What do you love about the 996?

What do you love about the 996?

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Discussion

bgunn

1,416 posts

130 months

Sunday 27th August 2017
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Digga said:
To me the 996 interior feels like driving a classic car.
But with relatively modern ergonomics. I don't get the criticism of the 9x6 interior, it works very well and is incredibly functional. Yes, there are bits that could be slightly better in quality, and particularly on early cars where it's obvious they didn't really have the dev time on the car they should have being so cash strapped, but it works really well and partially defines the car for me.

Digga

40,204 posts

282 months

Sunday 27th August 2017
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bgunn said:
Digga said:
To me the 996 interior feels like driving a classic car.
But with relatively modern ergonomics. I don't get the criticism of the 9x6 interior, it works very well and is incredibly functional. Yes, there are bits that could be slightly better in quality, and particularly on early cars where it's obvious they didn't really have the dev time on the car they should have being so cash strapped, but it works really well and partially defines the car for me.
In honesty, now having driven both, I think the 996 is actually better laid out than the 997. The window switches in particular are far easier to use on the move. I also think, because it's only a mild evolution of the previous iterations of the 911 dash, it's already aging better.

Slippydiff

14,742 posts

222 months

Sunday 27th August 2017
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Digga said:
In honesty, now having driven both, I think the 996 is actually better laid out than the 997. The window switches in particular are far easier to use on the move. I also think, because it's only a mild evolution of the previous iterations of the 911 dash, it's already aging better.
yes

New "improved" ? :



I think not ....





Fast Bug

11,595 posts

160 months

Sunday 27th August 2017
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I love how settled the car is down a twisting country road, how it carries the speed through the corners so well without fuss or drama and how the 3.4 engine encourages you to use all of the rev range

hunter 66

3,886 posts

219 months

Sunday 27th August 2017
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Simple lines of them

Digga

40,204 posts

282 months

Monday 28th August 2017
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Slippydiff said:
yes

New "improved" ? :



I think not ....

Exactly. I'm sure that, when you're actually just focuses on driving the car, the 997 is very nice - all the gauges are in the right place, after all, but it does look a bit busy.

Filibuster

3,116 posts

214 months

Monday 28th August 2017
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Digga said:
Slippydiff said:
yes

New "improved" ? :



I think not ....

Exactly. I'm sure that, when you're actually just focuses on driving the car, the 997 is very nice - all the gauges are in the right place, after all, but it does look a bit busy.
Not a fair comparison imo.
For one the contrast of the white fascia is very hard and to be fair the climate control has about the same number of buttons.
It's only the PCM that has some more buttons than the DIN-1 Becker Radio.

I really do like the 996's exterior styling but the interior is just too new age/90's/organic/etc for me.
Yes, it does go very well with that bridge between 'classic' and 'new' idea a lot like about the 996, it is a very basic, simple layout, but the styling is way too fussy.
The 997 is much cleaner although button heavy, but as an interior I much prefer the 997 to the 996.

Here are two press pic for a better comparison:

996


997

Digga

40,204 posts

282 months

Monday 28th August 2017
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If you are comparing the 996 interior in that particular shade of mushroom Stroganoff, then I would agree; the black 997 dash is way better.

Dammit

3,790 posts

207 months

Monday 28th August 2017
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You can remove the lower part of the vertical centre console which I think tides it up (and allows those over 6' to fit) warning - blue:


Sine Metu

302 posts

125 months

Monday 28th August 2017
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The purity and elegance of the compact narrow bodied design. Evokes a true man and machine interface, a car that wraps itself around the driver from the nose to the tail. Svelte sleek shape while echoing the character of the classic original 911 design. It even mimics cleverly some of the original design details of the Beetle that originated the 911 shape. A timeless shape that defies the ability of non Porsche people to put a date on it. Does everything driving wise absolutely brilliantly and really confirms the integrity of Porsche's engineering heritage, and pedigree especially the steering, balance, feel, traction, handling. Relatively inexpensive to run. 90% have turned out to be bulletproof in spite of being a whole new innovative and groundbreaking design. Very high up on then BHP per ton in a car that has exceptional day to day road manner. Still very fast even by todays standards. Simply a great car. One of the best ever. Definitely the best value ever!

Digga

40,204 posts

282 months

Tuesday 29th August 2017
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Dammit said:
You can remove the lower part of the vertical centre console which I think tides it up (and allows those over 6' to fit) warning - blue:

Removing the lower centre console section definitely has merits - I do quite like that dark (Metropole?) blue.

My car already had a double-DIN system fitted, so I upgraded it to a DAB/nav unit that looked very plain black. I think it works quite well in there and is not out of keeping with the general aesthetics:


Dammit

3,790 posts

207 months

Tuesday 29th August 2017
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I had to get the space for my left leg so keeping the lower centre console was out of the question, the head unit under the ventilation controls is a Becker Cascade Pro so has (somewhat old-school) navigation, bluetooth phone integration etc.

If you need more info/ICE units then you'll need the lower console, I don't see a way round that.

I do quite like the uninterrupted line of the dash with the lower console removed - strongly reminiscent of the older 911's, whilst being very much a new design in it's own right.

Adam B

27,142 posts

253 months

Tuesday 29th August 2017
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Filibuster said:
The 997 is much cleaner although button heavy, but as an interior I much prefer the 997 to the 996.
agreed but this is a thread extolling the virtues of the 996 so its rose-tinted specs time

(someone even defended electric window switches on the centre console rather than on the door, by the window)

I am a fan of most 996/997 but see the pros and cons of both

Digga

40,204 posts

282 months

Tuesday 29th August 2017
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Adam B said:
someone even defended electric window switches on the centre console rather than on the door, by the window
Was me and I stand by it. In a manual car at least, you don't ever really want to have to take your right hand off the wheel whereas, your left hand can get to those switches (you can feel both there, so know intuitively which is left or right window) easily. even when you're shifting, you can reach down before or after the gearshift, easy.

I've driven all sorts of cars, with all sorts of switches and do genuinely love the placement in the 996. All personal, of course!

Adam B

27,142 posts

253 months

Tuesday 29th August 2017
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Digga said:
I've driven all sorts of cars, with all sorts of switches and do genuinely love the placement in the 996. All personal, of course!
of course personal, heated seats switches should be on centre console, not in front of gearstick like 996/7

the one that annoyed me on the 996 is the blank switches on the centre console for the rear windows on the cab - Porsche couldn't be bothered having a different part for the coupe (and I hate blank switches on cars)

Dammit

3,790 posts

207 months

Tuesday 29th August 2017
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I moved the heated seat switches to the upper centre console, and as I have rear windows all of my available switches are in use.

Adam B

27,142 posts

253 months

Tuesday 29th August 2017
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Dammit said:
I moved the heated seat switches to the upper centre console, and as I have rear windows all of my available switches are in use.
don't follow:

you have a coupe so moved the seat heaters to the utilise the blanks on the rear centre console?
you have a cab so all 4 window switches are in use, but you moved the seat heaters from lower centre console to higher up?

if the former, well done, exactly what I would have done had I bought that 996 turbo 4 years ago

nxi20

778 posts

204 months

Tuesday 29th August 2017
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Dammit said:
You can remove the lower part of the vertical centre console which I think tides it up (and allows those over 6' to fit)
^^
This, in spades. My 996 has the centre console delete & much as I love my 997.2's interior, the centre console is a constant pain below the knee. Is it just me or is it actually impossible to find a comfortable position for your left leg? After a day on track in the 997, I longed for the simplicity & extra room afforded by the 996 interior.

Dammit

3,790 posts

207 months

Tuesday 29th August 2017
quotequote all
Adam B said:
don't follow:

you have a coupe so moved the seat heaters to the utilise the blanks on the rear centre console?
you have a cab so all 4 window switches are in use, but you moved the seat heaters from lower centre console to higher up?

if the former, well done, exactly what I would have done had I bought that 996 turbo 4 years ago
I have a cab, on the right hand side of the upper centre console I had one live switch (traction control) and two switch blanks.

On the left hand side I had the roof, the heated rear window and the central locking.

I moved the central locking from left to right, creating two vacant switch positions, then moved the heated seat switches from the lower centre console up to the two vacant positions, allowing me to remove the lower centre console.

All of these shenanigans led to this:



As it's a cab all four of the window switches are in use.

Adam B

27,142 posts

253 months

Tuesday 29th August 2017
quotequote all
Dammit said:
I have a cab, on the right hand side of the upper centre console I had one live switch (traction control) and two switch blanks.

On the left hand side I had the roof, the heated rear window and the central locking.

I moved the central locking from left to right, creating two vacant switch positions, then moved the heated seat switches from the lower centre console up to the two vacant positions, allowing me to remove the lower centre console.
quite a palaver but well done - did you do all this as you wanted to remove the lower centre console section (where heated seat switches normally go)?