cornering speeds are simply phenomenal. Many times in the Highlands my son pointed out: “do you know how fast you just went round that corner?” If you want to know the answer, sorry, I claim the 5th.
Only when you push and provoke does the car wake up, the PSE barking and growling its appreciation of your intent, the chassis tensing in anticipation. Press the Sport Plus button (keeping in manual mode so as to get out of 1st or 2nd gear) to engage the Sports chassis and loosen PSM’s stranglehold and you not only get some of that steering feel back, but the snarling rear whips eagerly around big sweepers with just a hint of slip.
Does the PDCC prevent the driver reading how much grip is available, as some have wondered? No. I don’t think it does. It feels different to be rounding corners dead flat, but the tyres still speak to you. In fact the wet grip offered up by the 20” Pirellis is short of that derived from a Michelin PS2 or PSS, and you most certainly can feel when the tyres begin to lose it.
Where you really see an improvement is on a typical country backroad. Put the chassis back to Normal to dial in some extra compliance and let the 991 eat up the imperfections. My GTS (and the C2S before it) were far from composed on such surfaces, resulting in disappointing progress. A GT3 would hardly stay in contact with the blacktop. To the 991’s more planted suspension, add PDCC’s dynamic roll bars and you have a recipe for backroad annihilation.
One road I particularly enjoyed in Scotland saw a raised and rutted single track with big ditches either side throwing up multiple sharp direction (every 10 metres or so) and elevation changes. In a 997 I’d have been backing off all the way. The 991 simply dominated it without the slightest hiccup. Smooth. Incisive. Breathtaking.
But this praise comes with a warning. To liberate the beast, you will be travelling very fast, very soon. The PDK is so effective that a simple overtake from 40mph will have you at 70+ in what seems like (maybe is) half a second. You’ll be nonchalantly rounding bends at what feels like a relaxed canter to find the car on your tail has shrunk to a speck in your rear view mirror.
The 991 is a car ahead of its time. The motoring press has long been muttering that modern cars are set up for rigid handling at the expense of ride comfort: Audis, Minis, BMWs, you know the suspects. The 991 with PDCC combines the compliance of a limo with the razor edge of a Lotus, the fuel economy of a family saloon with the acceleration of a Lambo.
For some, this all-round capability is a drawback. They want something harder-edged, but harder to live with. But for me, the car is stupendous compromise which means that I don’t have to compromise. Each phase of my commute tests different capabilities: I get to engage Sport Plus for a white knuckle ride round the moorland twisties, stay calm, cool and quiet with Auto Stop/Start in the traffic, coast downhill on the highway in “gliding mode” (transmission disengaged) using zero fuel, kickdown from 7th to 2nd for effortless overtakes, and float over the city's rutted roads to arrive both grinning and composed at the office.
The fact remains that nothing beats old Pork for high days and holidays motoring enjoyment at sensible speeds, but a 993 is simply not a viable daily driver for the target well-to-do 45-65 year-old, rapidly greying, slowly “greening” customers.
The 991 simply obliterates its forerunners as an all-rounder for its intended clientele. Does it deliver comparable thrills? Oh yes. And on much more challenging roads. Just keep an eye on the speedo!
It is widely recognised that the 991 represents a huge leap forward in comfort over the 997. For that we have to thank the longer wheelbase, the improved PASM, the dynamic engine mounts that come with Sports Chrono and the new PDCC. And the cabriolet is an even bigger step forward over its predecessor, owing to the new panel bow roof, its magnesium panels and the highly effective insulation.
As a daily driver, it is a quite brilliant compromise of practicality, good looks, comfort, handling and speed.
But this much I had already concluded after a few days’ ownership. More to the point: how good is it to drive on a hoon? And what difference does the PDCC make?
“Seriously blinkin’ fast” is a good starting point. The PDK transmission is night and day better than on the 997, and makes for ear to ear grins at every depression of the loud pedal. Nevertheless, on a sweeping A road at moderate speed, I’d say that the compliant suspension and the much lamented drop in steering feel, makes for a less engaging car than any earlier 911. That’s the price you pay for the extra liveability. By way of compensation, cornering speeds are simply phenomenal. Many times in the Highlands my son pointed out: “do you know how fast you just went round that corner?” If you want to know the answer, sorry, I claim the 5th.
Only when you push and provoke does the car wake up, the PSE barking and growling its appreciation of your intent, the chassis tensing in anticipation. Press the Sport Plus button (keeping in manual mode so as to get out of 1st or 2nd gear) to engage the Sports chassis and loosen PSM’s stranglehold and you not only get some of that steering feel back, but the snarling rear whips eagerly around big sweepers with just a hint of slip.
Does the PDCC prevent the driver reading how much grip is available, as some have wondered? No. I don’t think it does. It feels different to be rounding corners dead flat, but the tyres still speak to you. In fact the wet grip offered up by the 20” Pirellis is short of that derived from a Michelin PS2 or PSS, and you most certainly can feel when the tyres begin to lose it.
Where you really see an improvement is on a typical country backroad. Put the chassis back to Normal to dial in some extra compliance and let the 991 eat up the imperfections. My GTS (and the C2S before it) were far from composed on such surfaces, resulting in disappointing progress. A GT3 would hardly stay in contact with the blacktop. To the 991’s more planted suspension, add PDCC’s dynamic roll bars and you have a recipe for backroad annihilation.
One road I particularly enjoyed in Scotland saw a raised and rutted single track with big ditches either side throwing up multiple sharp direction (every 10 metres or so) and elevation changes. In a 997 I’d have been backing off all the way. The 991 simply dominated it without the slightest hiccup. Smooth. Incisive. Breathtaking.
But this praise comes with a warning. To liberate the beast, you will be travelling very fast, very soon. The PDK is so effective that a simple overtake from 40mph will have you at 70+ in what seems like (maybe is) half a second. You’ll be nonchalantly rounding bends at what feels like a relaxed canter to find the car on your tail has shrunk to a speck in your rear view mirror.
The 991 is a car ahead of its time. The motoring press has long been muttering that modern cars are set up for rigid handling at the expense of ride comfort: Audis, Minis, BMWs, you know the suspects. The 991 with PDCC combines the compliance of a limo with the razor edge of a Lotus, the fuel economy of a family saloon with the acceleration of a Lambo.
For some, this all-round capability is a drawback. They want something harder-edged, but harder to live with. But for me, the car is stupendous compromise which means that I don’t have to compromise. Each phase of my commute tests different capabilities: I get to engage Sport Plus for a white knuckle ride round the moorland twisties, stay calm, cool and quiet with Auto Stop/Start in the traffic, coast downhill on the highway in “gliding mode” (transmission disengaged) using zero fuel, kickdown from 7th to 2nd for effortless overtakes, and float over the city's rutted roads to arrive both grinning and composed at the office.
The fact remains that nothing beats old Pork for high days and holidays motoring enjoyment at sensible speeds, but a 993 is simply not a viable daily driver for the target well-to-do 45-65 year-old, rapidly greying, slowly “greening” customers.
The 991 simply obliterates its forerunners as an all-rounder for its intended clientele. Does it deliver comparable thrills? Oh yes. And on much more challenging roads. Just keep an eye on the speedo!
#26
Are you a writer by trade? Your posts are some of the best written pieces I've read. If you don't write for a living....you should!!! Beautifully crafted & so descriptive. I'm without a Porsche as we speak. This thread really makes me want to go order a new cab!! Thanks again....pt
#27
Pro
Thanks for the update! I have taken my PDCC-equipped 991 cab to the local back roads and compared to my previous 997.2 cab, I reached the same conclusion as you. The driving experience is simply fluid, and I found myself driving at a faster speed than the last generation car.
#29
BnB: I have been following your progress over at PistonHeads too. You are an excellent writer and we are enjoying reading your incisive reporting!
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/t...+991+Cabriolet
Re: the console lid. Believe it or not, it's covered in real leather on any 'full leather' interior...even in the UK market! I agree with you that it looks like plastic and that is the reason I recommend Option # XHS on my thread below (see post #60). In fact, I wrote there that "the console lid is covered tightly in leather which is often confused for a synthetic leather".
Option XHS, on the other hand, leaves you - or passengers and/or passersby - no doubt that the console lid is covered in authentic leather and distinctive stitching! See attached photo below!
https://rennlist.com/forums/991/7085...and-you-4.html
Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel, CA
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/t...+991+Cabriolet
Option XHS, on the other hand, leaves you - or passengers and/or passersby - no doubt that the console lid is covered in authentic leather and distinctive stitching! See attached photo below!
https://rennlist.com/forums/991/7085...and-you-4.html
Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel, CA