texas911

So there is a trend in automotive design to lessen the button count on the dash. Who started this trend, I don't know, but don't understand it. And neither does Porsche with all the buttons they choose to have on the 997.

But I understand Porsche now. Was recently at the Grand Prix of Houston (Champ and ALMS) which they had an open paddock policy and you could get right into the doings of the teams, and all of the race cars had a plethora of *****, buttons and gauges. These are the environments that Porsche competes in. I've never saw an iDrive in a race car and hope tha Porsche never has one. One button for one function, that's better than navigating through menu after menu to get things done.

So all you complainers that have been brainwashed into thinking that a multibutton setup is confusing, yea to a journalist who spends a few days with a car, but not to a car owner, get over it.

MMD

IMO, there's a huge number of guys (grown boys) who secretly want their cars to resemble this photo. THAT'S why the rest of us have no choice and have to live with ugly PCM units and fifty buttons and warts.

texas911

If you're not smart enough to remember which buttons do which, then you've got other problems!

YA911Fan

I agree with MMD...

Porsche has done a great job ruining their products for those of us who don't want all of this nonsense. (I would add the lobster forks and the quad exhaust tips to his list )

Why can't we order a 911 without all this crap?

MMD

Here's another "inspirational" picture: At least they got the handbrake right

THPorsche

Sheepskin seatcover??!!

ronmart

Yeah, but then you end up with the ugly *** designs like they have in the current generation BMW's and Mercedes. Personally, I'd rather 50 buttons, so I can train my fingers to go hit that one button I want in one step, rather than have to deal with the freakin iDrive type widgets when I'm out on a twisty road.

If they could come up with few buttons, a nice design (instead of these 70's retro sedan looks with column shifters and straight dashes) and no iDrive I'd be all for it. Lexus does a great job of this with their touch screen and key buttons, so I think it is certainly possible. However, I think the German companies are too afraid of copying the Japanese makers so they have to invent something else that ultimately doesn't work well.

Germans are great for mechanical engineering, but their usability sucks!

FlyingLow

I've been waiting for Ben to chime in on this one... where r u?

Edgy01

When you sit on these things for 10 hours at a time sheepskins are the LEAST they can do for you!

Dan
~2000 hrs cockpit time

THPorsche

They should have used this then

Edgy01

Now THAT is funny! Is that a shot from someone's taxi?

Dan

Alan Smithee

I agree somewhat; the PCM screen and all of the associated buttons (as one journalist said, placed as if somebody stuffed them up their nose and sneezed them onto the console) are pointless and borderline unsafe...even after owning the car for a while...if you just have a radio. I wish we could have opted for the Cayman/Boxster's cleaner, simpler, and more logical center console without PCM.

I don't think the cars are ruined, however...as a life-long Porschephile, there really is still nothing like a 911...and I really like the lobster-fork wheels. The fake quad tips are cheesy, however...the non-S tips suit the car better.

MMD

Agree 100%

THPorsche

No, but I have seen a lot of "cab" drivers using this...maybe I need to get one for myself.

OCBen

Hey Steve, when you moving up here?
You still packing? ... I'm not talkin' 'bout your shootin' irons.
Those you can leave behind.