rocklegend

That's funny because the seats from the new vette are from lear the same manufacturer that Porsche uses for their seats. And they did some market research for interior design including the Porsche 911 and Audi R8. From GM's data they found out that 4 to 1 people preferred the C7 interior compared to the 911 and 2 to 1 compared to the R8. Have you ever sat in the new C7? I had the chance to sit in it and it's good. Top Gear is nothing but entertainment.

rpilot

Uh..oh.. Looks like you stopped by on your way back from school at the Corvette dealer and they told you that the C7 was a chick magnet.

rocklegend

The c7 isn't a chick magnet its bought by all dudes. Neither is the 911 a chick magnet it's bought by all dudes also.

LSJU

I'm not sure that Porsche's record on overall quality is any better than GM's and I can say with certainty that the interior quality of cars like the 1st Gen Cayman (ie similar price to the Corvette) was nothing special. Yes, it was marginally better than that of the C6 but almost entirely because GM's stylist failed, not because the materials weren't as good. Porsche wasn't delivering great interiors. Audi and even some VW products were delivering more in that regard. Porsche was simply better than the Corvette.

In the first year of ownership my sib's 2005 Corvette (bought new, very early production) had no issues. The Cayman of a friend needed a new motor over a similar period of time.

With the newest 911 and Cayman Porsche has really stepped up the interior game. Of course that comes with a big sticker price.

Really I think C&D seemed rather fair. Sure, the 20:1 score was harsh but so was the 5:0 because the Corvette has no rear seat. More importantly I think C&D had a valid point, in the categories of Powertrain and Chassis the two cars were all but tied.
Item ------- Corvette ------ Porsche
Powertrain:
1/4 mile accel ---- 20 -----20
Flexibility ----- 4 ------ 3
MPG ------- 9 ------ 10
Engine NVH ----- 9 -------10
Transmission ------- 9 -------9

Chassis
Performance ---- 19 -----20
Steering feel ---- 10 -----9
Brake feel -----9 -----9
Handling ----- 9 ---- 10
Ride ------ 10 ----- 9

Fun to drive ----- 23 ---- 25

I'd add the fun to drive as well which gives the 911 a 3 point advantage. That's not much given an near 3x price. If you are looking for a driver's car then both are great (per reviews) but the 911 is slightly better for a big increase in price. If you also care about things that aren't directly associated with driving such as styling, fit and finish etc then the 911's advantage grows.

When it comes down to it C&D only offers an opinion (as I am doing). To an extent this sort of clinical analysis fails because this is not a family car. This is a expensive toy and as such the criteria ultimately needs to be what makes you happier. If money is no object then the cost parts of the equation go away. If money is critical, say you can afford a new Corvette or a used 911 then money becomes a big deal. If you are a big or tall guy the C&D review made it sound like the Porsche is the better car. If you want open air motoring well the Corvette is a targa, the Porsche isn't.

Ultimately you the buyer need to be happy. I think it's great to see how the cars compare in detail even though that may have little impact on my overall emotional attachment to either.

Disclaimer: I haven't driven either of the new cars. On the surface of it I like the first gen Cayman better than both. Even though I don't think the interior is all that, I think it's good enough and generally prefer the styling to the new Cayman or 911. I haven't been in love with the looks of the 911 since the 993. On paper I love the new Corvette V8. Very impressive that GM can get that much power out of a motor that is smaller and lighter than the Porsche engine (This is an assumption but was true when you look at the LS3 vs the 911 motor of the time). Any idea that the LT1 is primitive or crude speaks to the ignorance of the speaker. Same with discussions of the Corvette springs. However, when I last drive a C6 I found the large displacement engine made rev matching CRITICAL. Basically I didn't love the motor, I greatly respected the motor. I don't care about track performance and would never buy either as a track car. Once you drive something like a Formula Ford a 911 is a blunt, crude implement on the track. A true track car can also be had for less and is easier to fix if you run out of talent. With that in mind my opinions are biased towards what I would rather drive on the roads.

CaliforniaZombie

Hesitant to get involved in this thread any further but can't help myself.

A prior post indicated the 991 was "overpriced" and not a good "value". Value is certainly subjective I don't consider a Prius to have much value to me, yet I have friends that own one and rave about its "value". During those rave sessions, in my mind I'm thinking "man I hope I never have to drive one of those". For me, the 991 is a terrific value -- a truly amazing machine, and stunning engineering/quality.

Vette buyers and Porsche buyers seem to me to be two separate groups - apples and oranges for the most part I would guess. What I deem to be a value someone else obviously won't. Honestly kind of a pointless debate. I'll never convince my Prius friend to buy a 991, and I certainly won't be driving a Prius. I'll walk before that happens And I won't be buying a vette anytime soon either - irrespective if it has the same seats as the 991 or not, and with as much "market research" as one could ever gather saying the vette is more of a "value". If I want value, I'll go to Costco - in my 991.

LSJU

Funny thing about girls and cars... most don't care about what we care about.

Years back I had an early Miata as a fun car. I liked it because it was cheap. I also had a EuroSedan. I figured the Euro car would peg me as a snob while the $4k Japanese car would make people think I was cheep. So I met a girl who was making good money (deep in 6 figures). She didn't see the European car as snobish or flashy. She just saw it as a car. When she was introduced to the red sports car she said that would have been a big turn off. She would have seen that as a flashy car driven by someone who was trying to show off. Note the sedan was ~$30k more!

What we see and what they see is often VERY different.

LSJU

I think that hits it nicely. These sorts of purchases are about what makes the buyer happy. If Porsche has just the right color of paint to make you love the thing... well that's all that maters.

rocklegend

Go to the 2:40 mark and the girlfriend asks do you like it even though the car is for her as a gift. It's like she could careless about the car. She would of been more impressed by a puppy I think. And girls like cars that look cute not cars that have 400hp +.

DvidzBlk991

+1
Congrats on the new 911.

I've wanted to buy a 911 ever since I was a kid, and I've never thought about owning a Vette.
So for me, I couldn't care less if the Vette ranks higher than the 911 by C&D or R&T.
In my opinion those rankings are still very much subjective in many ways.
The 911 is the one i've always wanted to drive, and to own.

FlyScotty71

What a great topic! Corvette vs. 911.

Really... How do I even approach this topic??? My first thought was the Article Title should read, "POS Corvette vs 911 Refined Sophistication" Ahhhhh, that's Better!

Just kidding. I have several friends that are proud owners and absolutely love their Vettes. Now to be fair, I have not driven one of the new Corvettes. But I have driven the previous model and was not impressed. It felt cheap and was all about power. Yes, it was unbelievably fast. But the drive did not inspire me with confidence like my M3 did. And to try and compare it to a new 911, hell even a Cayman S, there IS no comparison. It's just such a different experience. However, we should all remember that magazines are made to sell, and a little controversy every now and then isn't necessarily a bad thing... is it?

Sounds like the new Corvette has dramatically improved. But it goes without saying...
... It's still a Corvette.

I guess if you want a light, fast, enormous engine, ugly sports car... well then the Corvette's for you.

However, if you want a refined, well build, incredibly precise handling machine... we all know what to buy.

kosmo

DUDE youre being to logical! Quit it. This is a Porsche forum. Your logic and reason will fall upon deaf ears.

Frankly I havent seen the article but the performance point allocation is interesting. Some questions:
1. Tranny was a tie. Was the Porsche a PDK vs the Vette's 7spd stick?
2. Vette scored 1 pt higher. Is it hydraulic or Electric? If its E thats pretty impressive
3. Brakes also a tie. Did the Porsche have CCB?

chuckbdc

For those weighing in without having read the article or driven the cars, here are some quotes from the C&D comparison:

"The 911's noise also connects the driver to the machine. It is a softer, silkier burr than the Corvette's roar, but the noises that make it through are more vivid, particularly as the flat six howls toward its 7600 rpm redline."

"The 911 manages to out accelerate the Vette by a tenth of a second in the quarter mile."
(PS -its 12.4 time was the slowest C2S in any mag in the past year and a half second slower than the best one).

"The 911 also trumps the Vette in interior space."

"Indeed, our drivers preferred the 911 in virtually every regard and agreed that it is more fun than the Vette."

So, they optioned a C2S up 30K over what anyone would consider a lavishly optioned 991, and then gave it to the Vette on price. The Vette is a fantastic car at the price for sure, but the road testing told the story.

CaliforniaZombie

Very well said. I thought I always wanted a Ferrari. After having one, I have to say the 991 is much more satisfying to me. There's one more subjective comparison

LSJU

But they had a few other quotes as well...
"With a price more than double that of the Chevy, though, the 911 had damn well better be the better car. But the new Corvette takes such a large leap forward that the 911 would need to be even more entertaining that it is, and seem even more special, to feel worth it."

"Before you start howling that the Corvette won solely on prices, notice that in the stuff that really matters to sports-car buyers, chassis and powertrain, the Porsche holds a single-point lead. Is such a minute edge worth $50,000? $80,000? The Corvette doesn't win on dollars. It wins on sense."

"Atop a base of $99,850, the example tested here carries $48,395 in extras... This car's options bill alone is nearly enough to buy you a base Corvette" Note that it would be typical for both cars to be manufacture provided. The magazines have limited ability to spec the cars.
Continuing into the next paragraph,
"[the base Corvette] Which would cost just $51,995. But this one is armored to pick fights with Porsches. It has the $2,800 Z51 handling package (upgraded brakes, shocks, springs, anti-roll bars, wheels, and tires; plus dry-sump oiling and an electronic limited-slip differential with coolers for both it and the transaxle); the $1195 performance exhaust; and the top shelc 3LT interior package for $8005, in which pretty much everything is power adjustable, heated, and leather wrapped. There are a few other extras, too. Even at an as-tested $68,273, the Corvette retains its value proposition."

[Corvette brakes] "vented, grooved disc"
[Porsche brakes] "vented, cross-drilled, ceramic disc"

Really, my reading of the article is the Porsche is the better car but only a marginally better sports car.

It's easy to be critical of the options they added to the 911 but remember they got a fully loaded Corvette for $30k less than a base 911. That is a very big price gap.

Kosmo, the Corvette power steering is in fact electronic. It was noted that the 911's faster acceleration was due to the closer gear ratios. It's common for cars to reach top speed in something other than the top gear. However, the Corvette's top speed isn't in 6th (ie top-1) but in 5th! It sounded like the ratios are still rather far apart. However, that might be a necessary evil. People don't shift that fast and with a true (God love them) manual, the time needed to row through the box becomes a big deal when 0-60 times are under 4 and 1/4 mile times are mid 12s. Personally I've never warmed to the DSG type transmissions. In a sports car I don't have to drive every day I would rather have a good stick shift even if that means I go slower. This is a car about FUN, not the best lap times. Happily both GM and Porsche still offer the old school.

mrstep

What played out in my mind was more like:

"Do you like the car, baby?"

"You a$$hat! You called me out of the office with a camera filming me, then gave me a f-ing $55,000+ Corvette instead of a ring."