alvaro1728

I finally had the chance to test drive a silver 2011 Turbo S for the first time and here are my observations:

Great

• This is a sensational looking car in person, much better than in pictures or videos! It’s low, wide, compact, and really sporty looking. It’s one of the best looking sports cars out there. The front definitely looks better than the 991's, IMO.
• Most of the test drive was in narrow back-roads early in the evening so I got to experience the power in short bursts (to avoid encounters with the law). Off the line, it takes off with barely any wheel spin. It’s brutally fast. It would definitely destroy my BMW 550.
• The Bose system sounded very good, from what little I got to hear it. It’s important to me to have decent sound in my car, especially for those moments when the effective speed limit is 5 mph.

OK

• The steering wheel height adjustment is manual! I had expected a car of this caliber to have it electric and linked to the memory seats. No big deal, it's not like I'll be changing it much, however...
• The steering wheel has very limited telescoping range. Again, this wasn't much of an issue, except it caused me to adjust the seat closer forward which led to...
• My right knee felt cramped against the side wall (initially). At 5'10", 195 lbs, my size wasn’t the issue. The sales guy later suggested that I move the seat further back with the seat rest more vertical. This solved the problem since my knee was now outside the side wall.

Meh

• The brake pedal is quite a bit higher than the gas pedal. I guess it’s something you get used to.
• The two extra buttons on the adaptive seats are pretty much useless. The seat felt most comfortable at the fully open setting.
• The headlights are not automatic! Again, I would have thought something so Toyota-Corolla basic would have been in a car like this. So if you forget to turn off the light when you park, you’ll get the good-old “ding ding” reminder. Something else to get used to.

WTF

• After stopping at a stop sign, I rolled the car slowly forward for about a second, and pushed the pedal deep to see the response. I was expecting to be rocketed beyond the horizon. Instead, the car shook violently for a couple of seconds as if it was trying to get traction while fighting with the traction control system. The sales guy told me this was because the tires were cold. Hmmm.
• The brakes squealed quite a bit – not always, but definitely enough to become annoying. The sales guy told me this was normal for PCCB brakes. I just couldn’t believe it.

I ended up not buying the car, but not because of the negative stuff – I could definitely get used to it and I’m pretty sure noisy brakes can be silenced. What happened was that the sales guy actually jacked up the price from what he had originally quoted me back when the car was still due to be lease-returned. And he wasn’t going to be very flexible on the higher price. I would have been upset except I also wasn’t too happy with the car’s color, so it wasn’t worth fighting for. I managed to get a good two-round test drive out of it and that was fine with me. I’m still in the hunt for a pre-owned Turbo S, preferably in white (and without the aerokit spoiler).

Cheers!
Alvaro

Igooz

Brake squeal is most definitely PCCB and normal. I have been with PCCB for 10 yrs now and currently own two PCCB cars.
The erratic behavior (no throttle roll on to full throttle) maybe traction control? Or maybe the PDK trying to engage a lower gear and respond to you. Obviously without the Sport mode On the electronics go in the cushy mode and it may have had you in second or third gear for fuel economy and then it tried to down shift but could not. My guess...you can turn all that stuff Off.

Buy a TurboS and you will be happy!

alvaro1728

It might be normal but according to what I've read online, it doesn't happen to everyone. I've actually found plenty of links where people have solved the problem by either:

1. pressure-washing the calipers and holes in the rotors.
2. "bedding" the brake
3. using a hi-temp anti-squeal grease when installing the pads

Yep, that's the plan. :-)

Sobrut911

I have 14000 miles on mine and no squealing brakes.

rotesAuto

I'd love to try an S model

Rogor

Is it a manual or mechanical operated gearbox?

alvaro1728

997 and 991 Turbo Ss are PDK.

550bryan

I'm in the market for a turbo S as well. The price bump is interesting. I've been watching prices for only a month or so but my impression is that prices are softening. Asking prices are around 130K, some higher a few lower, but even with limited inventory it doesn't seem they are selling too briskly, which is to be expected given their depreciation curve.
I'm curious, what were the miles on the car and what prices were they talking about. It would be interesting to know who the dealer was as well. Good luck with your search. BTW, the Auto Gallery in So Cal had a white turbo with an unusual black/white interior, while expensive when new requires unique taste. They have had the car for a least a month and have dropped the price from 140K to 134 K, still way too high and another indication of a declining market price wise.

alvaro1728

Yeah, it's a strange market. There aren't a whole lot of cars available, and the few ones that there are take several weeks (if not months) to sell, often after a few price drops.

The car I test drove had 20K miles and it was offered for $128K. Porsche of Livermore is the dealer. The car is impeccable, except for the brake squeal.

Good luck to you too!

Macster

That's the Turbo I saw on the showroom floor the other day when I was there picking up my Turbo and dropping off my Boxster. I snapped some pics of the car. The intercooler intakes. And that Cyclops eye at the front of the car.


Probably not a view I'd see for long in my 996 Turbo's rear view mirror anyway...





Are these stock?

Quadcammer

that cyclops eye looks so stupid. Mercedes is really the only one with a seemless radar cruise sensor.

alvaro1728

Agreed! The whole front of the 991 TT does not appeal to me. They should have offered the aerokit option so that i looks more like the GT3, which looks amazing.

rotesAuto

zirrah

Favorite part of that review...

it would definitely destroy my 550.

Lol... ya think?

Coincident

I have a TTS and the brakes are an absolute marvel. Quiet as can be and incredible stopping power. No idea of what this lunging forward is all about. The grip and traction is simply stellar. I have owned 996 C2, 997 .1 S, currently own a 997.1 TT and the TTS and I can advise that the latter is the most satisfying, exciting and exhilarating vehicle of them all and by a significant margin.