Exterior changes, interior changes, more HP (the club coupe engine will probably be standard for the S model), suspension changes, you name it. It will get a total makeover in every way with of course a bump in price because of inflation and progress. If the upcoming GT3 model is more comfortable, I might be crazy enough to take a huge loss and upgrade. I would love a car as capable on the track as the GT3 is while being comfortable on the street. Every GT3 model has becoming faster yet more comfortable. My car is a daily driver so it must be comfortable first and foremost. If not then I would wait for the .2 991 and see if it can sway me from my GTS. And I have to be comfortable with my finances. Upgrading is going to take a huge amount of money.

 

@tx11

I disagree. Since when was the 911 supposed to be a "comfortable cruiser". Porsche is turning that car into a GT cruiser and scrubbing the character off in the process. And that is coming from a guy that owns a V12 Vantage and an R8 V10

The V12 Vantage is comfortable, but very raw in comparison to the 991. It's louder, it feels like it will break loose earlier, it wears its foibles as badges of honour and that's why I love it, as a road car. It does what a front engined V12, rear wheel drive, 6 SPD can do better than most. That character costs it speed too, but its a road car. If I only wanted number I would buy a GTR.

The R8 V10 has many of the 991 faults. It's trying to be a GT car too, but its an Audi. That is their reason for existing. Plus its still more uniques ham most cars it competes with. It has the great big engine behind your ear, it FEELS mid engined and its has no storage. But itis just a little too civilized. Around town you have to keep it revving to remember you are in a supercar. On the track, different story, but most of the time you are not on the track.

These cars need to be exciting when you are driving around town.

The 991 has killed the legendary steering Porsche was known for, they neutered the rear engined feel and they made it a GT. Those were the things I wanted a Porsche for.

Yes, it's among the most capable cars ever built. But it's less unique, the experience is less differentiated and frankly there are many cars that can play the game it's playing now. Especially around town.

To be clear I'm not anti-progress. I want the 991 to progress, but not at the expense of its original reason for being. They aren't just using technology to improve the handling. They are changing the purpose of the car.

There was a time when NO car was like a Porsche.

 

Clearly you know half the car. The other half has all the essential feel, all the special 911 character and far more the capability than any of the four I had since 1974. For around town, any Prius gets you there.

 

@chuckbdc

I made an edit to my post while you were replying. It was not made in response to your post.

Glad you found the spark in the car I did not. I was all excited to buy the 991 but felt it was not the car for me. I would have purchased the 997 GTS, but it was priced too high relative to the R8 V10 and the 991.

Enjoy your car!!

 

The problem for some with the new 991S is that it is a Jeckyl and Hide car. If you test drive it from a dealer, it seems too much of a tourer but if you have the proper performance options with sport and PSE engaged, it is a very engaging drive. I personally like that I can drive it to work and not get a lot of attention for a boy racer exhaust and then on an open road or track, it becomes a completely different car. FYI: You don't get around the Ring in a 7:37, only 3 seconds slower than a R8 GT by being a boring touring car.

 

That's the problem with many of the newer cars.

Lots of capability, but not so exciting in real life. Everyday character has been sacrificed so they can't turn faster times.

All of these cars are faster because the driver is doing less. Launch control, PDK (Mostly due to transmissions. Great piece in EVO on that ) etc. But that's why the engineers need to work very hard to ensure they feel visceral around town. These cars need to remind us that we are NOT in an M3 (etc I like M3's but its not a Sportscar, but is a fast car). They should make us feel alive and excited.

And having some sound and fury is not boy racer. I doubt anyone would call my V12 boy racer, but it is exciting and that is the point of the car.

Sorry if it seems like I'm banging on Porsche, I'm not. It's just that everyone wants to beat the GTR, and most of the brands have watered down their experience in the process.

But if we only cared for numbers, wouldn't we just buy a GTR??

Perhaps the cars I love come from a time when sportscar owners also owned a GT car to drive when you wanted cup holders??

To each his own and I'm the trespasser in this board. I have much respect for Porsche and I'm always having to defend the Aston as an over priced GT car for old guys. But I bought it over a Ford GT because on the street it was more exciting.
I get that cars are personal and not universal. What's right for me is not right for others

All the best

 

If you want to feel like boy racer going to the grocery, you press sport and PSE on and it is louder and stiffer than either the R8 or the Vantage but if you are pulling up to your business, you don't want to sound like a ******. Check out the video someone posted comparing a non PSE C4 with a R8 v8 and tell me the R8 doesn't look/sound boring compared to the C4.

 

My thoughts exactly.

ChuckJ

 

+1

Take the 991 to the track, hit Sport+, and let me know how you feel about the car. If you still feel it's boring you might want to get an F1 car next time you shop

 

The 991 can be more exciting in real life, if she was sitting next to you when you drove down a winding road:

 

That's the problem with modern sports cars or super cars. They get sold on being the "fastest" around, whether 0-60, around the ring, or otherwise. If you want a "FUN" car get a dang Boxster, Miata, Z4, FT-86 or the like.

And then you'd start complaining that they're slow.

There's no satisfying some people. IMO You can't really have a fast car *and* a fun car - the slower a car looks going around the track, the faster it frequently is going. All that improving of higher end cars just make them less exciting in real life. Oh well.

 

I found the PDK in the 997 GTS to be a little sluggish in comparison to the 991. The 991 transmission is just immediate, and a distinct competitive advantage. A GTS with a manual would be the way to go there. For a 991, which can be configured as a missile, with PDK, PDCC, PSE and sport chrono, I found that it was exactly what I wanted, when you factor in the livability with it on a daily basis. The fact that it is Jeckell and Hyde is part of its charm. You can 'Cadillac' in comfort or activate its modes and blow somebody's doors off. I love that.

 

I'm planning a longer write up on this topic but basically, after 10k miles, my conclusion is that the 991S is a spectacular GT and a spectacular track car. For (spirited) street driving, it's missing a little connection and emotion - the car is just a bit too tame at lower speeds/revs and the electric steering, while awesome on the track, detracts from the road experience.

Now I've only owned 2 cars in my life (the other was a 997) but I suppose its impossible to have a car that is spectacular in all 3 categories. My solution is to buy an air cooled 911 targa or cab (for summertime street driving), but as I said that's a diffrrent thread for another time.

 

@Tx11
Don't have the R8 V8. A very different soundtrack in the V10. This is mostly a track car for me. I bought it over the 997 GTS.

You must be mistaking the Vantage V8 for the V12. Very different cars. The V12 is far more sporting feeling than the 991. I drove V12 to the dealership to drive the 997 and 991. It emptied the place as everyone came to check it out. The V12 Vantage is a more analogue car like the 997 GTS. Best steering on the market today. But not track focused like the GT3 etc.(its not like I'm hitting the Ring in this car anyway).

On the street I WANT my car to make the mundane world more exciting ( not less). On the track I want it to make speed more accessible. Very hard for one car to do both.

I go to business meetings in a cab or Range Rover

No worries

 

good honest comments on both sides...the bottom line is that these are all fantastic autos and there is a special car for each driver.