Hello everyone,

Like most of you probably know, I've been ordering, canceling, ordering and canceling cars for the last couple of months. I clearly was not sure about what I wanted. My mind was set on a Carrera 4S, but couldn’t decide which color, interior, options etc.
The Turbo and Turbo S were introduced in the meantime and to be honest, I didn’t like the car at all. Messy design, too wide and why do I need 560hp?? I never was a fan of the 911 Turbo in past anyways. To manly, macho or whatever you want to call it. At least, that was how I was thinking about the Turbocharged 911s…

Then came the IAA Motorshow in Frankfurt. That’s where I saw a metallic white Turbo S in person for the first time and I absolutely loved that car. The car looked so much more beautiful and balanced in person than I saw in the pictures. Okay, I admit, it still can’t match a C4S in terms of looks, but it really looks good in the right color.

That’s when I started thinking about a different car than a C4S. I loved the GT3, but that is not really a car that meets all my requirements. A Turbo or Turbo S? I had no idea…
I also have a BMW M550d Touring xDrive as my companycar, that I use now as my daily driver. That car meets some of my requirements, but I that’s a completely different car with a different purpose.

So what are my requirements?
The car I am looking for must:
- be a Porsche 911… no question about it.
- be a car that I can take for an inspired drive across the alps or twisty forest roads
- be a car that I can take for a relaxed drive on a Sunday morning and enjoy the wonderful scenery.
- be a car that I can take to a customer and that is accepted by my customers(The GT3 is an example that doesn’t meet this requirement).
- be a car that I can use to make long, reasonably comfortable trips for two, from Switzerland to Belgium and back.
- Be a car that I can easily drive in traffic or in the city.
- be able to drive all year long in all seasons, so it needs to be an AWD. (Another thing a GT3 doesn’t do).
- be a car that I can take on a rare occasion to a track and have some fun with it.

With this in mind, the obvious choice would be a C4S or a Turbo (S). I went to my dealership to make and asked them if there was an opportunity to drive a Turbo (S) and C4S back to back, so I could make a good comparison. This was no problem and we made an appointment for a test drive.


So… On Monday I got at my dealership at 10AM and they gave me the key for a Rhodium silver Turbo S. It had the free Swiss Package, which includes a lot of nice features such as: Burmester audio, Digital radio, TV-Tuner (no Idea why I would want that, but it comes standard), Telephone module, Light design package and some other stuff with a total of CHF 12,300 ($13,400) on options.
The car did have its brake-in, so no need to be careful with it. I was told they needed the car back at 3PM, so time enough to get to learn the car better.
Like I said, the car was Rhodium Silver metallic and it had the two-tone Black-Carrera Red interior and a glass sunroof. The 18-way Sport seat plus were not new to me. I have them in my Boxster and I like them a lot. I’m small (5’4”) and because of all the adjustments you can make, it’s for me the only seat I get really comfortable in. Time to get on the road…

First thing that I immediately noticed was how easy the car is. It feels so smooth and is very easy to drive. One thing I really had to adapt to, was the fact that without any traffic around you, you don’t have a clue that you are driving way above the speedlimit. First thing that came to my mind, “this thing is too fast for public roads”.
Eventually, after 15 minutes, you get some more sense of the speed and the car becomes a really nice balanced and friendly car to live with. Not a brutal speedmachine that I thought the car would be.

The car has in my opinion three different faces. It’s like Dr. Jeckyl, Mr. Hide and another unknown person…
In Normal mode it has a (for me) very pleasant laziness. Throttle isn’t very crisp, the car feels more supple, but because of the immense torque from 2000rpm it’s not annoying at all, where Normal mode can be annoying in a C4S, because that car lacks the low end torque. I actually liked this mode very much for driving relaxed in traffic or in town. It doesn’t push you to drive hard in and it feels like a GT. That was a pleasant surprise for me.
When you switch to Sport mode, you get the car’s sweet spot in my opinion. Everything becomes much more sporty and the car turns into a true sportscar. The suspension gets a little stiffer, without losing comfort and the steering gets slightly heavier.
The acceleration is just mindblowing. I’ve tried launch control several times and it is so addicting.
Shifting manually with the paddles is always fun, but not any different from a C2S or a C4S of course. The car just is a lot quicker. The auto mode of the PDK is almost telepathic. It shifts just perfectly and in every mode it changes its character, together with the rest of the car.
Steering feel is a lot better than in a C4S. The Turbo S has the enhanced software that’s also on the GT3 and because of the rear wheel steering the car feels very nimble and agile. It feels even more agile then my Boxster S with PTV and I think that is the biggest compliment I can give to the car. It never feels like you are driving a 1600kg car. Of course it will never match the feel of a non-electrical powersteering, but I don’t mind at al. You definitely feel everything that is going on between road surface and tyres, without losing any comfort and you can place the car exactly where you want. For me it’s the perfect balance. Because of the standard PDCC the car stays flat in the corner and you can go around a corner at speeds you can’t imagine. I drove half an hour in soaking wet conditions and even in the wet I managed to get the G-meter up to 1,09G in a right bend. Just unbelievable how much grip this car has and how planted the car feels, even in the wet.
The braking is unbelievable. I never really saw the benefit of PCCB, but now, I have to admit, that especially the feel, really is better than on steel brakes.
I’ve also tried Sport plus and that turns the car really into a streetracer. Shifting gets more brutal, throttle response gets as fast as you can wish, even if it is a Turbocharged engine! There’s no really noticeable hesitation. The suspension gets very stiff and the car loses some comfort. Nice mode for on the track, but in daily driving I think it’s too much of all.
I also tried to get that wind-buffeting lots of people talk about, but no wind-buffeting at all. I don’t know if this is due to the Sportdesign mirrors, or because of the different aerodynamics of the Turbo body.

Now we get to the point where I talk about the things I don’t like or like as much on the car.
First of all there is the exhaust note. This is in my opinion not really a drawback, but it doesn’t sound as nice as a C4S with PSE. That said, it sounds way better than the 997 Turbo S. For me personally, I somehow like the exhaust note of the Turbo S. It’s quieter and doesn’t give you the emotional thrill you get in a Carrera S with PSE or probably even more in the GT3. But for daily driving it suits the car well I think. However, I can understand that some people are not satisfied with it.
Then there is the emotion that this car misses sometimes. It does everything with such an ease and smoothness that you don’t always get the thrill you do get in a Carrera S. It revs at max 7000rpm, which is quite nice for a Turbo, but because the exhaust note is more subtle, it lacks the emotion of the normally aspirated boxer-engine. The push you get from the torque and power makes up for it a lot in my humble opinion.
Last but not least there is the looks of the car. Although I slowly get used to it, it still has some elements in its design that I don’t really like, but since all of this is functional, I can live with it.

Some small things I noticed or find questionable:
- The trim around the PDK says Turbo instead of Turbo S, just like it says Carrera in the Carrera 4S (WTF is that Porsche?! Are these trims too expensive to match the right model??)
- The Glass sunroof had a rattle, which I hated. Luckily I don’t want a sunroof, so for me not a point. I mentioned it when I came back and they would fix it. (I was the first customer to test drive that particular car).
- One downside of the 991 is that the most expensive Turbo S has basically the exact same interior as a base Carrera with optional full leather, which only costs half the money. There is not much that makes the car different from the inside, other than the Black-Carrera Red interior. They could have made it a bit more exclusive in my opinion.


After driving the Turbo I got a Basaltblack C4S to compare it with. This car had some basic options, including Full leather, PDK, Sport Chrono, PSE, PDCC, 14-way seats, Bose audio and a sunroof.
First thing that I noticed was of course how much slower the C4S felt. It really needs to be driven more sporty to feel fast, where the Turbo S already feels fast at low speeds because of the push you get every time you go wide open throttle, even at low revs. This is all due to the Torque and that is exactly the big benefit of the Turbocharged engine. It feels almost like a powerful diesel engine at low revs, but doesn’t lack the power at high revs. It’s a very linear power delivery.
The C4S is more sportscar, because it offers more emotion. It lacks however the ability to drive relaxed and smooth in the city. The C4S makes you want to drive fast, because you always want to drive in Sport mode. The Normal mode in the C4S is rubbish IMO. It makes the car feel sluggish, where the same mode in the Turbo S makes the car lazy, but pleasant. Big difference.


A few other things that I noticed, that don’t have anything to do with being a C4S or a Turbo:
- The Bose is absolutely rubbish compared to the Burmester. If you like good sound, always go for the Burmester.
- The 14-way seats are comfortable, but for me not supportive enough. I need to go for the 18-way seats.

My verdict….
The C4S is the true sportscar of these 2, The Turbo S is the ultimate all-day, all-season, driving machine that can transform from a GT into a Sportscar or even an occasionally trackcar.
If the car had to replace my Boxster as a weekend car only, I would definitely go for the C4S, but because it needs to be a very versatile daily driver I think the Turbo S is the choice to go for in my case.
It has another benefit for me. Because of all the options I want on the car, the C4S gets 57% of baseprice on options, where the Turbo S only gets 12% of baseprice on options, to get an equally equipped car.
This means that depreciation is much higher on the C4S. I’ve made some calculations and although the purchase price is a lot higher, on a timespan of 4 years, in my case the Turbo S is only marginal more expensive. I’m talking about less than CHF 8000 ($8700)


So in the end, I’ve made for 90% sure my decision. At this moment I think I need to go for a Turbo S in Oryx white pearl (PTS color). Just not completely sure yet about the interior…


This review is how I experienced both cars and how I feel about them. This can be very different from someone else's opinion or experience.

 

Great review, Suzy. An aftermarket exhaust will be one of the first items on my shopping list. In your opinion, if you were coming in from years of ownership of coupes with a sunroof, would you be strongly considering a Turbo S convertible?

Cheers,

 

Thanks

Aftermarket exhaust is a good alternative indeed if one wants more noise.

The cabriolet version of the 991 is IMO the best 911 cabriolet ever!
I surely considered that car, but since we are not living in California, Florida or another sunny place, I want to go for a coupe. It's just that little bit more beautiful and classic.

I haven't seen the Turbo cabriolet, but from pictures I think it really looks good and maybe even better than the Carrera cabriolet.
Would I reccommend it? yes I would... i think because of the abillity to drive in a kind of relax-mode, the turbocharged engine suits the cabriolet even better, without losing its abillity to be a real sportscar.
If you live in a place where you can drive a lot with the top down, it will be an almost perfect car. (Although the practicallity is a little bit less than the coupe)

Suzy991

 

Fantastic review! Porsche Riesbach offered me a test drive last week, which I didnt find time for! It is definitely on my to-do list though! I am sure the Turbo S is a fantastic car. The head of sales told me that there is almost zero demand for the normal Turbo here in Switzerland. I'm a spec-junkie would want a FULL spec car anyway, so the S is the way to go! I'm thinking Schwarzgrau PTS with the Black/Red interior along with gloss black wheels.

Which part of Switzerland are you from? I'm in the Lake Zurich area!

Best regards,
Y.

 

Great review, thanks!

 

I'm from one the one-lake-more-western area haha (the small one, not the big )

Schwarzgrau is a beautiful color indeed. I heard the same thing about the regular Turbo. a Turbo S with the free Swiss package has already most of the desireable options. i will only add a lot of leather options, because I like to have an interior that feels like a 270k+ car. I'm thinking about two tone Black-Naturbraun. Actually the same as the Black-Carrera red, with all red replaced by naturbraun.
Not completely sure yet... I also still feel the need to wait for the Targa, to be sure I don't get regrets, when that car is introduced.

Suzy991

 

Great review Suzy!
How is it that Switzerland gets a free package option? I don't think any other market gets this option?
If you wait longer, there will always be something that you MIGHT like more. So go with your heart....90% is good enough

 

Nice review suzy. My turn will come soon and that could have consequences for my existing ride.

 

It took awhile but you are finally spot on !!!
In my opinion none of your other car orders came close to this !!

 

Thank you.
Actually I'm not so sure if that really is a "free" package. Although we don't have to pay for it, with a baseprice for the Turbo S of CHF 270,200 ($294k,000), they can throw in some "free" extras me think.
However it is a nice package. With it, also comes a 2 years extended warranty, which brings the total at 4 years without milage limitation. The composition of the package varies by model.

The package adds the following items for the Turbo S:
- Powersteering Plus (I hope we can delete this from the order)
- Homelink
- light Design Package
- Speed Limit Indicator
- Online Services
- TV tuner
- Voice Control
- Burmester High-End Surround Sound System
- Telephone Module
- Digital Radio (DAB, DAB+, DMB)



Haha thank you
How do they say that.... Wisdom comes with age? Seems that half of a year did make enough difference for me

Suzy991

 

Hey Suzy, fantastic review as usual. With theOryx white pearl, is that some custom made to order colour? I don't see it on the configurator...

How does it compare to the normal white?

 

Thanks

Yes Oryx white pearl is "Color to sample". I saw it on the car at the Frankfurt Motorshow.
I don't have a picture to compare it next to normal white, but it is metallic white. It's actually a VW color. The Golf and Beetle are available with that color, at least here in Europe. It's not that much different from normal white, but I like the metallic pearl effect. Not a very big fan of most non-metallic colors. (And I like to have something different )
Here are two pictures of the car at the Frankfurt motorshow:







Edit:
Here's a close-up of the pearl effect:



Suzy991

 

Man, wish I had the patience for a PTS, that oryx white is phenomenal!

I'm very glad to hear the normal mode is actually useful w/ the torque of the turbo, as it's nearly useless in the C2S as you noted. Also glad to hear the buffeting issues w/ the side mirrors (may) be solved. I was curious whether the iron brakes on the TT would be comparable to the C2S or C4S, given the additional weight, I believe the rotors are the same right? But it appears no one has reviewed at non S TT yet.

 

PTS takes about 4-6 months... For me, it's worth waiting. Still have my Boxster, so I'm not P-car-less (although she is in hibernation right now).

Carrera (4)S has steel rotors of 340mm in front and 330mm in the back.
Turbo has steel rotors of 380mm in the front and the back.
Turbo S has ceramic rotors of 410mm in thr front and 390mm in the back.

The additional weight-difference is 200kg, compared with a C2S MT and 150kg compared with a C4S MT. I don't know how good the steel brakes are on the turbo, but since Porsche always has one of the best brakes in business, I don't think anyone will be disappointed.
I can only tell that the ceramic brakes on that Turbo S are magnificent! And very big... 19" wheels don't fit, so the 20" winter-wheels with the CL are pretty expensive.

Suzy991

 

Gotcha, didn't realize the standard steel turbo brakes were bigger, VERY happy to know that. Was afraid I'd have to put on an aftermarket BBK for the track.