Did any of you have time to read the Sunday Times article on the 991S coupe from this past Sunday.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/au...-brawn.html?hp

I find it interesting that it is a miniature version of a number of discussions I have read on this BB. Great steering, but not as good. Great technology, but not as long term memorable as the original. Great technology, but...etc.

What did you all think.

 

They called it the best sports car in the world...sounds good to me!

 

It is a positive review..... I hope they fix the steering on the 2013 model.

 

I don't think there is anything to fix. It is great. But it unlikely to ever feel the same as hydrolic.

 

I have no complaint with the steering wheel. It is so stable at any speed and my range so far has be 0-246km/hr. I like it. It's good for newbees who won't miss the hydraulic.

 

Ditto

ChuckJ

 

I love the technology imbedded in this new car. I've owned and driven Porsches from every one of the generations. Each car brings something different, but they have all be consistently good in my opinion and they have been undeniably reliable in my experience. Every generation has established new norms even as much as we miss the old generation. The NY Times was a good review.

 

I agree. But some seem to not think that ours is not a real 911. See 991 posts at RL thread - I may have gone just a bit too far.

 

I enjoyed the article. With respect to the changes Porsche made from the last generation, at some level you have trust they know what they're doing. Also, no one has more to lose than Porsche if they screw it up and they don't make changes to the 911 in a vacuum. After nearly 50 years all 911's are instantly recognizable yet the car has evolved and improved dramatically. They've also given us enough variants of the 911 for everyone to choose a model that suits their respective wants and needs.

 

Agreed that this article summarizes the different perspectives well. And it illustrates the point that I've yet to hear anyone say that the 991 isn't a great car; the debate is mainly about whether it has deviated too much from the classic 911 essence.
The more I contemplate this issue, the more I believe that Porsche made a conscious decision to deviate significantly and create a car with broader appeal, for the sake of increased sales. Of course that's fine for the many people the car appeals to, but disappointing for others, and I think Porsche knew full well that this would happen. But let's see how the new variants turn out, and who knows, maybe the 991.2 will incorporate changes that appeal more to purists.

This all reminds me of the new vs classic Coke thing, which was quite a brouhaha over a soft drink!

 

I agree with much of the article, and much of what you said Manifold, but, with all due respect, and I truly mean that, how does someone who drives a 2012 997.2 claim the moral high ground of a 911 purist? The 997 is almost a foot longer than earlier versions, is much heavier (heavier indeed than the 991), is water cooled and has a plush, sophisticated and very electronic interior relative to the bygone relatives whose name you claim and seek to deny to 991 owners. It offered a PDK, SAT NAV, blue tooth phone, electronic heated memory seats...oh yes, the quintessential bare bones sports car willing to sacrifice comforts for speed and handling. If it is soft drink analogies you are struggling for, the 997.2 is to the 991 more like coke classic with sucrose verses the coke classic with fructose that replaced it. ( both later versions being a bit lighter - the car in absolute weight and the soft drink in terms of weight of sweetener per volume). A soft drink purist, if such a creature exists, could sit back and say that neither is the original or near enough to be entitled to the trademark.

And while this article notes the change in the new 911 from the cars of distant past, those articles written from the point of comparison to the 997.2 ALL said that the 991 was evolutionary and not revolutionary - indeed, that was one of the very few criticisms that they tended to have.

In short, hello pot, this is kettle! Call the 991 whatever you want. You have as much right as anyone else. But I would be careful not to say it around 993 owners!

 

I think Porsche is very brave to introduce many new technologies to the new 991 even it might cause some frustrations for purists.
But we can not hang out with the old one forever, in the next 50 years then the 911 might have only electric motor available.

The thing is if we choose to compare and then it should compare against other competitors with the same technilogy/system e.g. Electric Steering.

Others will have to follow sooner or later... Just my 2cent

 

For me, the essence of the 911 is in the driving dynamics. I don't care all that much about the exterior/interior appearance, engine cooling and sound, electronic convenience features, etc. And so far, I feel that the driving dynamics of the 991 represent a substantial break from the 911 lineage up to the 997, albeit based on only two drives, so I need to drive it more. It's easy to see how a 4" longer wheelbase, wider tracks, more 'balanced' weight distribution, etc. would both increase some performance parameters and fundamentally change the feel of the car.

A question for you and other 991 owners: if you love your 991, why do you care whether it's called a 'true 911' or not? Why not just appreciate your car for what it is?

If no prior 911 existed, I could see myself choosing the 991 over other cars in the same general price range, so for me the issue is only whether I like the 997 or 991 better. I love the 997, and I expected and wanted to love the 991 even more. Since that hasn't happened so far, I'm experiencing a bit of shock and disorientation, but still working on warming up to the 991. Time will tell whether it happens.

 

Whether being a purist is morally higher is itself debatable. If the opposite of being a purist is to be impure and adulterated, then yes, purism is better. But some would say that purists are just anti-progressive people who are stuck in the past, and worse, possibly a past which is more imagined than real.

Rather than taking sides on this, I'll just say that purism and progressivism are both valid ways to try to deal with a complex world. I personally try to find a balance between the two, but can be swayed towards one or the other by my mood.

 

Well said. People may or may not like it as much as the 997 (and that's okay), indeed I know a lot of people who say that 911 stopped with the water cooled engine- and their wrong also IMHO.

ChuckJ