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    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    bluelines:
    80924:

    A mini cabrio? are you kidding? 

    Yes. A long standing joke with SciFrog Smiley

    Smiley The Mini JCW (not convertible but apparently the sportiest model in the Mini stable) I have is a very nice daily driver but the fact that I will pass on this car to my 17 year old daughter when she gets the driver's license, should tell you a lot about this car. Nice toy but not even close to what I expected and far far away from even the Boxster S I owned (steering, chassis). Only the interior is very nice and classy (car has full options), this is what Mini got right but everything else, well...so and so, nothing to brag about.


    --

    RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    You should have bought the Mini convertible. So much fun. It shakes, it understeers, it is uncomfortable and noisy (08 model) you need to change the gears your self but it is a lot of fun. Seats 4 and with the top open who cares how fast it is kiss Sadly tires don't last very long, <6k miles, but you know why smiley


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    SciFrog:

    You should have bought the Mini convertible. So much fun. It shakes, it understeers, it is uncomfortable and noisy (08 model) you need to change the gears your self but it is a lot of fun. Seats 4 and with the top open who cares how fast it is kiss Sadly tires don't last very long, <6k miles, but you know why smiley

    I had a 08 Cooper S, no thanks. Interior was sub-par and I really didn't like the car too much. The steering however was more direct (if I remember right) but also had more traction issues.


    --

    RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Mine has LSD if it makes a difference... We drive it less than 500 miles a year anyway, it's not worth selling and replace it with something else. Overtime we take it out is a special day and that's all that matterssmiley

    In today's standards, it is a bad car. Can't even compare to a Boxster or the AM. But kids love it and it is easy to park in the city...


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    SciFrog:

    Mine has LSD if it makes a difference... We drive it less than 500 miles a year anyway, it's not worth selling and replace it with something else. Overtime we take it out is a special day and that's all that matterssmiley

    In today's standards, it is a bad car. Can't even compare to a Boxster or the AM. But kids love it and it is easy to park in the city...

    The JCW has LSD as well and quite a good one (for a front wheel drive) but still, I prefer RWD.

    Why should you sell your Mini Cab if it serves you well and the kids like it? The new one isn't exactly a highlight, unless you are interested in the greatly improved interior only. I have to say that with AWD, this car (JCW) could be an amazing toy, especially if they would add another 50 horses or so but 231 hp and FWD? Not a good combo, no fun at all.


    --

    RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    True, mine is only 170hp and it is already too much probably... These small turbo engines have good torque... The other issue is the gear box. I love manual but in older cars. A brand new car manual does not make sense anymore, even if it is a Porsche or a Mini. Getting a new one means auto, no go...


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    DRIVING REPORT (LONG)

    As promised here are my impressions after a first extended spin with the Spyder. The wait for this spin was painful as we experienced horrible and rainy weather for two weeks in a row since I picked up the car in Zuffenhausen. Luckily Petrus showed some mercy on Saturday even allowing for some top down driving with temps climbing up to 15° Celsius.

    For those just wanting the ExecSum, here it is: when the Spyder was sitting in the garage again after our first spin making these sizzling noises the car seemed to whisper in my ear: „did you like it“ ? and my answer was: „let’s do it again, baby“ .Smiley

    For me the biggest accomplishment of the Spyder is that it feels like a thoroughbread sportscar even at legal speed – great, exactly what I wished for in this canyon carver type of car. Now if you ask me what exactly makes the difference in perception in this regard compared to the 981S PDK PASM I had before I won’t be able to pick just a single „culprit“, it’s the mix of all the nice ingredients (others would call it the parts bin exercise) Porsche used to set the Spyder somewhat apart from his siblings (though not sure about the GTS as I never drove one). Anyway Mrs. P-J more than once looked a bit stern into the drirection of the speedo as she thought I’d stretch the legal limits a bit too much while in reality I wasn’t – kind of new experience for her and him.Smiley

     A big share of the driving experience certainly goes to the analogue X71 suspension (unfortunately I couldn’t spec this for the previous 981S when I ordered the car as the option was not yet available). It provides so much more feedback compared to the PASM suspension and therefore also gives more confidence when playing hard. At the same time it’s comfy enough (I’d say absolutely o.k. for a DD) unless you have to crawl on medieval type of roads.

    Attacking hairpins and tight corners with the X71 supported by the mechanical LSD takes it to a new level in both possible corner speeds and driver involvement.Smiley Where my first Boxster (987S, PASM, manual gearbox with short shift) had to give up due to lack of LSD, the 981S PASM/PTV was more competent in terms of corner speeds but at the price of lacking some feedback compared to the 987.

    The Spyder now hits a new sweet spot in this regard: faster than the 981S (of course I have no scientific proof here, but my analogue measuring equipment on the passenger seat confirmed) and providing all the feedback you want when exploring the limit of the rubber’s adhesion (well, at least almost „all“ the feedback….see later chapter on steering).

     I spare some bandwith by not going into the details of re-iterating the numerous enthusiastic reports on the 6 speed manual – yes, it’s really that good ! Super smooth and precise operation absolutely supporting the flow you get into on a nice serpentine road. Though it would be nice if it had the bit more mechanical feeling and sound I enjoyed in the 987S (maybe they should employ a gear shift sound engineer).

    Talking about sound……oh yes, they nailed it with this babySmiley: it’s a more „mature“ bassy kind of sound compared to the higher pitched 3.4 and it’s not a monotonous sound, more like a melody though I can’t tell yet the refrain of the song near redline as I’m still breaking in the car (max 5,000 rpm until now). I found one (pleasant) mysterious thing with the melody of engine and exhaust sounds: the difference in loudness if you compare top up vs. top down operation is significantly larger than in the 981S PSE. I have no technical explanation for this phenomenon – in fact I would have expected the opposite due to the less insulated top of the Spyder. Anyway, for me this is the nicest sound of all watercooled Porsches this side of the Mezger engines (maybe besides 991 GT3/RS approaching redline and maybe on par with the 991.1 GTS models). Especially when driving with the top down this great sound adds so much to the overall experience, that I couldn’t even imagine to have a forced induction mill sitting behind me (even it would provide +100 horses and tons of torque).

    Talking about the engine: as mentioned it’s not broken in hence the final verdict has yet to come but what I realised already (besides the additional power and torque compared to the 3.4L engine) is that the engine is more responsive and is more willing to happily transfer any order from the right pedal into spontaneous thrust. Again I have no scientific proof  here, it’s just my perception and in this regard it may play a role, that my 3.4 S was PDK equipped rather than manual.

    The often criticized long gearing is no problem for me (at least on public roads) as the engine provides sufficient low end torque. The automated double-clutch action on downshifts works like a charm (the applied amount of gas is always perfect regardless of whether you are in cruising mode or attack mode) and makes any driver look (and sound..) like a track hero.

    As a lot of corners on shady roads were still damp or even wet when we went for our spin I permanently drove in Sport+ mode to benefit from the smoother gear transition. I actually sold the feature to the Mrs as a safety device Smiley  of course knowing that PSM is more lazy in Sport+ mode allowing for some nice (and easy controllable) sideway action. Not wanting to re-initiate the ad nauseum discussion manual vs. PDK but the least I can say that while I really enjoyed 10 thousands of km in the PDK equipped 981S, I now love to row through the gears myself again – it just adds to the driver involvement (or perception thereof) and I almost forgot that the PDK machine never can do such a smooth gear shift than the man behind the wheel.

    Another positive (and not expected) surprise is that the CarreraS brakes indeed provide a significant performance advantage over the 981S brakes (again no scientific proof, just perception even shared from Mrs. P-J from the passenger’s seat): I thought „this bit more brake can’t make a real difference“ but I stand corrected: the bite of the brake is much better without loosing the well known progressive force of any Porsche brake.

    But now to the earlier mentioned caveat on „all feedback you want“: the steering is a clear improvement over the 981S (quicker, more direct, perception of more force when attacking corners), but of course it’s not on par with the hydraulic steering (for me 997 GT3/RS is the gold standard in this regard, but even the 987S provided more feedback) and probably never will be, though Porsch engineers obviously already managed to improve the electro mechanical steering compared to the very early versions in the 9X1 models. Having said that I would never go so far to say that it would spoil the overall experience. For me it just makes the difference between „perfect“ and „near perfect“.

    Talking about perfection: the LWB seats are perfection, heaven, you name it – at least for my butt and that of the Mrs. and I am extremely happy about that (just had a couple of minutes „seat time“ in a stationary car before I ordered them). We have been sitting almost for 7 hours in the Spyder (just interrupted by a short coffee break at halftime) and felt like newborn after the extended spin (caveat: perception from other drivers may be completely different of course). Ergonomy for operation of the driving machine is perfect and so is the „grip“: while the LWBs are no kind of binding piece style track use only seats, your butt does not slide a bit during spirited corner actions. I am sure the grippy alcantara is a big plus here also. On top the snug fit of the seats and the Alcantara makes seat heating obsolete (maybe unless you drive with an open top at freezing temps) – another positive surprise (I was a bit sceptical on this one). Ingress and egress without scuffing the side bolsters quickly becomes second nature once you’ve got the hang of it.

    First overall verdict: the Spyder is as much of a drivers car as possible and as little of an engineers car as neccessary due to regulations and mandatory tech features – at least if your requirement is to now and then go for a two weeks driver holiday as a couple (ruling out the more hardcore drivers cars due to lack of baggage space etc.).Smiley

    BTW the Spyder also does not provide joy to the driver and passenger only but obviously also to other drivers on the road and pedestrians: I’ve never seen so many people smiling (in the way you see kids smiling in a toy store).Smiley


    --

     

    public roads: Porsche 981S white/black/red, toll road Smiley : Porsche 997 GT3 Arctic/Black

     


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Some pics to the story:

    First a visit to the ARAL station to calibrate the camera for the right blue setting Smiley

    1454939237520tank2.jpg

    A couple of hours and some hundred corners later Smiley

    tach.jpg curves.jpg view.jpg

     


    --

     

    public roads: Porsche 981S white/black/red, toll road Smiley : Porsche 997 GT3 Arctic/Black

     


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Some quick shots during a break:

     

    cockpit.jpg 1454939426488offen.jpg side.jpg


    --

    public roads: Porsche 981S white/black/red, toll road Smiley : Porsche 997 GT3 Arctic/Black


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Sunset is just too early at this time of the year:

    1454939527482sunset.jpg


    --

     

    public roads: Porsche 981S white/black/red, toll road Smiley : Porsche 997 GT3 Arctic/Black

     


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Futch:

    I agree with Beltar, its not that bad, but when youre a porschefile, its not up to standard. On a stand alone basis its really pretty good. The biggest mistake i made when i picked up my 991RS was that i drove in the RS4.0 to get there. When you drive both cars back to back, its shocking. 

    Ziggy i mean more grip yes sorry. And good point on my opinions of course, comparing laf to any 911 is stupid. I was indeed comparing the 991 to the 997 and the 981 to the 987. I also adore the 993 and arguably they are still fabulous to drive today but the daddy of them all for me is the 997 GT3 RS, ideally 4.0 but 3.8 is just fine.

    Gnil and I had the exact same impression when driving his 991 RS back to back with my 997 RS at Dijon Prenois. The 991 RS while hugely capable also feels huge and distant, while the 997 RS felt tiny and communicative.


    --

    2003 BMW M3 CSL (sold) / 2008 Porsche 911 GT3 RS / 2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP / 2014 BMW Alpina D3 biturbo Touring


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Porsche-Jeck, this was such a fantastic read! Thank you so much for sharing your initial thoughts. It really sounds like an amazing machine and it looks SOOOO GOOD and your executive summary really says it all. kiss


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    P-J, thanks so much for the report. wink

    After reading your words the next 6 weeks of waiting-time will be very hard. :-(

    Blueflame


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Looks fantastic, congrats.


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Danke P-J! Really enjoyed reading your impressions.

    (must make clock tick faster...)


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Porsche-Jeck, thank you very much for sharing. Great read!  Your Riviera blue Spyder is gorgeous.kisskiss


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Fantastic review on your wonderful new Spyder PJ! Riviera Blue suits the car perfectly Smiley

    From your description it seems the GTS is a "half way house" between the regular S and the Spyder.


    --

     

    Porsche Boxster GTS Carrara white / Skoda Octavia Mk.3 daily drive

     


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Excellent review and beautiful car! kiss In particular the color! smiley

    Enjoy! wink


    --

    2015 981 Cayman GT4 | White | Full Bucket Seats | Sport Chrono
    2014 991 Carrera 4S | Dark Blue Metallic | PDK | Sport Chrono | SPASM


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    @dreamcar, c'mon, two third at least Smiley as EVO pult it: GTS-the best sportscar sensible money can buy...Smiley...

    Nice review, P-J, interesting read about the breaks as the only difference is the size of the rears (299 mm vs. 340 mm), which should not matter. BUT, nice Spyder, indeed a keeper for sure!Smiley


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    A great write-up Achim - many congats..kiss 

    The car looks and sounds fantastic and you have the summer to look forward to - with it fully broken in!  wink

     


    --

     

    "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."

     


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    d997h:

    @dreamcar, c'mon, two third at least Smiley as EVO pult it: GTS-the best sportscar sensible money can buy...Smiley...

    Nice review, P-J, interesting read about the breaks as the only difference is the size of the rears (299 mm vs. 340 mm), which should not matter. BUT, nice Spyder, indeed a keeper for sure!Smiley

        Re brakes: On the Spyder the front are 340 mm and 330 mm rear whilst on the S/GTS 330 mm front and 299 mm rear. Plus on the Spyder the front brakes have 6 piston callipers vs 4 on the S/GTS.  


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Great review, Achim!


    --

    16 Cayman GT4, 73 Carrera RS 2.7 Carbon Fiber replica (1,890 lbs), 06 EVO9 with track mods. Former: 73 911S, Two 951S's, 996 C2, 993 C2, 98 Ferrari 550, 79 635CSi


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    m4ever:
    d997h:

    @dreamcar, c'mon, two third at least Smiley as EVO pult it: GTS-the best sportscar sensible money can buy...Smiley...

    Nice review, P-J, interesting read about the breaks as the only difference is the size of the rears (299 mm vs. 340 mm), which should not matter. BUT, nice Spyder, indeed a keeper for sure!Smiley

        Re brakes: On the Spyder the front are 340 mm and 330 mm rear whilst on the S/GTS 330 mm front and 299 mm rear. Plus on the Spyder the front brakes have 6 piston callipers vs 4 on the S/GTS.  

    I moved my GTS a bit closer to the Spyder with the PCCB on mine which have 350mm discs front and rear and same spec calipers ( I assume) as the Spyder. Also specified PTV, so we have the LSD too!


    --

     

    Porsche Boxster GTS Carrara white / Skoda Octavia Mk.3 daily drive

     


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Excellent write up!


    --

    1992 964 Carrera 2 - 2014 Mercedes A45 AMG - 2013 Mini Cooper S - Cayman GT4 (soon)


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Thanks for a great write up. I took mine for a quick spin at the weekend  - and shocked a few unsuspecting 911 drivers with it SmileySmiley. I have  still not managed a top down ride yet with the stormy weather. I keep it in Sport Plus most of the time too  - it really does feel very stable and controllable even in this mode. The car just puts an enormous smile on one's face  - its agile, makes a wonderful sound and just reminds one of the pure joy of driving a manual car. I'm still struggling a bit with the tall gearing but I'm sure I will get used to it.


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Smiley,m4ever, I forgot, that is the reason why I am waiting for the spyder brakes replacement kit to be available...back to the topic...@P-J, any thoughts about adding some 3M wrapping on the front ?


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    "Quoting PJ: As a lot of corners on shady roads were still damp or even wet when we went for our spin I permanently drove in Sport+ mode to benefit from the smoother gear transition. I actually sold the feature to the Mrs as a safety device Smiley  of course knowing that PSM is more lazy in Sport+ mode allowing for some nice (and easy controllable) sideway action"

    smileykiss  Good find concerning the Mss. Mine told today i had to stay away from those "play" buttons...

    Worse .... she asked (after copiloted 6 other p's... in the past 20 years) what's the huge benefit of this car????  "The seats are worse, the top wobbles in the stormwind, it's loud like hell , windy when open...

    The only positive thing is: it's faster, more aggressive, wild... and i don't like that at all.... I love our 993 more and more."

    So not everyone is spyder lover... :-(

    BUT i am smiley

     


    --

    965 3.3turbo/  993 targa / 996 cab /997S cab/996 GT3

    Audi A6 3.0 biturbo Quattro/Mini JCW/ 993 cab// boxster spyder


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    beltar:

    So not everyone is spyder lover... :-(

    BUT i am smiley

     

    SmileySmiley


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    Thanks P-J ! It seems the GT4 has been thrown back and the Spyder is the  only real fun car to have angry indecision

    I love the color . It suits the car so well !


    --

     964 Carrera 4 --  997.2 C2S , -20mm --  991 GT3 RS 


    Re: Boxster Spyder News?

    beltar:

    "

    .......Worse .... she asked (after copiloted 6 other p's... in the past 20 years) what's the huge benefit of this car????  "The seats are worse, the top wobbles in the stormwind, it's loud like hell , windy when open...

    The only positive thing is: it's faster, more aggressive, wild... and i don't like that at all.... I love our 993 more and more."

    So not everyone is spyder lover... :-(

     

    I would have loved a Spyder but I knew well that SWMBO would have hated it, she would never understand the compromise hood, the harder sport suspension ride nor the bucket seats that are really essential in the Spyder. Hence the GTS as a compromise - but even with this car she's not keen on the standard sport seats plus (to me they are amongst the most comfortable seats I've ever had - go figure)!! Smiley she would have preferred the standard sport seats with the optional 14 way adjustments that we had in our '06 Boxster S - not available on GTS! Smiley


    --

     

    Porsche Boxster GTS Carrara white / Skoda Octavia Mk.3 daily drive

     


     
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