Porsche911GTS'16

That C8 interior is a lot to digest, especially that long strip of buttons. Not a good car for a bachelor. Good luck making out with your date in the front seat of that car. It's like the Great Wall of China is between you and the passenger.

destaccado

Honestly I didn't look closely enough to notice that button array. That does look horrible

K-A

Sounds exactly like my impression of the 991.2 base model I drove (regarding the engine and character of the car). Honestly one of the most boring test drives I've taken. Makes solid power and all, but didn't feel anything near otherworldly from my 991.1 base, and more importantly, the engine sounded terrible to me. Just not much noise at all, and what it did make sounded quite artificial and demure, downshifts had no ferocious bark of my N/A car, and it overall simply didn't compare to the 991.1 symphony which I find easily one of the best out there. I also prefer the linear and immediate power deliver of the N/A over the "flat curve" boosted 9A2. I'm so used to flat torque curves from 3.0 turbos these days, it just doesn't feel all that special, imo. Just no soul to the car, which mostly centers around the engine. Felt too polished and sophisticated, like a shrunken, very well performing sports sedan (or to me, reminded me a lot of a smaller version of my Macan S).

MT did a review of a 911 Turbo S cabrio, and even they said something similar to that ("no soul, does everything too well without drama, no sound, feels like a shrunken Cayenne") even though it obliterated everything they compared it against in performance.

The 992 seems to double down on the luxury + performance increase. The latter is meaningless without the former, imo, as visceral feel and experience is everything, especially on the road.

Thankfully, GT cars just keep getting better as Carreras get more serene. What I REALLY hope for is the atmospheric 9A2evo in the Carrera as that will be the game changer needed to draw me into the car.

K-A

The C8 will naturally come with its own list of compromises as well.

Historic Chevy fit/finish, inattention to detail and build quality. A soft 15,000 deg/nm torsional rigidity which if you’re accustomed to the vault like feel of a 991 coupe (an astounding 40,000+ deg/nm, of which the 992 will naturally be even a bit stiffer) is lacking.

I mean, they couldn’t even get the rubber molding to go all the way to the edge of the panel, FFS. Stuff you’ll typically only find on GM products.






Looks like can swallow a 911, length of a 3 Series, width of a Panamera, looking at a good 3,600+ lbs. Likely won’t be a go-karty feeling backroads dancer.





Still. The N/A V8 alone would likely be worth it. At least you know it’ll aurally rivet you at any speed, if you run it up the rev range.

aCayenneFan

I suspect you are seeing one of the hand-built pre-production editions. But still, the lack of attention to detail for a version that is going to get all of the press and publicity is stunning.

clutchplate

The Lotus Elise was probably one of the worst ever in terms of attention to detail yet was intoxicating to drive. I can forgive the C8 build quality to a large degree at $60k, especially if it's a thrill ride.

aCayenneFan

If the thrill quotient was high enough, I suspect whole body panels falling off at speed would be forgiven...

slc4s

The interior of the C8 really does work better in person. I felt the same about the 992, better in person but didn't feel justified by the price. That odd shaped steering wheel actually affords you a great view of the gauge cluster. Something 992 owners will certainly not have. Also the button array kind of works nicely when you are sitting in the car. Maybe a bit "out there" but doesn't feel crazy from the inside. Also I'm a sucker for physical buttons vs having to find something in a touch screen interface. Also from a quality perspective you have to remember that this car is essentially 50% of the cost of a 992. (992 I want options up to nearly 150k, 75k gets you optioned up vette).


Very likely I still end up in a 992 but the critics of the C8 on this site are off their rockers on the things they complain about.

Noah Fect

Yeah, I may not agree with some of the design decisions made on the C8 interior, but at least I can tell they thought about it. The 992 interior shows little teleological influence. It looks more like a parts-bin exercise than the Corvette does, which is really saying something when we're talking about a car from General Motors. And it's so much worse when you remind yourself that it's not a parts-bin exercise. Elements like the occluded gauges, goofy door hardware, and terrible central console were built expressly for the 992, not borrowed from another product line.

Not for the first time, I drove a Macan the other day and couldn't stop thinking about how it has a real PDK shifter and an overall-nicer interior than the new 911s. It shouldn't come as a surprise when the A-team designers and engineers are assigned to the cars that sell in the highest volumes... but somehow, given Porsche's history and heritage, it still does. They're an SUV company now, first and foremost, and the rest of us just need to deal with it and get over it.

limegreen

Funny you say that, I was in a 2019 Cayenne a few weeks back noting that the instrument cluster was better laid out with a nicer looking tach and screens that seemed better integrated into the design not to mention being completely visible through the steering wheel.

Its sad but becoming apparent where Porsche’s best talent is being utilized these days.

As for the C8, though I am not an American car fan, I think they have hit this car out of the park! The design seems so much more logical and focused than the 992 in terms of a sports car.

Mid engine , NA 500hp V8 , exotic looks and layout and performance that is going to knock on GT Porsche and Ferrari’s door for a fraction of the price? The thing could be held together with scotch tape and half made of cardboard and it’s still an instant winner!

K-A

I much prefer buttons too. I actually like the big button “line” in the C8 and how insanely driver centric the interior is. A big troll move to Porsche who caved into “coffee in the car” focus groups who b*tch about “buttons” because the last thing they do is need to engage with a tactile switch on the fly to change driver or comfort settings. Now you have a “sports car” with the communication of a generic smartphone.

The C8 won’t be an Elise. But yes, if it’s a thrill ride a lot can be overlooked, granted the price stays down with options. With that massive footprint, not sure how engaging it’ll be on public backroads. Hopefully very.

Agreed. And that’s what raises the “GM red flag” to me as there isn’t a company on earth known to skimp on innocuous to important details on their products, like GM. It’s a “tell” on the culture within them. They just don’t care. Porsche would never let a car go on the show floor with that mess of panels and alignment and trim. And if GM does, as they have for eons, what else are they covering up.

Pushrod V8’s that don’t rev and sound monotone? Yeah, known about that since the 90’s when I drag raced LT1’s.

“Up the rev range” doesn’t mean it will have anything near the crescendo of the 3.4L sonic masterpiece with its whopping 20 less HP than its boosted replacement model, it means it simply gets louder as you push the pedal harder. Which is fundamentally true.

chance6

What is this??? ...what is redline on the C8? Guessing 6800 rpm? That's not exactly a flat plane crank Mustang GT350...which revs to 8250 rpm...and I'll bet is more exciting.

clutchplate

What did they used to say about 911's? Too small to get lucky in but you'll get lucky as soon as you step out of it.

LexVan

Well, this just shows you've never been in the back seat with a former gymnast. I pitty you.

Porsche911GTS'16

Hey Clutch - I know a frequent poster on RL who routinely debunks that myth about 911s being too small to get lucky. And speaking from my own experience, well, let's just say the car has served many purposes, not all of which are rated PG.