I would like to first say that there really isn't much of a comparison between BMW and Porsche. The Vehicles;

2013 Porsche C2 Coupe, 20's, white 14 way...

2013 Porsche C2S CAbriolet, 20's, Ventilated sport seats (a must w/ Cab), Sport Exhaust( Wow!) PASM, Sport Chrono...

2012 BMW M6 Sakhir Orange, 20's Carbon Roof.


The first one my wife and I drove, was the C2 Coupe. Coming from burbling V-8's, she says it sounded like a volkswagen..."What's that noise?" It is the engine huney...It takes a bit to warm up...

It drove fine, took it down a long country road, with 20mph turns which we customarily take at Twice the posted speed...No problem very smooth. Met up with some bumpy road conditions, and it seemed that the back of the coupe had about 1-2" of soft movement then a more firmer response, like progressive springs. Pushed SPORT and it did firm things up, but still in a nice way. Dropped off car at the dealer, and was like, "Oh I Don't have to have this car..." It was unremarkable... Nice and very good but not great.

Then the C2s Cabrio'.. I guess i should save the best for last... Onto the BMW

I calll it the BMW, and not the M6 because it reminds me of driving a big luxury car. I mean it is basically an M5 with no room in the back seat for real people. It is Big, and Heavy, especially for me since I'm 170 & 5' 7" It does have power but there is a perceptible lag, and coming from the Porsche, it is even more noticeable. It is comfy, and sporty, but not in a way that sends chills down my spine... Maybe I'm too old for chills..? lol No, I'm not because the next vehicle woke them chills up, and said, "Heeeeelooo there!"

I thought I died and gone to heaven, and had to pinch my self; Not physically because That's wierd, and there were people watching, but mentally.

So, we take it, being the C2s Cab, and drive it down the same road, which to us was replaced by aliens while we weren't looking. The 911 is invigorated, with spunk and attitude, and the gear changes, although each Porsche had the PDK, Were spectacular and each, "Snick" "Snick" of the gears changing brought a smile to my face, as if I were the Grinch on Christmas, in that part where he found he had a heart. The Gear changes on the S seemed faster, smoother , and made a little sound that i can only explain as the Disney Fairy touching her wand on my forehead! It was sublime...

The Cab also felt smoother and didn't drop so far in the rear as we went over the same bumps. It felt more planted, and more stable.

It Was/Is the Car in the Porsche Commercials, the one that makes one's salivation glands work like the Alien in Alien Vs Predator.

So, in closing and from a layman's perspective, I feel that at this point there is really only one Porsche for us, and that is the S...

ps. WAs it really the Disneyland Fairy, or is there something special going on with the shifts of the S...

 

Hahahaha nice post!

Well ya had all the right options on the C2S cab to get the most out of the PDK.
I hope you used the sport+ and paddle shifters... sport+ changes/increases the fuel out-put and throttle mapping so there's more unburned fuel/fumes which when ignited creates an amazing crackling/popping sound especially on the over-run and down-shifts.
It makes ya want to keep trowing bombs and suddenly take your foot of the gas at 6500 rpm hehehe... yep the Sport Chrono & PSE just makes it such a visceral experience.
Especially in cab!

I can't wait to get mine!!!!!!

 

Yep, I think you got intoxicated by the PSE, lightning fast PDK gear changes and PASM suspension are the same in both cars.
Said that, PSE is fantastic.
Thanks for the write up

 

It depends whether the base had the optional PASM (stock it doesn't come with it) also if it had 19" wheels the tire side-walls are higher so ya get a more "bouncy" ride.

But why the hell am I telling you that... I'm the one still waiting for my 991 while you're already on your 2nd!!!

edit,
I forgot about the PDK... that too is different on the base vs S, 350HP vs 400HP gives you different HP and Torque curves which means different shift points and throttle mapping (especially in sport+).

 

That is the difference that I felt driving the base Carrera and the Carerra S back to back. The PDK shifted smoother, the ride was better as PASM is not standard on the base and PTV was not present int base model I drove. I really thought that the base Carerra was underpowered compared to the S. those are some of the reasons that I ordered the S.

 

Yes and getting it soon too I read ... congrats!!

 

Great story....the C2S cab IS such a sweet ride! Good choice

 

My cab matches the one you drove. It's an S with all the sports options. It also has PDCC. It is an incredible all-rounder. Comfortable, muscular, yet it turns in so sweetly. And at amazing speeds. Only gripe is that you do sometimes need to wring its neck to extract the edginess in its character, so competent is it at moderate speeds.

 

From Autoweek Published on 8/29/2012
EDITOR WES RAYNAL: "I think I'd go with the regular Carrera. This 2012 Porsche Carrera S seems a bit too stiff to me. Is that blasphemy? Maybe. Still, I think I'd save the money and learn to live with the 50 less hp and a slightly slower 60-mph time but get a better ride in return."

That is the reason I went with the Base 991 (2 times) PASM have higher spring rates, I felt the S much stiffer than the Base w/o PASM, even in comfort mode.
Even though the S is a little torquier down low, the Base is no slouch, I think it depends on what car you drove before, I came from a V8 twin turbo BMW F10 550i which is a monster, but my Base kills it in every aspect. I wouldnt call the Base underpowered.

 

Nice post!

You're so right about M6...and C2S, yes, it rocks!!!

 

I spent yesterday at th dealer driving a c2 cab, c2s cab, and a Pany turbo. Goes without saying the Pany turbo is a monster with so much power. With 1 4 year old and 1 infant I fully expected to get the Pany, but much to my surprise neither myself or the wife liked it over the 991. Then came the much harder decision between the base and S 991. To be clear both were manuals as I'm just not ready to give up a stick. Both had vent seats, Burmester, and sport exhaust, among other options. I took both on extended test drives and was struck by how similar they felt power wise in normal driving. While the s has a little more low end grunt it wasn't so much better that I didn't like the base. In fact short of an on ramp burst it was hard to tell the difference most of the time. Sport exhaust is flat out amazing with the top up or down and definitely made my build list. As did Burmester, with the top,down at highway speeds it sounds unlike any car stereo I've ever heard. So I ended up building a base which was a surprise. Maybe with PDK, the difference is more extreme between the 2 but I just didn't feel it with the manual. So we are now working with the dealer on an allocation and hope to have the order put in officially next week.

 

The most significant difference I found between the two in MT was at rpms over 4500. Then the torque really grabs you in the S.

 

Reading your post i didnt get any review of the M6 other than its heavy.

I think for once the base might be a better choice for some vs the S. Not so much as in 997. With the price of these cars with just a couple options I highly doubt anyone that can afford the base but can not afford the S.

 

Great write-up!

 

I also don't find the likes of 6 series, Jag XK practical at all. they are all very heavy and small inside.

911 is better engineered. If money is not a problem, I would choose the S anyday but go light on the options.

The new 991 is so expensive. For those looking for better deals, I would consider 2009-2011 997 instead. Heck, I bought a Lambo for less than the price of a 991.