Test driven a 911 997 Carrera S
Discussion
Hello,
Sorry for being a noob but I have a question about a car I had a drive in today. It's always been a dream to get a 911 and I think I'm in a financial position to finally do it.
But, I drove a 997 Carrera S and was a bit underwhelmed with the feeling of power/acceleration. Now, I guess I might get shot down here and I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a pro driver! But I'm wondering, was I driving a dud car or am I not driving it correctly?
I have a BMW Z4 3.0 at the moment, and this feels much quicker (off the mark and in the lower gears) than the 997 Carrera S. Don't get me wrong, the 911 was clearly fast, it just didn't feel as fast and I didn't get pinned to my seat in the way I thought I would in second gear for instance.
I realise that it's a bigger car too, which could be a factor - the illusion of speed in the smaller/lighter Z4.
Would be interested in peoples thoughts!
Sorry for being a noob but I have a question about a car I had a drive in today. It's always been a dream to get a 911 and I think I'm in a financial position to finally do it.
But, I drove a 997 Carrera S and was a bit underwhelmed with the feeling of power/acceleration. Now, I guess I might get shot down here and I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a pro driver! But I'm wondering, was I driving a dud car or am I not driving it correctly?
I have a BMW Z4 3.0 at the moment, and this feels much quicker (off the mark and in the lower gears) than the 997 Carrera S. Don't get me wrong, the 911 was clearly fast, it just didn't feel as fast and I didn't get pinned to my seat in the way I thought I would in second gear for instance.
I realise that it's a bigger car too, which could be a factor - the illusion of speed in the smaller/lighter Z4.
Would be interested in peoples thoughts!
Not 911 slagging...
Drove a 997 S at Porsche experience, compared to my normal car 987 Spyder.
To say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement. Felt really heavy and certainly no faster.
Certainly not slow, but there wasn't some great leap.
You've jumped from something reasonable fast so the gap is smaller than you perhaps expected in your mind.
If you'd jumped from a 1.0 fiesta then things might feel a bit different.
Drove a 997 S at Porsche experience, compared to my normal car 987 Spyder.
To say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement. Felt really heavy and certainly no faster.
Certainly not slow, but there wasn't some great leap.
You've jumped from something reasonable fast so the gap is smaller than you perhaps expected in your mind.
If you'd jumped from a 1.0 fiesta then things might feel a bit different.
Yes, it was a gen 1 911.
It is an older Z4 - 2006 Coupe, 3.0si Sport. But it's certainly no slouch - 261bhp and 0-60 in around five and half seconds. And it 'feels' quick. I haven't driven loads of fast cars though, which is why I guess I was expecting more of a revelation in the 911!
I just couldn't work out it if it's how I'm perceiving the speed - the BMW has really hard suspension, run flats and is smaller. So, a little bit more like a go kart.
It is an older Z4 - 2006 Coupe, 3.0si Sport. But it's certainly no slouch - 261bhp and 0-60 in around five and half seconds. And it 'feels' quick. I haven't driven loads of fast cars though, which is why I guess I was expecting more of a revelation in the 911!
I just couldn't work out it if it's how I'm perceiving the speed - the BMW has really hard suspension, run flats and is smaller. So, a little bit more like a go kart.
DS240 said:
Not 911 slagging...
Certainly not slow, but there wasn't some great leap.
You've jumped from something reasonable fast so the gap is smaller than you perhaps expected in your mind.
If you'd jumped from a 1.0 fiesta then things might feel a bit different.
Yes, this is my feeling exactly and I think the points about the difference in cars is probably correct.Certainly not slow, but there wasn't some great leap.
You've jumped from something reasonable fast so the gap is smaller than you perhaps expected in your mind.
If you'd jumped from a 1.0 fiesta then things might feel a bit different.
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I think you're right, but the cars you mention are a bit out of my price range =)TBH, it hasn't put me off as the overall experience was very nice indeed. I was just curious and thought I'd ask the question as I've only driven one car so far. Will be sure to try some others anyway.
When I first drove a 997 s, I found it to be slow and disappointing, i drove it straight after my G33 and missed the low end grunt of the V8, but the second time I drove one was after I had acquired my Tuscan and was more used to revvy 6 cyl engines, I drove both cars back to back on the same roads.
I found that the 997 is like the Tuscan, you need to give it decent revs and then it flies. It wasn't quite as quick as the Tuscan but there wasn't much in it. Generally around town on light throttle it feels similar to any family car, push the right pedal harder and it gets much much more interesting.
The car I drove had Sports Chrono if that makes a difference
I found that the 997 is like the Tuscan, you need to give it decent revs and then it flies. It wasn't quite as quick as the Tuscan but there wasn't much in it. Generally around town on light throttle it feels similar to any family car, push the right pedal harder and it gets much much more interesting.
The car I drove had Sports Chrono if that makes a difference
blueg33 said:
The car I drove had Sports Chrono if that makes a difference
That's actually something else I forgot to mention - this car had Sports Chrono too but it didn't really make much difference tbh. Again (and I can see me getting a ban from here if I keep talking about the BMW) sport mode on the Z4 was much more effective/different from normal mode...I suspect if you had the chance to get used to the 997 properly, a car of about the same weight and with 100 bhp more than your Z4 it will be a fair bit faster, refinement can be deceptive, with a lot more torque too, I've had a road E46 M3 and my current 996-4S has way more torque and pick up from lower rpm's., the 997 with a 3.8 has more of the same.
the performance gap upto 60mph between the Z4 3.0 and a 997S probably isn't that big. It will be from 80mphish up that the porker would really pull away as its 100ish extra ponies start to really make a difference.
My current tintop is a 265bhp E350 merc. Previous to that was a 360bhp 550i BMW. The merc feels 'about as quick' upto 80ish (on a private road)but from there up is noticably slower than the BMW.
It is all about how much power is left to accelerate you after drag has been taken into account.
Say at 40mph you need 20bhp to overcome drag, at 80mph 80bhp and at 120 160bhp
For both cars you end up with 'net' power left to accelerate you of:
...............0mph...40mph..80mph..120mph
BMW Z4 bhp..c.260...240....180....100bhp
997S..........c.360...340....280....200bhp
So at 40mph the 997 has about 40% more power than the Z4, but by 120 it has 100% more power. This is why big horse power cars aren't that much quicker at lower speeds (ie 0-60 times, especially when they start to be traction limited as to how much power they can use) but become massively quicker at higher speeds.
My current tintop is a 265bhp E350 merc. Previous to that was a 360bhp 550i BMW. The merc feels 'about as quick' upto 80ish (on a private road)but from there up is noticably slower than the BMW.
It is all about how much power is left to accelerate you after drag has been taken into account.
Say at 40mph you need 20bhp to overcome drag, at 80mph 80bhp and at 120 160bhp
For both cars you end up with 'net' power left to accelerate you of:
...............0mph...40mph..80mph..120mph
BMW Z4 bhp..c.260...240....180....100bhp
997S..........c.360...340....280....200bhp
So at 40mph the 997 has about 40% more power than the Z4, but by 120 it has 100% more power. This is why big horse power cars aren't that much quicker at lower speeds (ie 0-60 times, especially when they start to be traction limited as to how much power they can use) but become massively quicker at higher speeds.
Edited by c7xlg on Friday 16th August 14:15
Edited by c7xlg on Friday 16th August 14:16
OP did you look at the speedo? Did you time how quick it got to 60 and 100? I don't expect you did and I wouldn't expect you to, which brings me to the point that you didn't think it was any faster than your Z4. When actually it might have been faster but it just didn't feel it?
Also, straight forward acceleration in a straight line is not really what the 911 is about. Its forte is more about its grip and traction from the apex of a corner. That's when it gets fun.
Also, straight forward acceleration in a straight line is not really what the 911 is about. Its forte is more about its grip and traction from the apex of a corner. That's when it gets fun.
boxsey said:
OP did you look at the speedo? Did you time how quick it got to 60 and 100? I don't expect you did and I wouldn't expect you to, which brings me to the point that you didn't think it was any faster than your Z4. When actually it might have been faster but it just didn't feel it?
Also, straight forward acceleration in a straight line is not really what the 911 is about. Its forte is more about its grip and traction from the apex of a corner. That's when it gets fun.
Unless you have a 1986 Turbo that comes on boost just as you are getting to the apex in the wet......Also, straight forward acceleration in a straight line is not really what the 911 is about. Its forte is more about its grip and traction from the apex of a corner. That's when it gets fun.
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I think I do need to drive a few more cars. Unfortunately the ones you mentioned are a bit out of my league!RatBoy M3CSL said:
..I suspect if you had the chance to get used to the 997 properly, a car of about the same weight and with 100 bhp more than your Z4 it will be a fair bit faster, refinement can be deceptive, with a lot more torque too, I've had a road E46 M3 and my current 996-4S has way more torque and pick up from lower rpm's., the 997 with a 3.8 has more of the same.
Yes, I think you're right. I'm just going on my first impression. Plus, I'm no Nigel Mansell so I'm sure a 911 can be a lot better than I managed!c7xlg said:
the performance gap upto 60mph between the Z4 3.0 and a 997S probably isn't that big. It will be from 80mphish up that the porker would really pull away as its 100ish extra ponies start to really make a difference.
My current tintop is a 265bhp E350 merc. Previous to that was a 360bhp 550i BMW. The merc feels 'about as quick' upto 80ish (on a private road)but from there up is noticably slower than the BMW.
It is all about how much power is left to accelerate you after drag has been taken into account.
Say at 40mph you need 20bhp to overcome drag, at 80mph 80bhp and at 120 160bhp
For both cars you end up with 'net' power left to accelerate you of:
...............0mph...40mph..80mph..120mph
BMW Z4 bhp..c.260...240....180....100bhp
997S..........c.360...340....280....200bhp
So at 40mph the 997 has about 40% more power than the Z4, but by 120 it has 100% more power. This is why big horse power cars aren't that much quicker at lower speeds (ie 0-60 times, especially when they start to be traction limited as to how much power they can use) but become massively quicker at higher speeds.
Interesting post, thank you. =)My current tintop is a 265bhp E350 merc. Previous to that was a 360bhp 550i BMW. The merc feels 'about as quick' upto 80ish (on a private road)but from there up is noticably slower than the BMW.
It is all about how much power is left to accelerate you after drag has been taken into account.
Say at 40mph you need 20bhp to overcome drag, at 80mph 80bhp and at 120 160bhp
For both cars you end up with 'net' power left to accelerate you of:
...............0mph...40mph..80mph..120mph
BMW Z4 bhp..c.260...240....180....100bhp
997S..........c.360...340....280....200bhp
So at 40mph the 997 has about 40% more power than the Z4, but by 120 it has 100% more power. This is why big horse power cars aren't that much quicker at lower speeds (ie 0-60 times, especially when they start to be traction limited as to how much power they can use) but become massively quicker at higher speeds.
Beanoir said:
its quicker to 60 by 1.5 seconds, so for cars of this type of performance, that again is a big margin.
Is it fishing season still...??
Despite what you might think, I'm honestly being a wind up merchant here! And i'm not even slagging off 911s - on the whole the car was amazing and I'm sure I'll get one. I was just curious whether I had a dodgy car. I haven't ruled this out and will drive some more to see!Is it fishing season still...??
My first Porsche was a 997.1 S and I know exactly what you are talking about. I came from a BMW 645, and the power just didn't feel the same. As others have mentioned, it needs to be revved hard, and that is where most of the enjoyment/sound comes into play.
I never could get over the lack of power, so one year on and in a Gen 2 Turbo S - fixed that issue!! Mine's only a weekend car, so when I want to go for a drive, and I invariably come across a line of slow moving traffic, I can now overtake easily and get on with my enjoyment, whereas before I could'nt..
Horses for courses, those Porsches aren't necesarily straight line fast, but when raced, that's when they are fast, so depends on your level of skill and how much you can extract from the dynamics, that's what needs to be considered here. Concept of speed is highly subjective, no car feels as fast as my first car: Austin Maestro!
I never could get over the lack of power, so one year on and in a Gen 2 Turbo S - fixed that issue!! Mine's only a weekend car, so when I want to go for a drive, and I invariably come across a line of slow moving traffic, I can now overtake easily and get on with my enjoyment, whereas before I could'nt..
Horses for courses, those Porsches aren't necesarily straight line fast, but when raced, that's when they are fast, so depends on your level of skill and how much you can extract from the dynamics, that's what needs to be considered here. Concept of speed is highly subjective, no car feels as fast as my first car: Austin Maestro!
Edited by Hogster on Friday 16th August 14:39
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