First off I should thank the guys at Momentum Porsche Larry and Rodger for being as accommodating and friendly as always in particular Rodger Gay who took me for a ride and let me drive the car and experiment the new 997S for myself
.
Well, finally I was able to get a chance and take a ride in the new Porsche creation the 997S
, there are many articles posted in our rennteam site and my impressions in details would be redundant but I'm going to briefly list my likes and not so likes about this beauty the 997S.
Exterior likes:
1)Looks refined and more rounded than the 996.
2)19" wheels look very nice indeed.
3)Door handles.
4)Engine sound is very good (non XLF)
5)The overall package looks good.
Interior likes:
1)%110 improvement over the 996.
2)The dash to me looks more like the 993 which I like.
3)The steering wheel looks and feels very good.
Exterior not so likes:
1)Front lights too big IMO.
2)Fog lights don't blend very well either.
3)Fake dual exhaust tips.
Interior not so likes:
1)This is personal of course, but too many buttons in the center console.
2)Mind you I'm 6'2" (189 cm) tall, the driver seat sits closer to the steering wheel than my 996 even though I pushed it all the way back but my knees were still bent to a not very comfortable position. I sit very comfortably in my 996.
And now my driving impressions:
I instantly felt the normal and sport suspension settings as soon as the PASM button was pushed
. In Normal position the car is very comfortable and once in the Sports mode it felt more rigid than my 996 with M030 option; the switching mode is very instantaneous and no delay at all. The steering is very nice, on the contrary of some people criticizing it, it feels more direct and no vibrations or shakes what so ever
. The Power was very good; I'd say as good as the 996 until you hit 4000/5000 rpm the power kicks in like nobody's business
, very fast and instant power delivery with no lags at all. To me the car is very planted and stable, sticks to the ground without making the driver concerned about not being able to control the car (I liked it a lot)
.
One thing that was kind of a surprise to me was the feeling of the clutch, I'm sure it is a matter of getting used to it but getting from my 996 into the 997S I felt the clutch was very soft
; literally not requiring any force to push the pedal at all. As I said this a personal preference and doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with it; but I kind of like the feeling of my 996 which requires a firm push of the clutch to engage gears
. Handling and breaks were very satisfying too should I even go there? We all know these two factors are Porsche's strongest traits
.
All in all, the car is a fantastic piece of engineering but as BMCG said and to me as well, it didn't give me the feeling of "I must have one" at this time
. I'm happy that I test drove it but for the time being my 996 will do the job.
Again thanks to Texas911 for pointing out the availability of the 997S at momentum Porsche and special thanks to Rodger Gay for giving me his valuable time. By the way, they're sold out (997S) till June '05 so if you want one contact them and see if anyone cancels their order, you may be in luck.