Well, my curiosity finally got the best of me as I got behind the wheel of a 991 S w/ PDK today for a decent test drive. I've been purposefully NOT going to drive the car as I didn't want to get the new car fever, but I was having some new black stone guards put on today, and couldn't think of a better way to spend my time waiting than driving the new Carrera.

1) It feels more comfortable in every way. Smoother ride. More comfortable interior. More airy feeling given the extra front dashboard length. I dare say the ride was more comfortable than my Panamera S w/ Air Suspension (in Sport setting). My wife would never have a reason to complain about how smooth it felt as she does about my 997.
2) The PDK shifted quicker and more smoothly than my 09 C2S PDK or P2S. I really didn't notice any 1st-2nd gear issues with shifting. It was really smooth.
3) The stock exhaust (this one didn't have PSE) sounded GREAT. I'd venture to say that once some sort of bypass pipes come out for the stock exhaust, the PSE won't be needed. I loved the sound. Does a non-PSE car still have the Sound Symposer in it? It seemed as though it did.
4) Even though the seating position is lower and I had the seats as low as they would go, I felt as if I was sitting higher than in my 997 in relation to the steering wheel and dash. Nothing specific to give me that opinion, just a purely gut-instinct kind of thing.
5) The longer dash gave me the impression of being more difficult to see/feel the front corners of the car. In my 997, I feel as if the car is an extension of my body. The 991 didn't give me that same connected feeling. Of course, I only spent 20 minutes driving this one as opposed to the years I've had in my 911s and Boxsters.
6) Steering: I'm not good enough of a driver to have any complaints. Bottom-line is that the car goes exactly where you point it. It was lighter and with a little less feedback of the imperfections in the road, but I'm not one to take issue with it. To me it's still very Point-&-Shoot.

Final Conclusion:
While I don't have a single negative comment about the 991, I will NOT be thinking about trading my GTS for one. At least not until there's a harder-edged version come along (think GT3 or GTS). Why? My take is that when I was driving the 991, I had to really push it to feel as though I was driving a sports car. Whereas in my 997 I get that sports-car feel EVERY INCH I drive it. The 997 just feels more raw, less polished than the 991 (which I think is part of what Porsche wants with the new 9X1 cars). I could tell that this car had a higher performance envelope and certainly had the ability to go hard, but I had to force it to go hard for that feeling rather than it delivering that feeling on it's own. For some people, that's exactly what they want...a sporty car that behaves more civilized by default but has that hard edge when they want it to. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not what I want out of my 911. My wife would pick that the 991 over the 997 any day of the week (and when she rides in a 991 she just might start on me to make the trade) but that's not a factor at this point as she isn't going to be riding in a 991 unless I bring her to the dealership - which isn't going to happen.

For those that either have a 991 or have one coming: congrats, you have a fantastic car that can deliver everything you want it to and more. For those of you still on the 997 train (like me) and thinking about the 991: drive it and decide why you are driving a 911 and what you're looking for. If you want a sports car that's always a sports car, it's the 997. If you want a sports car that's also a civilized daily driver (with more performance than we might be able to handle), the 991 is the best choice out there.

 

Excellent review. I can definitely relate to all of your points. Especially the part about wanting a sports car to feel like a sports car all the time, at all speeds, not just higher speeds.

 

I have a 997 Turbo customized to the point where all of the stock comforts of a traditonal Turbo are gone . (The stage 3 clutch has no power assist. turbos modified , suspension on bilsteins with sway bars . intake , intercoolers and Techart aerokit. when i start it up it sounds liuke a race car . In fact it has a Tubi race exhaust .)

I am buying the 991 for all the reasons you mention . It's comfortable !!!
When I want a raw monster.. i have it too .

The 997S was none of this and that's where i disagree .
If one wanted a raw 997 it had to be a Gt3 and it's just not practical as a street car for daily driving . The GtS and 997S can't be a Gt3 or Turbo and now it can't even be a 991 . The one thing that the 997S had was that it was a practical daily driving 911 . That feature has been slam dunked in 991 !!!

The ONLY thing which almost held me back is the price gap to make the swap .
After driving the 991 I was ready to sell my 997 regardless .
When I had both the 997 and 997tt I never had a doubt of which I would sell first .

Now I am not so sure with the 991 . It would be a hard choice . Will the novelty of a more practical 911 win over a more hard core 997 Turbo in lets say a year .. maybe two ?

I don't know .

 

I am with you, I came out of a 997.2 GT3 that I drove as a daily driver in good weather for 3 years. Before that was a 997.1 TT. The 991 is a real nice change of pace, but when you get on it, it's still a Porsche. Only possible issue I have is lack of power, certainly low end torque - I'll know more after breakin is complete, I haven't pushed it anywhere near redline yet. Buying felt that way about all the 997s except the TT and the GT3 anyway.

 

I can think of at least three members on the 997 forum who swapped their 997 for an M3 . The main reason was comfort and road noise . In fact I myself have an M3 and love the comfort features and practical space .
It's actually a great car and a fantastic value !!!

The 991 is more comfortable than my M3 . At first i found it shocking and somewhat confusing . In fact my first thought was that Porsche took the Panamera route and softened the car .. UNTIL I drove it !!!!

Then I realized that Porsche took the next step .. offering comfort , technology, and performance .

It's not a traditional 911 .

Rather than risk it all and sell both my 997 cars and wait for a 991 Turbo I chose to cling to one of the two .. the Turbo .

At some point I will want one car . I am not sure of which of these two it will be .

 

Thanks for the post, I definitely appreciate the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the 991. Enjoy the GTS, it's a very fine sports car.

 

A few good points there. One item I forgot to include is the fact that my GTS is a 6spd, which I believe is inherently more involving, and therefore somewhat sportier on a regular basis. The C2S PDK I had was definitely sporty, but was also so much more sedate in Normal and even Sport mode. I believe the GTS adds something to the sporty formula, but the fact that the 997 platform does produce a rougher & louder ride seems to draw out that raw feeling much quicker. I've only driven a couple of GT3s and Turbos in the past and definitely felt a major difference (especially the GT3).

My points with the 991 were that, on a regular/default basis, it is much more sedate and smooth than a 997. While a C2S 997 might not be the most aggressive car out there, I definitely believe when compared to a 991 C2S in daily city driving the 997 will always have a more direct, sporty feel to it.

I did come away incredibly impressed with the 991, but now with the firsthand knowledge to know that the 991 isn't for me right now. I certainly won't give anyone any crap for moving from a 997 to a 991...maybe more of the opposite and congratulate them. These cars are so similar and yet so different, and that's not a bad thing.

 

Wow. This coming from a prominent nay-sayer speaks volumes about the 991.

 

Thanks. I admit to having a hard head, but try to keep an open mind.

 

I came from an e92 M3. Much as I liked that car, I missed the handling of a Porsche.

However, I think the M3 was a much more comfortable car than the 991. The 991 is fine and has enough comfort, but more comfortable than an M3? I don't agree.

 

It could come down to a difference in the seats and suspension setting.

 

One thing that I failed to mention in a prior post is that I have had to modify the suspension on every Porsche I've owned after my 3.2 Carrera, including a 964, 993, 997.1S, and a 997.1 TT, every car except for my 997.2 GT3. All of these cars, especially the 997.1 TT, had far too compliant suspensions in my opinion to be considered true sports cars and I put 50 to over 100,000 miles on each car. The first version of the 997 turbo simply could not handle the power the car could deliver to the road.

Interestingly, so far at least, I do not feel that way about my new 991 - that may change as I get familiar with it, but for now I think Porsche has really found the right formula for their production cars.

I've read many opinions from 997 drivers and I have to wonder what car they have been driving or what their expectations are for their cars? The 997 was definitely a harsher ride but it wasn't as capable as the new 991, but I can understand their point of view - they just need to spend more seat time in a 991. Initial impressions of the 991 can be and probably are misleading, but no one should under-estimate this car.

 

I've certainly warmed to the 991 as I've driven it more, and I think that finding a preferred configuration (MT and no PASM, PTV, PDCC, etc.) was part of that.

But I would still say that, while the 991 seems more capable (at least easier to drive fairly fast), it does have significantly less of the classic 911 feel. That's a negative for some people, but a positive for others.

I think that many of us are waiting for the 991 GT3 with baited breath, which has the potential to be a monster. The 991 turbo will also surely be a slingshot, but I personally give more priority to handling/interactivity than acceleration.

 

That's why I'd get a base 991 with a manual transmission and no gadgets like PASM etc...

Maybe even 19" wheels instead of 20" wheels.

I think it will feel very different (more involved) than an automatic S.

 

Maybe I'll be ready to get back into a GT3 in a few years too - the 2010 GT3 was the only Porsche in the last 20 years that at least I felt didn't need to be modified, all the others lacked in the handling area in my view. I tend to agree with you on the turbo, fast but not as important as the handling. Overall, these are great cars - we are all really splitting hairs.