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Now that these cars are appearing in showrooms, I thought I'd start a separate thread for those who've seen/sat in/driven one. I went to the launch last night and have a test drive booked for next Thursday (it's going to have to be special to lure me away from my GTS, but can't blame a petrolhead for being curious, right?)
Anyway, my impressions from last night were that
1) The black grille looks waaay better in the metal than in pictures. It's small and kind of textured, and dips down towards the engine in a way that makes it look very functional.
2) The car overall looked neater than I thought it would. Maybe it's because the cars on display were narrow-body and mine is wide, or that mine has sportdesign and duck, but the silouhettes looked smooth, small and streamlined. I really didn't notice the vents, or at least not in a negative way.
3) The GT steering wheel feels amazing. I don't know where it's been all my life and I want one with the fury of a child denied its favourite toy.
3) Graphite blue is not a colour I would pick. The friend I went with said it reminded him of the model battleships he used to make as a kid, before they were painted. I'm all for understated Porsches, but while most Porsche paint looks better in reality than in pictures this stuff didn't for me.
4) Also on the 'see it before you spec it' list is Bordeaux Red leather. I liked Garnet Red, and would have considered the black/red interior for a coupe, but Bordeaux seems to have more pink in it. It is *very* bold. Beware.
5) The RS Spyder wheels have less contrast in reality than on the configurator. They're not as dark and therefore, to me, not as striking.
And that's it! Sorry for lack of photos - was a pretty packed event. I'll report back on the test drive, and look forward to other people sharing their experiences here.
Great report!! Here are my thoughts and questions:
1) I knew the black vertical grille would look awesome. So, is it metal, not plastic?;
3) GT Steering Wheel would be a must-have option;
4) In the configurator, Bordeaux Red looked identical to Garnet Red. I thought they just named it differently as Bordeaux. I guess I wouldn't like the pinkish hue. Did you see it under a natural lighting?;
5) The configurator now also has Carrera Sport Wheels, which can be painted in Platinum or Black.
Thanks for creating this thread. About to pull the trigger on an order for a C4S, Miami Blue exterior/Saddle interior. Trying to go for a bright Mediterranean vibe.
Hey MagicRat were you at Silverstone last night.... I have 1hr test drive booked for Tuesday in a 991.2 Carrera. No Carrera S's are available yet to try.
If anyone has any questions I will try and help out answering...
Hey MagicRat were you at Silverstone last night.... I have 1hr test drive booked for Tuesday in a 991.2 Carrera. No Carrera S's are available yet to try.
If anyone has any questions I will try and help out answering...
Me! If you test drive a 7MT model please let me know about the tall gearing. I'd like to specifically hear about whether the gearing hampers the driving experience at all when you're not going all out.
I was at Porsche East London. Drive at Silverstone sounds good!
In an attempt to answer the questions: The Bordeaux interior car was Carrara white metallic, and the lighting was most unnatural (night in a showroom). Here is a photo of my friend (who is kind of designed to clash with a red interior as much as possible) sitting in the car for what it's worth.
I wouldn't want anyone to change their order based on this info, but I don't think it is the same as Garnet Red. I've seen that colour in the same showroom (albeit by day) and it looked like a darker, bloodier red. Bordeaux firstly doesn't look like any Bordeaux I've ever drunk and did seem to be more striking. It also seems unlikely that Porsche would change the name of a colour and leave the colour the same (the example I can think of is Basalt Black Metallic vs Jet - the difference is subtle but definitely there; Basalt contains more brown). If the new interior was the same as Garnet, I think they would have left the name the same, but it's quite possible that the resolution of the configurator isn't up to representing the change.
All that said, if Bordeaux is going to work with any colour, it's Graphite Blue, I think because the one is more understated than expected and the other more overstated. I'd kind of imagine it looking like a super-futuristic mobile massage parlour.
Re the grille, um, I didn't touch it so can't be sure, but it looks like metal with sculpted plastic fins on top. Either way it looks good and expensive and imo is nothing to worry about. It does (as on the 991.1 GTS) kind of blend in with a black car though. I think (much like black wheels or a black cab roof) it looks best with a non-black colour.
Hope this helps - more news on Thursday! And yes, the car I'm driving (I think) will be a PDK Carrera non-S
1) The black grille looks waaay better in the metal than in pictures. It's small and kind of textured, and dips down towards the engine in a way that makes it look very functional.
Anyone know if this grille can be retrofit to a .1 car? I agree. Looks sweet!
Felt just like a 991.1. PCM is a tad bigger, some of the buttons are laid out differently underneath, the steering wheel is a bit different (smaller, busier), and of course the PDK directional shift pattern has been reversed. Otherwise, exactly the same in feel, look and comfort.
4) Also on the 'see it before you spec it' list is Bordeaux Red leather. I liked Garnet Red, and would have considered the black/red interior for a coupe, but Bordeaux seems to have more pink in it. It is *very* bold. Beware.
I would really appreciate if somebody could take a photo of that new red leather with some form of white balance reference.
You don't need an actual photographer's white balance card. A clean white sheet of paper out of the office copier will do just fine if placed in the picture in the same light.
No fancy camera required either. Cellphone does. If an actual white reference is in the picture we can adjust white balance post-posting.
12-10-2015, 05:10 AM
991.2 first-hand impressions and test drives
