GT4 appreciation thread
Discussion
BubblesNW said:
Fokker said:
BubblesNW said:
Another one from the night
Great to meet up and catch up. Some interesting driving standards and a wide variety of cars on track from Mk1 Fiesta to full fat race M3s.
That red car looks to be going really slow Great to meet up and catch up. Some interesting driving standards and a wide variety of cars on track from Mk1 Fiesta to full fat race M3s.
I drove my first Gt4 today and to say i am blown away would be an understatement.
Driving out of the OPC as a passenger, I noticed the car was incredibly sensitive to every small ripple in the car park. It actually made me think that this car was going to be very hardcore on the road. I noticed the salesman leave the car in 2nd and drive to the legal limit in the same gear and immediately thought this car, according to the internet is too highly geared and we have a salesman reconfirming it.
By the time I got into the 'bucket seat' I believed every word that had ever been said about the GT4. Tall gearing, not a real Porsche engine etc.
After selecting 1st and driving out into the country I soon realised that any preconceptions I might have about the GT4 were firmly that; just internet hyperbole.
The car has a great sounding engine which seems far closer to my ears than the 3.4 in my Boxster. It might just be the tin top but it certainly feels like I am closer to it. The exhaust in sports mode is also a lot quieter than that of my Boxster S. None of the pops and bangs. Hitting the throttle through the gears it is instantly noticeable that the car is faster than the 3.4. Whilst mine is a PDK and thus far quicker than a manual in timing change, the 6 speed rifle bolt action of the GT4 makes you feel like it is worth working for. The fact it has rev matching on a down change is to me a bonus but I also like the feeling of punching through the manual box in an old fashioned way.
The speeds i hit down through the country roads were very high and that initial impression of an overly firm car in a car park, just evaporated.The GT4 just rode through it in a way that you just knew the damping was keeping the car beautifully precise. I have found that some overly damped cars recently, such as a friends BMW 240i, just feel like they are trying to chuck you up, off the tarmac. The GT4 just rode through all of that. My Boxster whilst still fun on those roads just could not stay as composed.
The country roads were demolished in 2nd and 3rd and it did not bother me. Rather than worrying about the idea in some other cars I might be in 3rd ,4th or even 5th, I just rung the neck out of the engine and only changed when I needed to.
The steering was also surprising light as I had assumed it would have a weight to it much like the clutch. This wasn't a problem and more like an observation.
So after returning to the dealer I had to weigh up if i 'need' a GT4?
Whilst everything is great about the GT4, I have come back to the financials of the cost to change.
My Boxster S sounds better and more so because it is not a tin top. Whilst it is slower in a straight line it is not exactly tortoise like. Fundamentally though a GT4 is twice the price of my car. It is without doubt a better car but in my opinion it is certainly not double the fun.
For the first time in a long time I have not just signed on the dotted line for the sake of it.
Driving out of the OPC as a passenger, I noticed the car was incredibly sensitive to every small ripple in the car park. It actually made me think that this car was going to be very hardcore on the road. I noticed the salesman leave the car in 2nd and drive to the legal limit in the same gear and immediately thought this car, according to the internet is too highly geared and we have a salesman reconfirming it.
By the time I got into the 'bucket seat' I believed every word that had ever been said about the GT4. Tall gearing, not a real Porsche engine etc.
After selecting 1st and driving out into the country I soon realised that any preconceptions I might have about the GT4 were firmly that; just internet hyperbole.
The car has a great sounding engine which seems far closer to my ears than the 3.4 in my Boxster. It might just be the tin top but it certainly feels like I am closer to it. The exhaust in sports mode is also a lot quieter than that of my Boxster S. None of the pops and bangs. Hitting the throttle through the gears it is instantly noticeable that the car is faster than the 3.4. Whilst mine is a PDK and thus far quicker than a manual in timing change, the 6 speed rifle bolt action of the GT4 makes you feel like it is worth working for. The fact it has rev matching on a down change is to me a bonus but I also like the feeling of punching through the manual box in an old fashioned way.
The speeds i hit down through the country roads were very high and that initial impression of an overly firm car in a car park, just evaporated.The GT4 just rode through it in a way that you just knew the damping was keeping the car beautifully precise. I have found that some overly damped cars recently, such as a friends BMW 240i, just feel like they are trying to chuck you up, off the tarmac. The GT4 just rode through all of that. My Boxster whilst still fun on those roads just could not stay as composed.
The country roads were demolished in 2nd and 3rd and it did not bother me. Rather than worrying about the idea in some other cars I might be in 3rd ,4th or even 5th, I just rung the neck out of the engine and only changed when I needed to.
The steering was also surprising light as I had assumed it would have a weight to it much like the clutch. This wasn't a problem and more like an observation.
So after returning to the dealer I had to weigh up if i 'need' a GT4?
Whilst everything is great about the GT4, I have come back to the financials of the cost to change.
My Boxster S sounds better and more so because it is not a tin top. Whilst it is slower in a straight line it is not exactly tortoise like. Fundamentally though a GT4 is twice the price of my car. It is without doubt a better car but in my opinion it is certainly not double the fun.
For the first time in a long time I have not just signed on the dotted line for the sake of it.
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