With my 991 coming off of the boat in San Diego today, I thought I'd take one of the launch cars out for a spin and alleviate some of my concerns about the expensive car that I bought without ever seeing.

This brief review is from the perspective of a first time 911 owner, and with a 991 order arriving imminently, so I won't pretend to be objective--I was going out looking for good news.

The car I interacted with was an agate grey/black heavily optioned 991. The initial reaction to the car itself, to me, was that it is not so drastically different than the 997. I had to pay attention a little to distinguish it on the lot among so many 997.2s. Other more seasoned drivers will no doubt find the differences more obvious. It is a beautiful car. In particular I liked the bulby headlights and the impression that it is indeed very low. It looks expensive.

The interior of the dealer cars are, for some reason, predominantly not full leather. My order, likewise, is leather 18-way seats, and the rest is standard. My impression of the interior was that it did not leave me desiring. There are leather elements on the door, obviously the seats, the steering wheel. Stitching is visible. I compared full leather to non-full leather 997s as I made this decision months ago, and I did not feel it warranted the add'l cost. This was the one decision that I have been torturing myself with during the order process (I have to find something to torture myself with, no?). I'm sure the people who ordered full leather will have no doubts that they made the right choice, and going back I might do the same, but overall the interior left me impressed and satisfied.

I LOVED the 18-way adaptive seats. They made the car immediately feel special when I sat down. I am a small guy, so no issues were expected or experienced with regards to the top bolsters. The dark grey plastic backing perhaps looked less out of place on a car with more plastic throughout. Were I to get full leather, I'd have to really consider the seat backs on these 18-way seats as well.

Starting the car was already an experience, as it blipped up to 2k and warmed itself up. I fidgeted with the PSE button during this time and there was no difference. Once it settled down into idle I could hear the PSE when it was switched on. Once the car started moving, however, the PSE was AMAZING. A real beast that made me second guess my need for the Burmester. The sound of this car accelerating with PSE engaged was VERY exhilarating, and it crossed my mind that the loudness outside the car must be approaching some legal limit in some of the countries where this car will be distributed. I have to reiterate what has been said so many times...the way this car transforms from a GT to a sports car with the press of a couple buttons is remarkable. In its 'soft' mode I found the ride supple and I repeatedly sped over railroad tracks without being aware, were it not for my dealer pointing it out to me. In sport mode, the suspension was noticeably firmer, but not by a lot IMO. It still felt very smooth. Presumably sport mode + more spirited driving would bring the PASM/PDCC to its firmest parameters but I did not test that.

My dealer took me out first and did some violent lane changes to demonstrate the cars new wider stance, as well as PDCC. I was impressed and a little frightened. Once I got behind the wheel, I found the steering very communicative and firm. I could not distinguish the steering feel from my memory of my past 997 test drives...I am by no means an expert, but it felt just excellent.

The one area where I was a little disappointed was the low rpm torque. I know that most of the power is higher up on the curve, but I was able to floor this car a few times and I guess I expected a slightly more violent 'kick in the back'. I did not tinker with the paddles, and I did not put the car into higher rpms to feel the better parts of the torque curve. The car is by no means slow, but I could see myself craving something that pulls a little harder on the leash...maybe a turbo in a few years if this impression persists.

My concerns were: the standard interior, the steering feel, the _ability_ to produce a smooth ride (wife), and the low end torque. I am very much at ease now with my order and time will slow down to a crawl while I wait for them to truck my ride up from San Diego to San Francisco.

 

Nice review. Thanks...


My favorite line..." it looks expensive"

 

Great review - I had the same feeling about the PSE. It's scary loud - startling. But love the RPM fall-off gurgling.

 

Thanks so much for sharing!