993RS

The latest edition of the Swiss magazine "Auto" has a comparison between the new Porsche 911S and the Mercedes SL 500. The magazine states that the two cars are in direct market competition.

This type of a comparison would have been unthinkable earlier! Even though the new 997 is a step in the right direction, it still is classified in the luxury touring class.

This would not happen to a Ferrari Modena 360...

willisit

As with most car models, the 911 has become a very large car; at least compared to it's ancestors.

A great shame as I certainly wouldn't compare it to an SL - but even on programmes such as 5th Gear and Top Gear it's been compared to large Mercs and Jags.

Greg H.

So the bottom line is how would a 993 fare against the current crop of luxo touring cars? I'd hate to think your average AMG wins on all accounts.

Greg H.

ZAMIRZ

lets see, same price range (almost), both european, both fine automobiles from manufacturers who have built their reputation on providing the best in european engineering. The direct similarities end there as I see it, but the cool thing about a 911 has been that you can always option it to cator to your needs. If you want a sporty backroad burner you can get a base C2 with the powerkit and upgraded suspension bits. If you want a cruiser you can get a cab with the upgraded leather this and that, tiptronic S, all the luxo goodies.

You can't compare a 360 Modena to a 911, maybe to a Turbo, but not a standard Carrera or in the 997's case, the 997S. The Modena is around $160,000 IF you can find one, Porsches are aplenty and can be specced out to be well under $100,000.

Jastx

Based on what I've read, the 997 is one heck of a performer. It will outperform my 993. I think it looks great, too.

The performance envelope has grown in all brands. Heck, a Honda Accord has 240HP now. So, in the real world with its constraints on how you can drive, cars have performance that is basically similar. An SL500 and 997 both do the job very, very well. The details make the difference. The buyer can decide what combination of details make a specific car the best choice for them. You can buy Porsche race cars for the track if you want, but for (primarily) street use, I think the 997 is great.

993RS

I drove the 997 Carrera S - the engine is impressive, definitely outperforms my 993. That is why I decided to go for 20 % shorter gears (2-6) - should even things out, since I do not care about the top speed reduction.

Now imagine if a 997 S owner were to install shorter gears...

Stevarino

The latest issue of EVO stated the same quandry with the 997: what exactly competes with a 180 MPH, rear-engined sports car? In the end, they wrote that the 996 was its most likely competitor, but that didn't stop them from comparing it to a BMW 645Ci and a Noble GTO-3R. In the same issue, they compared a 996 TT with the new AM DB9, a Bentley Continental and an SL55 - all GTs. Guess what they preferred?

CP

Quantitive numbers aside, I think the fact that the magazines compare a Porsche, which used to epitomize raw sports car driving experience, with a MB, which has engineered road-feel and cornering sensation, out of their cars, is bad for the Porsche, or good for the Benz, if you like Benzes.

Granted, Porsche's current target buyers (since the 996 days at least) are not necessarily us guys on the 993 forum, it still suggests that their cars are 'softening' to please the masses. Nothing wrong with that marketing strategy (Porsche sales are great in 04), it's just not what die-hard Porsche 911 gear-heads would like to see.

As long as they still have GT2 and GT3 models. and tuners like RUF etc. are around, there's still fuel for the purists.

CP