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I finally understand what all of the hype is about the 911. I own a 971 panamera turbo and absolutely love that car. It has great acceleration, is luxurious, great tech and handles great for it's size. I have always been curious about the 911, but I have never owned one. I had test driven a few 991s and found them good but not great and a little noisier than I would like for a daily driver. The 992 has had rave reviews from every outlet and this forum has done a great job of extolling the car's virtues so I decided to check it out. I signed up for the porsche drive program and rented a 992 4s(blk/bordeux red, Sport Pkg, premium pkg) for the weekend. I was absolutely blown away! It was first all of very comfortable. (I'm 6'4" and weigh 250lbs). It was noticeably quieter than the previous 991 I had driven. The ride was firm but not harsh. I could definitely do a lot of miles in this car without complaint. The interior layout was nice (very cockpit-like with the buttons right underneath the center screen). The infotainment was similar to my panamera, which is a good thing.
The acceleration was bonkers for 445hp, it just kept pulling and pulling and pulling. With the flat 6 howling behind me and the PSE, I just wanted to continue to push the thing. I easily forgot that the engine was turbo charged as there was virtually no lag. My 4S was equipped with the rear axle steering and handling and turn was simply outstanding. The car never got out of sorts and it gripped the road as if as the saying goes it was on rails. I was left without the right words to put my experience into the proper context. All I wanted to do was drive the car. Down the block, to the grocery store or a cross country trip. There is a thread on here about sneaking out late at night just to drive the 992. I thought that was a little ridiculous but suddenly I'm that guy driving just drive at night and early in the morning.
I definitely want one and I feel like I need one! My only issue is that I just bought the panamera last year. I have a family and it would likely not go over well with the wife to all of sudden buy a 2nd car for myself. (wife has her own vehicle)
Lusting after a 911......likely not going to end well!
Hey Obi1 - I am not going to make life any easier for you! Like you I also had a Panamera Turbo-S for some years and loved it. The only issue I had with it was that it was just so... big! Well, I have just taken delivery of my first 911 (a C4S) and I relate to everything you say. That it is smaller and more nimble than any Panamera makes the 911 perfect for me. The 911 is not a "Panamera coupe" though, it has an engineering purity and character that is unique. I LOVE my C4S, and that is only after 430 miles, and have barely started breaking it in yet. No car I have ever had has had such a sense of occasion every time I take it out.
Face it, you are on the slippery slope. You will be in a 911 in a year or two.
Hey Obi1 - I am not going to make life any easier for you! Like you I also had a Panamera Turbo-S for some years and loved it. The only issue I had with it was that it was just so... big! Well, I have just taken delivery of my first 911 (a C4S) and I relate to everything you say. That it is smaller and more nimble than any Panamera makes the 911 perfect for me. The 911 is not a "Panamera coupe" though, it has an engineering purity and character that is unique. I LOVE my C4S, and that is only after 430 miles, and have barely started breaking it in yet. No car I have ever had has had such a sense of occasion every time I take it out.
Face it, you are on the slippery slope. You will be in a 911 in a year or two.
I should probably not fight it....you’re probably right.
The worse thing to do is start watching videos, go on the configurator, read every single thread you can find, start thinking about how you would build it, talk to various dealers, justify the expense, drop hints to the wife, drive one at a PEC, etc. Give it up, one way or another, you will end up with one.
I've never driven a Panamera so I don't have anything to compare to. But many here know my philosophy of sports car "pureness", namely that if it's fast it should also be designed to be nimble and aerodynamic.
Also, in my opinion consider the Cabriolet--having that elevates the experience even further on a nice day. Hearing the flat 6 howling in open air (as opposed to within the cabin) is a wonderful sound. Good luck!
Thanks for the great review. Agree, the 992S is just awesome in every way. I'm sure from what I've read that the base 992 is quite competent also.
The guys who seem to believe that the 992S suffers from some degree of turbo lag should read your review twice.
I own both. except my 971 Panamera is a GTS (different animal) than the turbo. The Panamera is my daily driver. My commute is 26 miles each way. Highways, good roads, bad roads, etc. I also take clients to lunch and/or dinner. I have to say that as a daily driver, and for my needs, the Panamera is sublime. Amazing fit and finish. The low frequency exhaust note of the GTS Panamera, is beautiful. The 3 chamber air suspension, riding on Micheline p4s is also excessively smooth. The 992 C4s, cannot match up to it in that regard. Yes it is big, and that is part of its charm.
The 992, handles much better, is easier to drive, super agile. You don't want to arrive at your destination.. You don't want to stop driving it. But on bad roads, beware of road noise.
I guess the best way to describe it is that the Panamera GTS is a amazing Uber luxury cruiser that's very sporty and capable. The 992 is a sporstcar that can be used as a luxury cruiser. Two completely different animals, for two completely different purposes.
What I will add, and I know this is confusing, as far apart that they are, they are still very similar. With my experience, as a 911 was always my dream car, I don't think owning both makes sense. They are too similar meaning, they are both very powerful with excellent handling. The 992 sometimes feels too much like a normal luxury car. (mine is highly equipped and that maybe part of the problem.) You may want to consider something with a manual or a gt car as a second car. Even though my 992 is speced at a gts, I am actually waiting for the GTS alocations. I think the GTS suspension should be different and the exhaust should be deeper. I am still debating to targa or not to targa the GTS to differentiate the two even more. or keep the C4s and replace the panamera with either a cayenne gas or wait for the taycan cross truismo. So may cars, so little time.
Just wait until you try a Turbo S.... you'll find an excuse to own one.8.7.1
^ I actually think I won't try a Turbo S (even though I want to, badly!).
The Carrera S (and probably even the base Carrera) is already too damn fast for the road. A fellow 911 owner and I were talking the other day just about this. Unless you plan to spend lots of time on a racetrack, I'm already bummed out about how I have to constantly watch out for cops whenever I try to enjoy this car. That gets amplified even further with a Turbo S.
I wish we had something like an Autobahn in the US....
03-29-2021, 01:09 AM
I now understand
