my thoughts exactly 911 is a great car but theres gonna be a lot more sacrifice in practicality going from a 550 to a 911

but to answer some of the questions, i would say that the suspension is obviously not going to feel as "plush" but its not bad, clutch and stop and go driving in very inclement weather can be a hassle, and personally i wear a suit and dress shoes daily, i normally leave the jacket in the back and must have some type of driving shoe or barefoot, I've ruined some good shoes driving the 911. can be also a hassle. for a while i was taking the wifes 3 series to work and never once considered jumping back in the 911, actually almost let the battery die on the porsche since i forgot i wasn't driving it for a while.

 

"Benz owner looking to jump in to Carrera, need infro please."

I'm bald so no help with infros, outfros, or Afros for that matter.

My wife's 2011 997.2 S-cab is her daily driver. She loves it. Very comfortable on smooth roads, fairly forgiving on not-so-good ones. She never uses the PASM or sport buttons; I use both when joyriding on the weekends and I can attest, it is a BIG difference in terms of a firmer ride and quicker throttle response.

As for your questions re: winter clothing, I am the classic teapot -- short (5'9") but stout (195 pounds, 46 sport coat) and my wife's seats are just a bit too snug for my shoulders. But hers aren't the kind you can adjust much, so YMMV. If you're a big wide guy putting on those extra layers might not be too comfortable, but if you're a skinny-to-normal guy you should be fine.

 

I have owned probably almost as many MB as Porsche's (40) and my last MB was a 550 4matic and I traded it for Porsche # 40 my Panamera. From an S class to a 997 is such a dramatic change I don't even have the space to put down all the things that are different between these two cars. I am picking up a new S Class coupe in the spring myself and though the winters here are not anywhere near as bad as in the Midwest neither of my Porsche's would have made it ten feet during most of the terrible winter we had here last year. I have 2014 Jeep GC Summit for that time of year. Personally I suggest looking into the Panamera in my opinion a better choice when going from a S class.

 

Thank you guys for all the info.
Greatly appreciated.

 

Currently have 2 S's. An S class and a carrera S. Of course no comparison. For normal driving, in traffic and general moving around nothing beats the s class. For for sporty, more personal drive its the 911

 

I have E550, not S, and truthfully I don't think the E class is more comfortable than my C2S unless my C2S is in sport mode. The only issue is my C2S is very loud as I have the gundo exhaust and I can't make business calls when I drive. I have to wear suits for work and that's not an issue for my C2S with regular seats. It's a little more work as I have to move the seat back to store my jacket in the back seat, but that's minor.


One issue I have with driving my Porsche to work is I have to be more careful when parking to avoid dings, and drive very slowly when entering/exiting parking lots so I don't scrape the trim pieces by the front wheels. It's less of a concern for me when I drive the E550 to work.

 

Thanks for that info.
With having 20s on my S class, strut tower brace and it being lowered 20mm its not as soft as automaker intended it to be. At times my wife’s CLS feels softer.
I drive my S class like you drive your Porsche so it would be nothing new.


All, thank you for the info and input.
I’ve been thinking, and it will be a big change, obviously, but i think i am willing to try it. I rarely have to drive anyone other than my wife. I do shopping just a few bags worth once a week and most I carry with me is my work/laptop bag and lunch.
My only real change is going to be adjusting to folding the seat forward to throw the bag and jacket in the back instead of opening a rear door.
I’m sure i can master something up so i can hang it right behind the seat.

With being able to work at home I can sit the extremely heavy snow days out in my pajamas and call in to the office

If anyone has any more info they want to share please feel free.
I will let you all know if I get one.

 

I think your challenge is not that you are moving from a Benz to a Porsche - it is that you are moving from a Luxury Sedan to a nimble 2-door sports car. While I don't have a Benz to compare, I have both a W12 VW Phaeton and a Jaguar XJ Portfolio to use as the luxury sedan when I need that itch scratched, and a 911 C4S when I need the sports car adrenalin rush. There is no comparing the ride between the luxury of the big cars and the quickness of the 911.

Solve your problem one of two ways.

1. Keep the S550 and add a 911 to your fleet
2. Drop the 911 idea and get a Panamera for your sport car adrenalin / luxury sedan ride

 

So, drove 07 Tagra 4 today. Really stiff for my taste. Im really spoiled by Benz.
Definitely need something with PASM. The 4s i drove two weeks ago seemed softer.
Going to try 09 carrera S and see how it rides.

The dealer where tagra was had a white with tinted windows panamera turbo and my wife fell in love with it. She never paid attention to Porsche in general and thinks carrera is a toy car, but now she's urging me to look in to it.
I really wanted to get back to manual trans for added fun factor but if newer carrera is still to stiff for my taste looks like panamera is next on the list. Too bad there aren't many power upgrades to them at all unless its a turbo

 

I believe the question you are asking goes deeper beyond the 'softness' or the ride. Again - the two cars (S class and a 911) could not be further apart. To drive a 911 is to make a LOT of sacrifices. 911 requires your full attention driving (especially a manual transmission). It is a NOISY, high strung car, and does not float over the road with 'ease'. I find it difficult to relax driving one - and the mileage and distance you drive will have a lot of consideration as well.

I moved from a plush BMW to a 997 carrera thinking a 911 could be my only car, had it for a year and then gave up on it for an S4 Audi (thinking it could kill two birds with one stone).

I was wrong, and I found myself back into a 997 turbo as of last week (as NOTHING can compare to how a 911 drives) - but as a strict weekend car. My point is the 911 is a very unique car that I would think hard and long if to make that your only driver.

My business partner has a panamera turbo - and that car is plush and VERY fast - but does not give that visceral / driver involvement feel of the 911. The panamera is secluded from the world. In a sense it is TOO good for its own good. And it is definitely no 911. So figure out what is most important to you on your drive. Is it to experience each and every mile you drive to the 'fullest' or zone out with coffee in hand chatting away on the phone.

 

You can easily upgrade a Panamera's power. All new S models except the GTS are turbo's which offer available upgrades. There are now even power upgrades for the older V8 S models. An S class is like driving your living room a Porsche is not, no 911 is going to ever ride even close to the way an S class does, even the Panamera is not going to be as smooth and the PDK in traffic jams will not be as smooth as an auto box. I am no fan of a Paddle box and have owned Ferrari's Lamborghini's, Maserati's and BMW's along with my Panamera with them. I am a old time die hard (learned to drive on a three on a tree) gearshift guy and I though I prefer to drive them they do have their place and that means I can only drive them at certain times. I have a modified Abarth that is almost as much fun as my 997 whose mods alone cost 7 times more than the Abarth. My point is that you should get a car that suits your needs not the other way around. After over 400 cars I've learned a few things and made quite a few bad decisions. Good luck

 

I trade a 2010 E550 for my Porsche> NEITHER was a DD for me. They are such different cars. If you like a softer ride with more room of the larger car the 911 will not be a good trade off IMO.
I don t want to get flamed here but if I HAD to use either one for my DD it would be the Benz. Again I love my 911 but would be concerned with some of the point that YOU brought out.

 

 

Gentlemen, and ladies... Thank you for your inputs it is greatly appreciated.

I do understand the difference. And I am just trying to see if and how i can make this transition less..... painful... if that's the correct term.
I have been thinking allot about everything that is different and what i may be losing in the process of going from a full size luxury sedan to a sports coupe. And at this point it is something that i am willing to try and do.
Considering: i drive my S class at times as if it was a sports coupe (not gloating, but it does happen) to the point where i have been thinking i need to upgrade my brakes. i very rarely have any type of liquids in the car. its squeaky clean without anything lying around but my cell phone and laptop bag. 99.99% of time i only have one passenger. I want to get something that is sportier and more fun to drive and willing to sacrifice the comfort.
Going to a carrera will be less practical, sure, but all that i do with my land yacht, can be accomplished in a Nissan Yarus.

Today i had a chance to drive 09 Carrera S and i must say in Normal PASM setting it wasn't half bad at all (don't flame me, its coming from S class driver). A ton more civilized than the 07 Tagra with standard suspension. Car feels lite over bumps and doesnt absorb as much as my tank but not bad at all. Change out tires for something softer, watch out for potholes and it can be an ok transition from what i currently have with the S class.
It is also apparent to me that the very first 4S i drove has been modified because unlike that first carrera the 09 clutch and gearshift was buttery smooth and pleasant to work with.
Unfortunately the price is not something i could swing, knowing wifey wants to look at Panameras soon... so i'll be looking for something in 07 or 08 range.
can anyone tell me if 997.1 Carrera S or 4S in stock form of clutch and suspension is as soft as the 997.2?

 

Yes! You will definitely get 'sportier' if thats what you are looking for. The cars with pasm are absolutely fine, until the worst of roads. I had a 997.1 carrera with pasm and now a 997.1 turbo with pasm and I would not complain of a harsh ride in either.

My biggest complaint, and it is again very hard to judge on a 'shorter' test drive is the amount of road/tire/engine noise in the cabin at almost all speeds. On a 5-15 minute test, in a PORSCHE, your adrenaline is pumping, and that aspect of the drive is not fairly noticeable, but driving half hour to work, back and some in between - it could get to be too much. These cars are not well insulated (to keep weight down), and sometimes even a phone conversation becomes a nuisance due to how loud the phone or bluetooth have to be. On the freeway cruising in 6th gear you are at or above 3k rpms. Just something to think about as you are going from a whisper quiet hush ride into one of the most sportiest / connected to the road /involved cars ever made.

I only use my 997 on weekends and after work now, so much of that complaint goes away as I take it out for pure enjoyment and not to 'commute'. I had no other complaints with the 997 series. Highly reliable, 'simple' electronics (997.1), and I was able to do costco runs no problem! Whether the trade offs are worth it are only yours to decide, and heck you can go right back if you dont like it! Have you though of 'sportier' sedans such as AMGs, M series, or any of the Audi S lines? I daily drive an S4 and it definitely fills the bridge between sedan cruiser and fun sports car all in one package.