Well I had the opportunity to spend the whole weekend driving the 991. I had read a lot about it in magazines and on the web, have looked at spy pictures and finally magazine and auto show pictures. Then came the chance to have one for the weekend and really get to grips with it.
In the looks department its much more aesthetically pleasing than the pictures show, the rear lights that look small and disproportionate in print are just right for the car in person. The doors are amazing...when you close them both in and out the solidness(is that a word) is remarkable. Inside the ****pit the new "flying buttress" center console rises to meet you and all buttons and switches fall easily to hand. Odd there is no "dual" setting for the climate control you have to adjust both sides individually.
The center dash and passenger side is rather plain, (maybe the launch car with no extras) doesn't really jump at you...... could be any car really.
This car had the PDK, I'm old fashioned and like the manual, but have to say it is very efficient and by the end of the weekend have decided i could live with this option for city driving. In non sport mode it runs quickly through the gears doesn't stay long in any one which i felt was a bit of an"economy' play.
Launch control.......ah well yes.....in a word....unflippinbelivable (its a word look it up)
Sound from the (designed rear firewall sound tubes) engine/exhaust piped in when in sport mode....WOT.....auditory copulation
Handling is great, with the wider front track and longer wheel base it corners so flat its almost to clinical....you feel like you are going half the speed you are...and i"m no Jensen Button! Road feel is very good, this car had the pwr steering plus which has the electric assist and at speed firms up and in parking makes it soooooo easy.
Acceleration is very good,(my calibration level is a little off, 997T w 580 awhp) and effortless.
The trunk is much bigger deeper and wider and overall fit and finish is great. Not sure you get any more room in the back...still a zone for munchkins and the visibility is about the same as the 997.
Not a petrol head car as you literally cant see the engine(think its a plot to lull us into excepting electric future cars with no engine worth looking at.
All in all i would buy one today and drive it every day........its just that good.

 

Thanks for the review!

Man you're one lucky dog to actually get it for the weekend!!!!
I had a chance to check it out myself about a month ago (without driving it a single foot ) and was VERY excited about it but... as amazing as it looks, sounds and feels (in real life) I was underwhelmed by it's proportions... I don't know, guess I was expecting more of a difference from the 997 (especially with that increased wheel base).
Don't get me wrong, those big rims, wheel arches more aggressive lines and sloping windscreen really makes a BIG difference (never mind the inside WOW!)
But it wasn't nearly as long, low or wide as I had anticipated.

Thus I decided to keep my current C4S and got my dealer to re-allocate my deposit to buy a 2013 Cayenne instead .
Hehehe I will still get the 991 but I'm going to wait until the wide-body models come out, as wide as it is I think anyone coming from a wide-body is going to find it hard to get the same kind of visual gratification from the 991 narrow-body.

That said it's a hell of a machine and if $$ was no object I'd get the C2S right now and get a Turbo when that comes out...and a GT3...and a GT2rs and a... ya get the picture .

Cheers,

Sid.

 

A key question is whether these are good things. 'Clinical' doesn't sound like a positive to me. And feeling like you're going half as fast as you are inspires confidence and should improve lap time, but is it fun on public roads? I test drove a 740i and found myself doing 85 mph through a curve when it felt like 50 mph - the car was too boring for me to consider it further.

 

[quote=maverick997;3455711Acceleration is very good,(my calibration level is a little off, 997T w 580 awhp) and effortless.
[/quote]

I find your comment surprising conidering your frame of reference. I actually thought the power delivery was it's weakest point. Like you, I'd prefer and only consider the manual, but wouldn't drive it ever day. Very nice indeed, but not nice enough IMO...

 

I was loaned a S class when my car had an accident and I actually think that is the most boring car I have ever driven. I road my motorcycle to work almost everyday! I just kept S class parked in my drive way - LOL.

 

Well said. "Not a petrolhead car" is not something I'd want to hear about a 911 either...

 

Its all relative. For a NA car it does have good acceleration and as a daily driver in traffic is a nice place to be. Does it have that certain "edginess" that is Porsche, no not in my opinion, but again its all relative to what you want the car to do. Clinical yes everything is seamless and to that end is almost too easy, not boring. Not being able to see the mechanicals as I said makes it not a petrol head car, does it perform yes, but when you choose a car it has to answer certain questions for you and your intended purpose for buying it. It is a very well built car that drives beautifully and is a Porsche....just has less of the idiosyncrasies we all know and love. Go drive it and decide for yourself...Porsche is a personal choice that we choose to make.

 

I've driven the 991S twice and posted my comments in other threads in the 991 section. To cut to the chase, I'm not sure that I like the 991 more than the 997, or even as much as the 997. It's certainly faster and more refined, but doesn't seem as engaging. Further test drives, driving a manual 991, and/or driving a GT3/GTS version may change that opinion.

 

thats the point, that some current 997 drivers, or even 996 drivers are one with their cars and totally in love with the special character of their cars.
sometimes it`s the same in real life, very often the most entertaining/likeable people are the ones with crazy habits and not the ones with an aura of perfection.

 

I don't think the 991 vs the 997 is a zero sum game, and the fact that a lot of people like the character of the 997 vs the 991 will keep the value of those cars up- and that's a goood thing. In the mean time, it will probably grow the 911 driver population.

ChuckJ