918 - 3,500 mile report

[stefan1]

I picked up my 918 in April of this year, and have now completed 3,500 miles in the car. So I thought I'd share some early experiences and views on the car.

I don't know about you, but whilst I enjoy running in a new car, I can't help but be impatient to feel what it can really do. Well, the 918 re-wrote that rule for me - the car's pace even at part throttle and part revs was - and remains to this day - shocking. My early drives were done in Sport mode (with the NA engine running all the time) and with a 4,000 rpm rev limit; the car was still faster across the ground that just about anything I've driven!

Shortly after running in the car, I had the chance to join PCGB and some other 918 owners on a trip to Le Mans. It was my first time to Le Mans, and what a way to do it. Our organiser chose some excellent routes, and it was possible to open the car up at last. In Race mode, you get full electric boost (in Sport mode it's about 2/3rds, if the manual's diagrams are to be believed). The exhaust note also hardens and frankly the first time I pinned down the throttle to the red line, I just could not help laughing. The sound is scalpel sharp; not sonorous like the CGT, but incredibly purposeful.

(The 918s lined up en route to Le Mans)



Most recently, I took the car to the Nurburgring, to watch the WEC race. It was a chance to take the car on some de-restricted roads, and to try it on the Nordschleife.

Unfortunately, the weather out to the 'Ring was appalling - rain non stop from Calais to Nurburg. So any high speed runs were off the agenda, and to be honest it was a horrid journey as the Cup 2s - whilst better than previous generations - are not confidence inspiring in standing water. 50 mph was often the order of the day on those sodden (or is that sodding?) Belgian motorways.

However, the weather improved once there and I was able to take the car on the Green Hell for a few TF laps. I was definitely taking it easy in the car - driving massively below its potential. But even so, I was left with the indelible impression of the car's supreme stability at high speed; outstanding damping control and of course it's crazy pace. Leaving Adenau Forst one time, I was able to keep up with two well-ridden super bikes as they accelerated to Metzgefeld.

One of the strange things about the acceleration is that the first "hit" after you press the throttle feels the strongest. No doubt that is the effect of the e-motors delivering their torque low down; after that, you then have the amazing, screaming top end of the LMP2 derived engine. I love the fact that, like the CGT before it, the NA engine is massively over-engineered for a road car.

One of the more unusual things about the car to get used to is the brakes. The e-motors provide up to 0.5g of deceleration before the hydraulic brakes are needed. So on the public road, you are rarely using the PCCB's in anger. The pedal feel is ok, but takes some getting used to. On track, however, when braking hard the feel is excellent.

At the 'Ring, I stayed at Sabine's brilliant wild-west inspired saloon:



Outside Manthey Racing:



I am acutely aware how fortunate I am to be able to own one of these cars. It's a sensational car, and to my surprise the hybrid tech really adds to the experience. I love whispering along silently in e-mode in towns; the car is delivering over 23 mpg (giving it a half decent range, unlike some other recent supercars); and the sheer dynamic breadth of the car never fails to excite and engage.

[stefan1]

Murcielago_Boy said:

Ok Stefan - I'll take the bait (and I'm not meaning to troll you) but... do you prefer the Carrera GT?

(If I had to bet, I'd bet yes).

Thoughts?

Good question.

Despite the prima facie fundamentally similar design briefs (to be the best supercar of their generation), the two cars are quite radically different. There are similarities of course - both have race derived engines; both have CFRP monocoques; both are over-engineered.

But they drive quite differently. The CGT is dominated by two things - its extraordinary drivetrain and its steering. The engine, gearbox linkage and unique clutch define the car. The engine has gear driven camshafts. A geeky thing, but pure race car. The gearbox is the slickest manual shift I have experienced - just watch Marc Bessing driving the car around the 'Ring*. Those gearshifts are a thing of beauty, and it is a joy to try to replicate the skill that Marc displays. And the clutch, described entirely wrongly by Clarkson as "brutal", allows for an amazingly low centre of gravity - and is incredibly user friendly. When I first drove a friend's CGT (before I bought mine), I could not believe the immediacy of the steering and the quality of the feel. Today it is enhanced by the fitment of the Super Sport tyres (over the PS2 original fitment tyres).

You hopefully get the drift. This is a pure driver's car and indeed it does remain my favourite car to drive. It's a cliché, but it challenges and rewards like the finest thoroughbred.

The 918 is different. It is massively quicker than the CGT - with a maximum torque figure of c. 1,200 NM versus 590 in the CGT. Its damping control, four wheel drive and four wheel steering give huge confidence in the car's stability and grip. The PDK box is gear-change perfection, but asks nothing of the drive beyond a finger twitch.

And the 918 is also refined; whereas the CGT - cliché alert again! - is properly a race car with number plates.

All that said, I love the feel of the 918. It still has that uniquely Porsche quality of high quality engineering; beautifully weighted controls and despite the electric steering, a lovely sense of what is going on at the tyre surface.

So, after all that long-winded stuff - my view is this. The 918 is the best car - by some margin, with a much broader range of abilities. The CGT remains my favourite car.

[stefan1]

sidicks said:

Stefan

Has your car recently been detailed by a specialist in the South East?

Yes, Richard, at Refined Detail.

It has then had a full clear paint film protection added by Paintshield.

Both did a lovely job.

[stefan1]

IcedKiwi said:

SFO said:

is it like changing down 1 or 2 gears, merely lifting off?

I think he means when you push the brake pedal, the first 0.5gs are done with the electric motor and then the brakes come in. Not 0.5g regen braking when you lift off.
A lot of manufacturers struggle to control the blend between the two to give you consistent pedal feel at the change over point

That's right. Lifting off gives a normal level of deceleration. It is when you push the brake pedal that e-motors switch from being a driving force to being a generator.

[stefan1]

RSVP911 said:

Hi Stefan , great report thanks .

2 questions if I may ?

1. What colour is it ?

2. How does it compare to the 991 RS

Cheers

Thanks.

It is Liquid Metal. I was originally going to go for GT Silver (the launch colour of the CGT, and the colour of my own CGT). But the Liquid Metal paint in the flesh (when I saw it at the factory) is fantastic, with depth that was worth the nutty price.

How does it compare with the 991 RS? Well, I drove my RS shortly after coming back from the 'Ring in the CGT. The first thing that stuck me was just how light and dainty the RS felt! The 918 hides its mass supremely well, but to quote Jethro (EVO), it is a "chunky thing"! The RS feels nimble, pointy, darty by comparison.

The PDK in the RS is just as good as the 918 - supremely fast and smooth.

The pace is of course very different - if you'll forgive the Star Trek analogy, one has impulse drive, the other warp drive.

But the RS just feels more biddable, more playful. The 918 is a serious thing, and I am conscious that my skills are well below its potential. I feel like my limited talents are better to suited to the RS (I've had every generation of GT3, so feel very comfortable in them) - and so I cannot wait to take it on track. I think the RS is going to be thrilling.

Cheers