http://www.ukipme.com/engineoftheyear/25_3.php#3

no that much pathetic anyway

 

In Hong Kong with tax

US$229,454 - C2
US$264,662 - C2S

 

The engine itself is not pathetic... The combination of that engine in the 981 chassis is pathetic. It feels AND is sluggish, simply because the chassis is that good. That chassis deserves a more powerful engine.
I've driven the base Boxster and Boxster S enough to get a good judgement on it. You constantly have the feeling that something is holding the car back and it is the engine.

That article is just a view on some engines, not on the whole package of car and engine.

Suzy (via iOS app)

 

I can afford the S. But to me it's just the same car as the C2 with a few options I do not need nor want.

 

I can see your point, it would make things easier, less overlap in the lineup, also less discussions going on on the fora. But Porsche has everything to gain to offer us a plethora of options, C2/C4, S, X51, ... Raw materials and production costs are roughly the same for all I presume. I can not believe the S engine will cost much more to produce than its 3.4 sibling. It's just the prices and the margins that go up !
So I expect them to take optioning and customization to the next level for the following generation, to extract every last dollar or euro out of our pockets ;-)
After all, It's what they do best !

And for the record, reading all foreign prices, makes me feel stupid I didn't get the GT3, allthough that would have been more of a garage queen than my C2.

And while the TT might be a good DD, for a non DD like me it clearly is not. It has turbos. I don't like turbos, I prefer NA linearity. People are complaining about the (virtually non-existant) lag in the PDK shifting. I wonder what's going to happen if they mash the throttle on a Turbo car, now there's some lag.

 

I don't agree that the S is just a profit/margins gimmick or whatever. The S upgrade (in every model except the Macan, where the "S" is the base model...even though its a turbo...and you can upgrade to the turbo, which is also a turbo... ) is a substantial package. Add up the costs of PTV/PASM, bigger wheels/tires, etc (many of which are options that, while you may not prefer them, many base model owners spec for even when building from scratch) and the S is IMO very competitively priced when you add in the extra power/brakes/etc. There's also numerous other little embedded upgrades like more leather here and there, hard to spot in the configurator upgrades to ratio or cheaper upgradable radios...the Bose in the Cayman S is half the upcharge as the base model, etc.

For the Cayman and Carrera its 50 extra horsepower with negligible additional weight. So it all goes to power:weight, which is what Porsche sports cars are all about in the first place. You can always get more HULK SMASH RAWR!!!! power for the money by getting a Camaro or something, not that I condone such immorality but obviously that's not the point.

Also car makers tend to "buff" up a lot more than cylinder size when they install a bigger engine over a smaller model. In most cases pretty much everything gets a mechanical/engineering upgrade so its stressed/rated to at least the same quality. Typically this is bigger clutch/flywheels, mounts, entire transmission/internal parts, etc. Some of the early model Mercedes/BMW internal transmission shafts/drums/plates etc are dramatically beefier between models. I'm too new to the 991 to know every part that may or may not be bigger/stronger but I'd be shocked if the list wasn't substantial, even if it was hard to see.

The S model of the Cayman or Carrera shave off a full second from 0-60 and the rest of the acceleration band. That doesn't mean the base models are underpowered, and many owners may be happy with their respective performances because they are still awesome cars, obviously, but no one in a base Porsche sports car ever put the hammer down and said "I sure am glad I don't have more power".

 

I drive a C2 with PDK/SC. I looked up the 0 to 100 km/h numbers in my user manual. Apparently it is faster than a C2S with MT.

The significant extra power of the S is only exploited if you spec the right gearbox. Otherwise you might actually be slower than a C2 with PDK. So in reality that 50bhp is offset by a wise gearbox choice !

But you are right, I would not say no to more power in my 991. If I were to go that way though, it would land me in a 991 GT3, not in a C2S car !

 

I know you are being humorous, and I readily agree that PDK is a more efficient, better shift. But I was just out in my 1400 mile C2Cab with MT and thought to myself, "Gosh this shifts great. Why would anyone want to deny themselves this."

Different strokes...

 

Best statement yet in this thread!

Sig-worthy!

 

The only smart thing I did in my search that started with a used Cayman and ended with a new 991 Cab was that I never test drove a 991 S.

On a more serious note, I did test drive a 2012 GTS, which had lots of HP but didn't do it for me.

 

I don't think that is a fair comparison at all. The book numbers for PDK/SC are predicated on using launch control, which you might do at the track or other *very* controlled situations, but the C2S with any transmission is going to beat a base C2 off the line otherwise, as well as all through the power band.

Now if you're on a twisty road/track in Sport Plus and the MT C2S without SC isn't a super awesome heel and toe'r, then yeah you might not see the advantages of the S there either. But the 50 extra HP and torque the S brings to the same platform is more significant than the book numbers suggest. And then there's the other upgrades you get with the S.

Again, not dissing the base models at all especially the base Carerra which IMHO is a flat out entry level supercar. But if you drive a base hard through some fun roads/track and then drive an S on the same, the difference is pretty huge.

 

I'm sure he knows that. Not even worth discussing imho. He is happy with base model and that is all that matters. You get what you pay for.

 

Let's just all agree that it's great that Porsche offers so many levels and options. We can also agree that it's great that people are free to make their own decisions.

Can we please end this thread now?

 

I actually think this thread has a lot of value. Its fair to say a lot more people want a new Porsche than can afford (or are willing to spend) to get one. That said, there are a lot of people on the edge of their comfort zone that could/would spend up to a base Carerra (or Cayman/Cayman S) with few options but not much more. I know because I was one of those people. Yet you go to the dealers and all they spec are many tens of thousands in options, etc. So the buyer in that range is stuck doing their own research and reverse option engineering (and then ordering a "stripped" model from the factory if they decide to go that route).

But since they won't likely ever get to see a like config'd car in the tsunamis of showroom bling, they have to roll the dice, spend their max budget and hope they will be happy in the end. Talking to other owners/buyers/shoppers in that same situation is a huge help.

For anyone in that sitch, its really helpful to think of how much car you actually do get from a 100% "stripped" model. A completely stripped Porsche is still a very nicely "loaded" car IMO. Carefully go through the options list to see what you really, really want/need and you can get one "out the door" for a massive amount less than buying a showroom starship with holocrons and laser turrets all over it.

And IMO you will still be VERY happy with it in almost every case.

 

All of these threads turn into dick measuring contests.