991 Carrera S after 4,500 miles
Discussion
Incredibly having picked up the 991S on November 22nd I have done 4,400 miles. I was feeling a little out of sorts with Porsche overall after the GT3 RS debacle, but wanting to stay in a 911 and in the interim I have done as many miles in three months as I did in the RS in 15 months.
Initial impressions were of a car of incredible quality and finish. Fantastic interior of dark and light grey, very airy and spacious. Beautiful finish with part leather and a lovely lustre to the alloy components. A lot of electrics, even the steering wheel adjustment!
Even in the first few metres it was obvious this was a stiff shelled car with superb damping giving a luxurious and comforting drive. I am not sure the car felt big per se, but it did feel hard to position. The classic visual 911 reference points were gone. This made it feel a little unwieldy.
Also the sport blunting economy systems, of which there are many, make the car feel heavy and ponderous initially. The other glaring question mark was the steering. Initial feel could best be described as glassy. Was the steering poor or just different? In terms of accuracy it was spot on and generally I did not have an issue with it, but it did feel different.
After a lot of miles in it now and a finally a couple of dry weeks here on my local Yorkshire roads, and a session at Porsche Experience Centre have allowed me to start to draw some conclusions on the car.
First of all it is a car that I love to drive every day. It is not quite the same as the RS where I would not drive it often but I would save myself for a special 100 miles every now and then.
At the Porsche Experience Centre I was able to compare it closely to the RS as I was there in November for an RS day, in very similar cold weather.
On the skid circles and skid pan the bottom line is that the 991 was less intuitive sliding around than the RS. The RS is more consistent in response and easier to control. Ironically on the skid surfaces it was the 991 that felt heavier in the rear, even though it is more mid-engined than the RS. Another factor with the 991 is that the combination of tyres and chassis actually give it more grip, so harder to break away and harder to hold away.
On the circuit I was comfortably faster in the 991 than the RS - a combination of higher grip, PDK so no messing about with gears and ease of use. The PEC circuit is quite technical and the RS is much more sensitive to throttle and camber induced weight movements. Also, to be fair, it was my third time at the PEC in three months so I was learning the circuit which helps a lot.
On the road I am very much beginning to love the 991. First if all it is incredibly rapid if you want it to be. I like it best with Sport PDK and Sport Suspension mode. Sport Plus is only suitable for flat out driving. In Sport/Sport mode the chassis feels nicely firm (-20mm PASM), the gear changes are responsive and the throttle response reasonable. The steering is also starting to make real sense. The feedback is different - but now I am attuned to it, it is beautifully subtle. I can feel small camber shifts, surface shifts and front end grip. Even at the PEC on the wet skid pan at 0deg C I had no issue with front end feel, same on the Ice Hill.
So even though it is harder to hold in easy smooth slides like the RS, it compensates with awesome grip and when it does break away it is easily controllable. In Sport/Sport, now I have my new reference points, it is nimble, ferociously rapid, massively grippy and a real joy to drive hard. Weight can be moved through the corner and all controlled on the throttle. Usual Porsche virtues of stability and great brakes are there in spades.
And this is combined with a day to day driving machine that in soft mode will happily return and quiet, luxurious cruise at 32-27mpg, albeit in this mode it is soft and unresponsive. Overall a joy to own.
Initial impressions were of a car of incredible quality and finish. Fantastic interior of dark and light grey, very airy and spacious. Beautiful finish with part leather and a lovely lustre to the alloy components. A lot of electrics, even the steering wheel adjustment!
Even in the first few metres it was obvious this was a stiff shelled car with superb damping giving a luxurious and comforting drive. I am not sure the car felt big per se, but it did feel hard to position. The classic visual 911 reference points were gone. This made it feel a little unwieldy.
Also the sport blunting economy systems, of which there are many, make the car feel heavy and ponderous initially. The other glaring question mark was the steering. Initial feel could best be described as glassy. Was the steering poor or just different? In terms of accuracy it was spot on and generally I did not have an issue with it, but it did feel different.
After a lot of miles in it now and a finally a couple of dry weeks here on my local Yorkshire roads, and a session at Porsche Experience Centre have allowed me to start to draw some conclusions on the car.
First of all it is a car that I love to drive every day. It is not quite the same as the RS where I would not drive it often but I would save myself for a special 100 miles every now and then.
At the Porsche Experience Centre I was able to compare it closely to the RS as I was there in November for an RS day, in very similar cold weather.
On the skid circles and skid pan the bottom line is that the 991 was less intuitive sliding around than the RS. The RS is more consistent in response and easier to control. Ironically on the skid surfaces it was the 991 that felt heavier in the rear, even though it is more mid-engined than the RS. Another factor with the 991 is that the combination of tyres and chassis actually give it more grip, so harder to break away and harder to hold away.
On the circuit I was comfortably faster in the 991 than the RS - a combination of higher grip, PDK so no messing about with gears and ease of use. The PEC circuit is quite technical and the RS is much more sensitive to throttle and camber induced weight movements. Also, to be fair, it was my third time at the PEC in three months so I was learning the circuit which helps a lot.
On the road I am very much beginning to love the 991. First if all it is incredibly rapid if you want it to be. I like it best with Sport PDK and Sport Suspension mode. Sport Plus is only suitable for flat out driving. In Sport/Sport mode the chassis feels nicely firm (-20mm PASM), the gear changes are responsive and the throttle response reasonable. The steering is also starting to make real sense. The feedback is different - but now I am attuned to it, it is beautifully subtle. I can feel small camber shifts, surface shifts and front end grip. Even at the PEC on the wet skid pan at 0deg C I had no issue with front end feel, same on the Ice Hill.
So even though it is harder to hold in easy smooth slides like the RS, it compensates with awesome grip and when it does break away it is easily controllable. In Sport/Sport, now I have my new reference points, it is nimble, ferociously rapid, massively grippy and a real joy to drive hard. Weight can be moved through the corner and all controlled on the throttle. Usual Porsche virtues of stability and great brakes are there in spades.
And this is combined with a day to day driving machine that in soft mode will happily return and quiet, luxurious cruise at 32-27mpg, albeit in this mode it is soft and unresponsive. Overall a joy to own.
Old Trout said:
Incredibly having picked up the 991S on November 22nd I have done 4,400 miles. I was feeling a little out of sorts with Porsche overall after the GT3 RS debacle, but wanting to stay in a 911 and in the interim I have done as many miles in three months as I did in the RS in 15 months.
Initial impressions were of a car of incredible quality and finish. Fantastic interior of dark and light grey, very airy and spacious. Beautiful finish with part leather and a lovely lustre to the alloy components. A lot of electrics, even the steering wheel adjustment!
Even in the first few metres it was obvious this was a stiff shelled car with superb damping giving a luxurious and comforting drive. I am not sure the car felt big per se, but it did feel hard to position. The classic visual 911 reference points were gone. This made it feel a little unwieldy.
Also the sport blunting economy systems, of which there are many, make the car feel heavy and ponderous initially. The other glaring question mark was the steering. Initial feel could best be described as glassy. Was the steering poor or just different? In terms of accuracy it was spot on and generally I did not have an issue with it, but it did feel different.
After a lot of miles in it now and a finally a couple of dry weeks here on my local Yorkshire roads, and a session at Porsche Experience Centre have allowed me to start to draw some conclusions on the car.
First of all it is a car that I love to drive every day. It is not quite the same as the RS where I would not drive it often but I would save myself for a special 100 miles every now and then.
At the Porsche Experience Centre I was able to compare it closely to the RS as I was there in November for an RS day, in very similar cold weather.
On the skid circles and skid pan the bottom line is that the 991 was less intuitive sliding around than the RS. The RS is more consistent in response and easier to control. Ironically on the skid surfaces it was the 991 that felt heavier in the rear, even though it is more mid-engined than the RS. Another factor with the 991 is that the combination of tyres and chassis actually give it more grip, so harder to break away and harder to hold away.
On the circuit I was comfortably faster in the 991 than the RS - a combination of higher grip, PDK so no messing about with gears and ease of use. The PEC circuit is quite technical and the RS is much more sensitive to throttle and camber induced weight movements. Also, to be fair, it was my third time at the PEC in three months so I was learning the circuit which helps a lot.
On the road I am very much beginning to love the 991. First if all it is incredibly rapid if you want it to be. I like it best with Sport PDK and Sport Suspension mode. Sport Plus is only suitable for flat out driving. In Sport/Sport mode the chassis feels nicely firm (-20mm PASM), the gear changes are responsive and the throttle response reasonable. The steering is also starting to make real sense. The feedback is different - but now I am attuned to it, it is beautifully subtle. I can feel small camber shifts, surface shifts and front end grip. Even at the PEC on the wet skid pan at 0deg C I had no issue with front end feel, same on the Ice Hill.
So even though it is harder to hold in easy smooth slides like the RS, it compensates with awesome grip and when it does break away it is easily controllable. In Sport/Sport, now I have my new reference points, it is nimble, ferociously rapid, massively grippy and a real joy to drive hard. Weight can be moved through the corner and all controlled on the throttle. Usual Porsche virtues of stability and great brakes are there in spades.
And this is combined with a day to day driving machine that in soft mode will happily return and quiet, luxurious cruise at 32-27mpg, albeit in this mode it is soft and unresponsive. Overall a joy to own.
Good post OT, although some of us on here already know that Initial impressions were of a car of incredible quality and finish. Fantastic interior of dark and light grey, very airy and spacious. Beautiful finish with part leather and a lovely lustre to the alloy components. A lot of electrics, even the steering wheel adjustment!
Even in the first few metres it was obvious this was a stiff shelled car with superb damping giving a luxurious and comforting drive. I am not sure the car felt big per se, but it did feel hard to position. The classic visual 911 reference points were gone. This made it feel a little unwieldy.
Also the sport blunting economy systems, of which there are many, make the car feel heavy and ponderous initially. The other glaring question mark was the steering. Initial feel could best be described as glassy. Was the steering poor or just different? In terms of accuracy it was spot on and generally I did not have an issue with it, but it did feel different.
After a lot of miles in it now and a finally a couple of dry weeks here on my local Yorkshire roads, and a session at Porsche Experience Centre have allowed me to start to draw some conclusions on the car.
First of all it is a car that I love to drive every day. It is not quite the same as the RS where I would not drive it often but I would save myself for a special 100 miles every now and then.
At the Porsche Experience Centre I was able to compare it closely to the RS as I was there in November for an RS day, in very similar cold weather.
On the skid circles and skid pan the bottom line is that the 991 was less intuitive sliding around than the RS. The RS is more consistent in response and easier to control. Ironically on the skid surfaces it was the 991 that felt heavier in the rear, even though it is more mid-engined than the RS. Another factor with the 991 is that the combination of tyres and chassis actually give it more grip, so harder to break away and harder to hold away.
On the circuit I was comfortably faster in the 991 than the RS - a combination of higher grip, PDK so no messing about with gears and ease of use. The PEC circuit is quite technical and the RS is much more sensitive to throttle and camber induced weight movements. Also, to be fair, it was my third time at the PEC in three months so I was learning the circuit which helps a lot.
On the road I am very much beginning to love the 991. First if all it is incredibly rapid if you want it to be. I like it best with Sport PDK and Sport Suspension mode. Sport Plus is only suitable for flat out driving. In Sport/Sport mode the chassis feels nicely firm (-20mm PASM), the gear changes are responsive and the throttle response reasonable. The steering is also starting to make real sense. The feedback is different - but now I am attuned to it, it is beautifully subtle. I can feel small camber shifts, surface shifts and front end grip. Even at the PEC on the wet skid pan at 0deg C I had no issue with front end feel, same on the Ice Hill.
So even though it is harder to hold in easy smooth slides like the RS, it compensates with awesome grip and when it does break away it is easily controllable. In Sport/Sport, now I have my new reference points, it is nimble, ferociously rapid, massively grippy and a real joy to drive hard. Weight can be moved through the corner and all controlled on the throttle. Usual Porsche virtues of stability and great brakes are there in spades.
And this is combined with a day to day driving machine that in soft mode will happily return and quiet, luxurious cruise at 32-27mpg, albeit in this mode it is soft and unresponsive. Overall a joy to own.
Nice write up OT, and have to agree about the steering. Having done a similar mileage in mine, from the off it was clear to me that a different approach to the way you hold the steering wheel rewards with the feel that some find missing when switching from the earlier models. I find that a lighter touch gives plenty of feedback and just takes a bit of time to adjust to. I guess most journos and 997 owners come with a sort of muscle memory and expectation and it takes some time to change your reference point, particularly as the front end doesn't bobble around in time honoured fashion.
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