Mitleider

Read the Robb Report award of the 991 Car of the Year and couldn't help but emerge believing that this very excellent well engineered quality product is what The 996 and 997 should have been all along.
Clearly the Company is capable of executing excellences, in fact, it is the core of he brand, in my view

Comparatively, What is the explanation, what was Porsche leadership and its Board's rationale for delivering such a poorly engineered product with cheesy plastic materials and a rather high frequency of total engine failures from 1997-2008?

Remember the excuses for exclusion of a glove box in a $100K car, circa 1999?

Hyper911

simple quality , overengineering and low production nearly killed the company. You should be thanking the 996/997 for being able to have the 991 and for getting into p car ownership- they are still phenominal cars- at a reasonable price.

chris.hanle

With each succession of models you would expect that the car would continue to improve. If a car company doesn't improve quality and listen to the "problem areas" then they are sure to fail, just ask GM. Though each model doesn't necessarily have to be to the taste of every one, if you don't listen to what the general public wants then good luck. From what I gather, the 991 improves not necessarily in mechanical but plushness, and that is not what many here want (including myself).

Ynot

I concur, stupid article, nothing new to be compared to old, you would hope with each new model, the technology, materials, safety, electronics, etc should be better. The 997 is what the 996 should be and the 992 is what the 991 should be in future articles. If companies don't listen and don't change, they usually don't do very well.

Para82

Still feel lucky to have a 997.

Call me when your brand new car loses 60% of it's value, i'll probably take it

pissedpuppy

Love it or hate it, the 996 saved Porsche's ***.

991 will be an awesome car (it already is) but it's turned into a GT cruiser (boaty)

Palumbo

911 ownership is essentially capturing an iteration of a continuous evolving line. This phenomenon is to be enjoyed and explored by people who can appreciate what this thing is (as well as afford it). I'm looking at this as a voyage. Some of the wisdom I've gained from making the switch from an air cooled car to a 997, and being between feelings of remorse and excitement. I may have the Alfa syndrome now (always looking for another), yet much is to be appreciated in each model. You also have to remember, Porsche is a car company, they sell cars, they repair them, they develop new cars to meet market demand and industry standards. What you see is a result of numbers with the engineers in the background with the keys to your heart. Not sure what my next one will be...

Ben Z

Some of the improvements in the 991 rely on technology that didn't exist for the 996 or 997. And whatever material improvements there are comes with a significant increase in price, which would not have gone over as well during the economic times of the 996 and 997.

Redline911

Have to agree that the early 997's interior is pretty weak. For an 82k car when new (2005) I have paint chipping off the silver door pulls and center console. The interior materials in my Infiniti FX35 are much nicer and showing less wear, for half the price. I think the 991 had to go luxury to justify crossing the 100k mark. Maybe the new driver's car is the Cayman?

Tcc1999

Well, okay, if you proceed on the assertions that 991 is what the 997 should have been then the 997, at least insofar as hp/torque, is what the Cayman should have always been. I wonder how many here would, if they had to choose, opt for a 991 over a Cayman with power output of the 997 (in a mid-engine layout) and some suspension tweaks - that car would be a beast! "Should" and the realities of the marketing these cars don't often intersect.

beden1

IMO, the 991S is a nice car. It's just not exciting to me and that's why I chose to buy a 997.2 GTS.

The 991 is now getting all of the accolades from the press because it's new, just like the 997.2 did when it came out as a mid-year refresh.

New is not always better, especially when the 991 feels more like a highway cruiser than it does a sports car.

The 991 GT3 sounds interesting to me though, except for the fact that it is not offered with a manual transmission.

alexb76

Is this a joke? or for real?

alexb76

Not true. It was poor manufacturing processes, they hired Toyota to modernize their manufacturing and assembly process, this lead to Lean Management procedures that they co-developed with Toyota and actually teach those methodologies to other businesses as part of Porsche consulting.

I actually think 997 is extremely well built, specially the GT3 variants. 996 not so much. Time will tell if 991 is reliable or not, from all indications, electronic failures are going to be the main issue on the 991.

s329

Is the 996 what a 993 "should" have been?

Fahrer

Each new 911 series offers incremental improvements in performance and quality. That includes the 996. I must admit that I have not driven a 991 yet but I did sit in one, the new Cayman and Boxster as well. Again, I know the performance levels have improved vs. the previous models but there is one thing I do not like. One thing that the 911 always offered was upright seating with a great view in all directions. In the 991 ( as well as the new mid-engine cars), I felt like I was sitting in a tub and looking up , out the front. It reminded me of a 1990's Mustang, sitting low with a tall hood. I am sure my description is not the best but this new design seems strange to me. In my 997, I feel like I am sitting more upright with a better view down the hood, not up, over the hood. I have only heard and read that the newer car is quieter, smoother and not as hard-edged as the 997. I guess as the price goes up there needs to be more luxury. I believe that Porsche will position the Boxster/Cayman as the new sports car focus and move the 911 up to a much more exclusive position. The new 911 seems much bigger but with less room for the driver. Just my $.02.