I have driven 911's for 20 years. I have owned every variant from a 1989 Carrera, a 964, 993, 997.1, 997.2 and now of course the 991. the point is I have a diverse and solid frame of refererence over a long period of time and have logged hundreds of thousands of miles behind the wheel of 911s of all kinds.

My first impressions of the 991 that I waited so patiently for were glowing. Perhaps I wanted to love it so much that my hope became my reality in those initial days.

I have now logged over 300 miles and can say I do indeed like the car. It is a good car, a fast car and a car that handles well. It has lots of technological innvations as well. Some of which I like, such as the standard Nav and some of which I don't, like the parking brake. Sometimes I find myself reaching for the parking brake with my right hand. Maybe it just takes some getting used to but I would be lying if I didn't say I miss that.

There has been much discussion about the evils of electric steering. I paid no attention to the noise and reserved judgement for myself. My initial impression was that it was on par with the previous car. After 300 more miles I don't feel that way anymore. The steering is very good mind you, but the nay sayers have a valid point when they say that something has indeed been lost. Is that "something" a quality I can live without? I don't know.

When I combine all the little nit pick things I feel such as the standard radio being inferior to my standard 997 radio, the awkward reach of the volume button due to the shifter being in the way , the electric parking brake and most importantly the steering I question whether I can have a long term relationship with the 991. I absolutely love the looks of the car as I feel it makes the 997 look dated. I also like the way the 991 feels on the highway. It rides better and more efficiently than my 997.2 did so if I spent my driving miles doing road trips then the 991 would be a star. My driving however, is mostly short trips in the city.

Honestly I feel like I have a great car but if I drove the car not knowing it was a 911 I would not guess it was a 911. I am going to be patient and let the car break in and really open it up and see what it can do before I make any final judgements. I like the car but I do not love it. It's kind of like when you meet a girl and immediately you know you can date her for awhile but you will never want to marry her.

Usually it takes me a year to start dreaming of my next car, however, thoughts of a 2010 GT3 for keeps have already entered my mind :/

 

+1 Can't say it any better myself, and I am probably not sharing this thread with my GF!

 

Thanks for your impressions.

 

What exactly don't you like about the car? The ride, the handling, the suspension, the feel, etc... ? How does it not feel special? PDK would dilute the sensation....

 

He's reviewing his manual.

And I think he is pretty clear on what he doesn't love about it.

 

Thanks tromero for your review.

Some of us had similar feelings after out test drive(s) and got blasted here by the 991 police.

It has certainly moved away from what the 997 was. If that is good or bad is up to the individual buyer.

 

If the dealer called me and told me they had a less than 5k mile GTS available in white, manual I would think long and hard. I will not act impulsively though. I want to give the 991 a chance to grow on me but I remember driving a GTS spiritedly on a test drive 6 months ago and when I got out of that car I felt like one feels like when you exit the roller coaster after a wild ride. When I get out of the 991 I feel like I just stepped out of a luxury car that offered me a very comfortable and nice form of transportation. It just doesn't stir my soul right now. I am trying really hard but just as one realizes it's time to break up with the wrong woman and go back to your true love, I am approaching that point.

 

I am so glad that I have never owned a 997 to worry about the 991 moving away from it. I am quite happy with the vehicle so far. No serious complaints. Ok, I dislike the auto start-stop feature, but that can be turned off. So let's just say the 991 is great for first time 911 owners.

p.s. I have been sitting on this recall letter for a while. Can't be bothered to take it in yet. I am not a paranoid person so I don't expect to be the one in a million or so whose car is going to catch fire, but if it does, I'll immediately post that on here.

 

After the break-in it might be better to put it in sport and leave it (except when sport+ is required of course).

ChuckJ

 

I agree. Sport plus feels like a completely different than normal or even sport mode.

 

Nice write up. Imo the MT and the noises it makes and the power make me forget about the placement of a volume ****. I can see why some dislike the new steering, but I like it. That said, I would not consider a 997, unless we are talking collectibles e.g. GT2 RS, 4.0 etc.

 

I am waffling between getting a new GTS 4 and a 991s so I find this review extremely helpful. I really dislike not having a handbrake (so much fun in the winter and I come from Rally), and my last car was a Mitsubishi Evo X, so I know what it's like to have electronics do all the work.. I'm heavily leaning to the GTS now, so thank you for highlighting these points!

 

As the owner of a GTS, I understand your feelings. By the way, mine is white with manual transmission, but it is not for sale. There is just something special about the GTS. I had two previous 997.1 S coupes before my GTS. I liked the regular 997's very much, but the GTS is just special. The wide rear end, the black center lock wheels, power kit engine with PSE. The list goes on, at least for me.

I hope you end up with the car you want.

 

Thanks for the review and your honest impressions. Your concerns about your car are understandable. My only complaint is that you make a comparison (arguably indirectly) to a GT3. Your car should be compared to a 997.2 base car. When there is a 991 GT(x) we can compare that car to the 997 GT3. We are talking about different cars for different buyers.

Other posters have gone down a similar path, complaining that they drive a 997 Turbo or GT3 and are disappointed in the 991. I think it is expecting a lot to assume that Porsche would create a new car that, in base configuration, would equal the top end of the previous generation.

 

The car I traded in on the 991 base was a 997.2 base I drove for over 3 years. The same arguments would apply. My 997.2 steered better but was less comfortable.