trice9

I am very interested in the newly announced Targa 4 GTS. Thinking of trading my 2010 997.2 Turbo cab in for it. Am I crazy? Has anyone gone from that Turbo to the 991 GTS? Most important to me is how the GTS will drive and feel vs the Turbo? Acceleration? Handling? Sportiness? etc.

Reasons for considering the trade in? Love the look of the carmine red with black accents. Love the targa look and the whole targa concept. Hope that the targa hardtop is stiffer and quieter than the soft top. The updated interior. Having a car with 0 miles vs one with 50k (no garage queen for me).

Given this forum, I know many of you are happy 991 owners, and those positive comments throughout this forum have helped me get to this possible decision. So while I am happy to hear more of those type of comments, I really want to hear from those that have actual experience with both cars and can make a comparison. Thanks in advance.

Porsche 25th

Close. I went 997TT to 991C4S.
The 991 chassis and thus handling are in an entirely different league than any 997. The normally aspirated engine needs RPMs to produce torque. There is a nice torque rush as you pass mid-point on the tach. However, it pales in comparison to the huge boot a Turbo gives you at almost anywhere in the rev range.
That being said, I consider my move a step UP. On the other hand, my next 911 is a 991TTS. IMHO it is the ultimate blend of power and handling in the current model line.

NoGaBiker

Mine is a 996TT X50 with a little bit of breathing work. Haven't dyno'd, but stock it was 450/467 so a little more than that. I am in process of shopping and probably about to order if I can't find the exact GTS I want. What I write below pertains to the PDK 991S with Sport PASM and PDCC that I've test driven for about an hour total, on two occasions. I can only imagine GTS is even better, but they won't let me take one out because they're all spoken for that are on the lot.

So I speak not as a GTS owner (yet) but as someone also keenly interested in the same question you pose.

First, there's no doubt you'll notice that 150+ pounds of torque that's missing. But here's the big difference, in my eyes. The thing that equalizes that is the PDK. In so many situations I'm loafing along and then see a hole in traffic I want to shoot into, or some reason I want to get shoved forward. With TT that means downshift (I have a 6MT), throttle, and then wait a sec. Of course, lag is reduced greatly over previous iterations of Turbo, and yours even moreso, but it's still there.

The GTS PDK either shifts instantly itself, or I do so if I'm driving with paddles, and WAAAAAAAAHHHHHH, I'm into the meat of the powerband and accelerating before the Turbo would even be shifted down into 3rd or whatever.

So in real world terms, the result is pretty darn similar. Add to that the fact Porsche quotes 3.8 to sixty, vs. about 3.6 for the 996TT, iirc. So even though it goes about things a good bit differently, and you won't get that amazing Hand-Of-God push in the backside once the turbo spools, the GTS is slick, slick, slick, and can execute your wishes more instantly.

The big difference I noticed was in high-speed acceleration. You are following a line of cars toodling along at 50 getting on the interstate; you get to the end of the long on-ramp and see a gap to jump into ahead of cars that are closing at 70+. Nail the Turbo and you're across four lanes of traffic, in the fast lane and doing 110 before the people who were ahead of you have even merged yet. It's that 60-130 sprint where the deep lungs of the Turbo are just not gonna be beat by the instant rev-up and electronic gimcrackery of the 991.

But as Porsche 25th above says, all that pales (for me) once the suppleness of the new chassis is brought into the picture. The bumpsteering is absorbed and damped out, the porpoising over road undulations, the road and tire noise from expansion joints on interstate slabs are all so improved. The lateral transitions of the 991 compared to any 911 I've owned or driven before are just astonishing, even with none of the buttons pushed. Once you push the Sport or Sport Plus buttons, and even the PDCC, it is a remarkable transformation.

My decision to change (even though I only have 25k on my Turbo and it's in perfect shape and carries $18,000 worth of Exclusive options inside plus the X50 powerkit) is based on these things:

1) The NA 911 Carrera is almost gone. Period. The new turbos (not Turbos) will be amazing, I'm sure, but they won't be NA, and they won't have that throttle response and unique driving characteristics. After a few more weeks, maybe months, we'll never (in the near future, anyway) be able to order a NA Carrera exactly as we want it, ever again. (I can't believe I'm typing that!) And after eight or ten more months, we won't be able to get one anywhere except on the second-hand market. I'd like to "stock up" while you can still get them.

2)The daily delight of the chassis outlasts the daily delight of the big power, in my book. Especially given that you aren't exactly being asked to give up and settle for 370Z power levels. 430 is still a big number.

3) the liveability of the car in its tamer modes (no buttons pushed) is a better fit for hauling my wife around. She won't ride in the TT anymore because it's jarring to her, uncomfortable, and loud. And that's a largely stock vehicle! But she likes things quieter and comfier. The 991 moves us in that direction when I want, but with the buttons I can go to a chassis that is sharper and better composed for the mountains or the track any time I want. No longer do I have to "build" the car for the mountains and then suffer as a DD.

4) I went into the store thinking I was gonna upgrade to a 991TT (not TTS). Given that 5000 mile clean low-options 991TTs are out there for the same price I'll be paying for the GTS the way I'm specing it, that's sobering. But the fact that I'll always be able to get a turbo or a Turbo 911 in the future, but not an NA, made me rethink that decision.

Best of luck in your decision!

lunarx

I like what Porsche 25th and NoGaBiker said.
They totally get the NA 991 experience.

However, you are a Turbo Guy and have a fantastic car and its still plenty low on miles, so you can hold out for a 991.2 Targa.
I dont think your trade in value is going to drop much by waiting.

Since Targa is AWD, it will benefit greatly from being Turbo and with tuning and Bolt Ons be otherworldly fast.
Then you wont have to give up a thing.

jimbo1111

I can't for the life of me fathom how Porsche will be able to market 5 different levels of a turbo vehicle.

PDK1965

I'm trading my 2007 TT for a GTS coupe, now ordered, with delivery late March/early April. I agree with the comments above (great review and comparison from NoGABiker). The immediacy of the NA engine, and the sounds and sensations of the GTS spec and 991 chassis and suspension, sold me after a few hours of test driving. The TT power is fantastic, however just about the time it starts to get really fun, you're traveling at triple digit speed which just doesn't work on public roads. I'm betting my GTS will be much more enjoyable overall.

lunarx

Its nuts isn't it?
I'm still not so convinced they are doing it in 2016.
I feel like more confirmed info would have to be out by now.

If I was them,
Base would be a bargian lightweight Turbo 4 with 380hp and superb handling.

S and GTS have 2 power teirs with just engine mapping.

Turbo S should go away, untill it can come back w hybrid power.

Turbo gets bumped up, to current Turbo S power level, with all performance options standard (except CL and PCCB).

jimbo1111

Porsche made a big mistake in offing SUV's. Unfortunately 2016 ushers in a change in how the epa regulates fuel economy. Called MY2016. because Porsche makes SUVs. It's smaller line of Porsches have to suffer regulation. I can easily see limited production NA vehicles becoming very desirable. GTS= instant classic.

jimbo1111

A little off topic. I was watching the Barrett Jackson auction last week and saw the number one 2015 ford gt350 sell for 1 million dollars.

lunarx

I am impressed with the New Mustang.
If it was 300lb lighter and had a smoother front grille design......