Finally my initial impressions of the 997S. Mind you, these are just my subjective impressions and I'm not a professional driver either, just an enthusiast. And many times these impressions are in relation to the 996 and what things are different and how.
I will break it up into the different aspects instead of jumping all over the place so it's easier to read and hope to cover most of them, and I will try to keep it to the point so as not to wander.










INTERIOR:

Initially the interior may seem a bit retro styled compared to the 996, with more straight lines and flat surfaces reminiscent of the air-cooled 911's. But due to the higher quality of the materials and the more solid build and feel of the interior, especially the dash/console, the 996 will look now more outdated and cheaper inside. Interior build is definitely one step ahead of the 996.

The interior leather is really nice and thinker stitching looks better, in my opinion the interior leather options is a must in such a car, even though the stock plastic imitation leather stuff is much better in the 997 than in the 996. The thicker stitching of the 997 looks very nice.





The PCM display is much clearer with more resolution and colours, and the functions of the radio, audio, OBC, etc have been improved and advanced with many added functions, though I haven't had time to get into them. Also for the models built from May onwards get MP3 music file compatibility.




It's really useful since you can use the CD slot of the PCM for 8 CD's worth of music in just one CD-ROM and if you use a RW-CD you can constantly update your music by just burning it at the home computer and taking it to the car. And in the optional CD changer you can keep your favourite CD-audio CD's as extra. IMO the CD changes is still a very worthwhile extra to add to the PCM's mp3. There are a few CD holders inside the glove compartment box as well.

The GSM hands free phone works really great. I have a copy of my cellular's SIM card in the 997 so when I'm in the car it's the same phone number as my cellular. One word of caution, be careful with the sliding tray that holds the small SIM card chip, it can break if you are not careful enough (such as while driving) and you need to change the whole PCM console to fix it.

The cup holders are very cleverly designed, but I will never use them. I never eat or drink while I drive, but the passenger may, though under their own risk of spilling the drink over themselves... this driver brakes for nobody Maybe I will use my cup holder on casino to hold the PDA when I want to use its GSP Navigation function on long trips, looks like it will fit nicely, I have to see.

The stock stereo is halfway decent but I ordered it since I will be upgrading the stereo myself, since the Bose is not enough for me. I will use the PCM head unit due to the optic fibre MOST but I will be fitting a amplifier in the trunk, Focal speakers in stock doors and dash locations, and a custom MDF & Fibreglass subwoofer enclosure (sealed type) for two 10" subwoofers behind the rear seats, all covered in matching interior leather so its looks as much stock and discrete as possible. I did the same thing in my 996 and the sound was incredible, whether it's was classical, rock, blues or deephouse music that you were listening to.

The console of the 997 seems more clustered with buttons initially but once you get used to them and don't have to search for the right button, etc. It becomes very ergonomic. The plastic of the console however could be made of a different material, it feels a little cheap.





Can't comment on the sunroof since my 997S doesn't have one. I didn't use it much in the 996, it lowers headroom, adds weight in the wrong place, the roof looks much better without it, and always develops squeaks in the end. But that's a very personal choice.

The ignition mechanism with the key is now electronic which I don't like the feel much, I prefer the traditional twist of the key. And the no-seatbelt warning beep is just killing me, I like to park or move the car without the seatbelt toll so I can mover freely, or simply when you approach a highway toll and you unbuckle to reach for your wallet as you are coming to a slow stop at the toll both and that electronic nanny is very annoying. Like I don't know I don't have my seatbelt on, and nobody that's used to using it ever forgets to put it on since its second nature and feels awkward to drive without it.

A now the seats, I have the sport seats (non adaptive) which are still electrical for the backrest. They are one of my favourite things of the interior, lateral is support is miles away from the 996's, its much more comfortable and very well designed. Simply perfect for a sportcar and sporty driving, especially at higher speeds. Also in the 997 you sit a bit lower than in the 996 which I like.








TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM:

The RDK works very well to my surprise since I have heard comments to the contrary. I checked the tire pressures manually myself when cold and the RDK was spot on, then as I drove the cars and the tires gained adequate functioning temperature you could see the progress in the display of all four tires and the pressure increased to the normal operating temperatures. Then I stopped and checked the pressures myself again manually and they were the same as the RDK indicated.




Great little gadget, I'm very pleased. Since under inflation is the mayor cause of blow-outs, it's very useful to spot it "while you are driving, especially in sportcars which are subjected to harder driving. Also since the 997 doesn't come with a spare tire, its even more useful to spot leaks early on. And it tells you when the tires are in their hot operating pressure range which is a nice extra. A must have option IMO.






TRUNK:

My 996 was an AWD which has part of the AWD system occupying the trunk so I can't really compare the size of the trunk being this 997 a RWD. But it is deeper since it doesn't have a spare wheel hidden in the bottom like the 996. To me it looks huge. And there is a nice storage compartment with doors where the CD-changer is that is very useful to place all the soaps, sponges and other apparels so it doesn't move around in the trunk.






PEDALS:

I don't quite like the pedal placement of the 997, I much preferred my 996's. To me, in the 997 the brake pedal is too high compared to the throttle pedal so it's harder to heal-toe since it's harder to reach the throttle under the same amount of braking force compared to the 996. If you are braking really hard then it's not that big of a problem but on street driving it's not a wise idea to stab at the pedal in the last minute and watch how a distracted driver behind you smashes into your rear.




So heel and toeing is needlessly more difficult in the 997 in street driving, at least to me, it could also be just me. Incidentally, with the sport chrono activated it becomes a bit easier since it's easier to blip the throttle with less effort since its response is much quicker.






EXTERIOR:

Pictures don't do the 997 justice, it looks much better in person were its more muscular and aggressive proportions become more apparent compared to the 996, specially the rear half. Due to the effect of the hips, rear lights, and bumper, the rear of the 997 actually looks even wider than the widebody 996's even though it's a few mm narrower in real life. And after you get used to seeing the 997's, the 996s start to look a bit more outdated than before.




The side mirrors of the 997 not only are designed to help reduce lift and divert air against the side window to clean it in rainy day, but also look better than the 996's specially from the inside.

What I'm not convinced about is the size of the oval headlights, they are way too big and should be more of the size of the pre-996 cars. Also the rear light should have LEDS by now, not traditional bulbs although they do seem brighter than my 996's. And the Bi-xenon's are great, my 996 had Litronics which were xenon only the short range lights, but having the long range ones xenon also it really nice since when you flash the lights you really get seen.

The Carrera Classic wheels are beautiful, they are very sporty and its classic design really complements the classy 911 lines. They look better than what they would in another car. The rear wheel's centre flows inward and the front's wheel center is pushed outwards to fit the large red brakes inside, with the Carrera Classics this effect is more apparent and adds a nice touch if you take notice of it. Also they are incredibly easy to clean, being used to the Sport Designs of my 996, it's a mayor advantage since I don't clean the car every weekend so when I do the wheels are really dirty and harder to clean. It came with the tires I was hoping for by the way, the Michelin PS2's, excellent handling and grip, perfect for the car.








THE CLUTCH:

The clutch in the 997S has improved enormously as well in terms of user friendliness especially in city traffic. My 1999 996's clutch was very tricky and required more attention than other cars, but the 997's is just as hard but very progressive and easy to engage and disengage in any traffic, hills, etc. Though I believe that they improved the clutch in the later year 996 as well, but compared to my MY99 996 its much better.




TRANSMISSION:

Another of the more significant improvements vs. the 996. The throw is noticeable shorter, but also more precise, more mechanical/notchy so it's easier to go from one gear to the next. It is really a pleasure to drive and shift this tranny, its engagement is better than any other gearbox I have tried. It's another detail that is really important for the whole package, and that's something Porsche excels at, the whole package. You may sit on a car with great specs on paper only to drive it and find the gearbox numb and detached from the driver, wondering what were the engineers thinking off.

I may get the short shifter kit to further reduce the travel but maybe later on, there is a need as great as in the 996, were the throws were more significant.






BRAKES:

I got the stock red brakes and even though they still need some braking in, the "feel" is as great as Porsche has us accustomed to in the 911. No noticeable fading, at least in street driving were I have brought my previous non-Porsche cars to fade easily and even warped the brakes on one of them, but not with the 911, another telltale sign of a proper sportcar.

Also the braking performance is simply incredible, I don't know if it's also due to the -20mm sport suspension, the larger tires, but it really stops quickly. In fact, the 997S has the same brakes than the 996TT but the 997S braking performance is markedly superior to the 996TT, probably due to the lower weight of the 997S and the upgraded chassis/suspensions of the type 997.

And the PCCB's should be even better I guess but I haven't tried them, and considering that the brakes is not precisely a weak point to the 997S, they were not a good value in my opinion given their current price tag still. But this is also a very personal choice.






ENGINE:

I can't really comment too much on the performance yet since its still under brake-in but it's much more torquey than my 996's, and that is because my 996 was the 3.4l 300HP. But even during brake-in you can feel the power of the 997S' engine compared to my 996's. The 3.8l is a real treat of an engine, besides max HP figures, and other paper specs, it's simply a delight to drive. Its naturally aspirated flat-6 revs smoothly and quickly just begs you to rev it without any drops in the power band, perfect power delivery for planting the power to the available traction of the road. No lags, now dips, now low end deficits, it's a pleasure to accelerate out of the corners, and if you activate the sport chrono then even more so. At 5000 RPMs the engine transforms a bit, it's more aggressive and the sound becomes really really sporty, but I haven't gone much into 5k due to the brake in.




All in all I couldn't really ask anything more from this engine, if I were going to fit competition slick tires I would want a true dry sump, but since that's not the case it's not an issue really, it does its job it's made to do well. Just hope it doesn't develop a RMS leak since I don't think that it's fixed in the 997, though maybe not as prevalent as in the 996.






SPORT EXHAUST:

As you know the PSE is activated via the "sport" button of the sport chrono in cars with that option. Cars without sport chrono get a switch added to the console specifically for activating the PSE.

First I must say that is really noticeable when it's on, and it's not even burnt-in yet. The sound is really what I hoped, not so much in the loudness, but in its sound, I will post later on, when the car is broken-in, mp3 files to try to capture the sound. Its sounds great in all the RPM range but when you reach 5k RPM it's simply exhilarating, very sporty and aggressive. I really recommend it, driving with it off in the twisties is simply not the same, the quality sound is very well achieved as only Porsche knows how to do from their Flat-6 engine traditional sound.

The down side is the cut off, from 45km/h to 85km/h more or less the PSE is deactivated, so if you are taking a few curves in between 2nd and 3rd gear you won't hear it most of the time. It doesn't turn off completely though, it disappears mainly when accelerating, but when decelerating or in certain moments it seems like the "growl" is there still. But it's very annoying not to have it when you want it at certain moments or speeds. I haven't tried the fix to remove the deact9ivation of the PSE yet but I will soon.

Aesthetically, the PSE tips were a nice surprise. I complained about their design when I saw the pictures but I took all that back when I first saw the car in person. It was one of the first thins I noticed. The different diameter design actually looks great, it looks different than the now popular multiple chromed tips in sportcars and sporty-cars, but in a good way, very cool design. But most of all is that the different diameter tip and their placement in relation with each other accentuate the rear of the 997, it follows the arch of the rear bumper and adds to the aggressive rear of the 997. At least in my eyes.








SPORT CHRONO:

What can I say that hasn't been said already. It's of those must have options IMO. Simply the effect it has on the throttle makes it's worth it, don't care for the gauge on the dashboard, or the extra configuration features. Another in thing I found out is that the responsive throttle of the sport chrono make for heel-toeing easier, at least for me.




After you have been driving with the sport chrono on, if you turn it off, the car will feel sluggish all of a sudden, like its on a long gear when you step on the throttle, its really interesting since the car isn't really any slower, the acceleration is there just the same, its just that the throttle comes in more suddenly, giving the impression that the acceleration that will follow will also be quicker. And with the PSE, since it's activated with the same switch, the effect of the sport chrono is doubled due to the sound of the PSE also making the car seem livelier.






STEERING:

First thing I noticed is that the steering is heavier than in my 996, probably due to the wider contact patch of the 997S' front tires. The steering is another of my very favourite aspects of this car, it's so precise, so direct, and it tells you exactly what the car is doing through the different moments due to its wonderful feedback. It's really confidence inspiring when coming into the corners, and adds so much to the pleasure from the way it connects you to the car. This is one of the best attributes of this car that you won't find in many other cars and I relate to the "no substitute" phrase.

Compared to my 996's steering the 997S is much better, partly due to the fact that my 996 was a C4 and its AWD subtracted some of the feedback of the steering when in spirited driving by making the steering wheels share some of the torque when the going got tough.

But another big reason for the incredible steering of the 997S is the -20mm sport suspension, because the 997 with PASM I tried did not feel as good, though close.

Winding the steering, unwinding, winding, unwinding... from one alternating corner to the next is really a pleasure, you are in touch with everything the car does. An A+ to Porsche in this department.




As a side note, I must have gotten used to the variable ratio steering because I barely notice it now, I don't think about it at all, nor does it surprise me in the corners. Which is good and probably adds to the kart like feeling in the curves of the -20mm sport suspension.






-20MM SPORT SUSPENSION OPTION:

And the best for last. I ordered my 997S without having tried a -20mm fitted car but there were no test cars with it here. And all I can say is I'm so glad I did. It fulfilled my expectations and more. Porsche managed am incredible setup.

The PASM equipped car I had tried was great, but compared to the -20mm it felt a bit artificial, it's hard to describe. Also the dynamic qualities of the -20mm are better, or at least "feel" better and are more enjoyable. Porsche really did a good job with the PASM, achieving a versatility with the electronic dampning that is not possible with conventional suspensions while still retaining a very sporty and capable setup, but in terms of dynamics and feel, the -20mm is a step ahead. Both suspensions do what they are meant to do within their limitations.

The car corners very flat, very little body roll, or any diving on hard braking or squatting on acceleration. Coupled with the steering of the 997S, it's just so agile in the corners, very noticeably more than my 996 with the RoWM030 Sport Suspension. And coming out of the corners I don't miss at all the AWD, on the contrary, it leaps forward from the corners like a daemon with lots of grip and stability. The steering may feel a bit nervous or direct for some people, but it's so good.

My 996 C4 even with the RoWM030 felt much more nose heavy into the corners. And one thing that surprised me a lot is how stable it is with breaking into the corner. This is not one thing that the 911s like much do to their rear-engine but the 997S felt planted if I carried some of the braking into the corner compared to my 996. In my 996 you could feel the rear becoming unsettled, but the 997S doesn't even blink with the same braking. Maybe it's due to the rear LSD and the rear tires but I really wasn't expecting it.

At speeds to about 180km/h it felt just as planted as my 996 with aerokit, no lightness in front end or anything, but I have yet to test it at high-speeds due to the brake-in.




Ride quality is very acceptable, it's a bit stiffer than my M030 of the 996 but I can't see anyone considering it unbearable, though I guess this is very subjective. To me it's perfect for everyday use. Interestingly, even though it's stiffer than my 996's sport suspension, the 997S is less affected by those expansion joints in the highway, you can feel them maybe a bit more but they unsettle the car less at midcorner. Everything about this suspension is great. Compared to the PASM, I would say its similar to the sport setting of the PASM or maybe even a bit more comfortable, I remember the sport setting of the PASM being very little progressive over sharp bumps, and if my memory serves me right this -20mm is a bit more comfortable in that aspect. But it's hard to say, lets just say that they are very similar.

Ride height is also very noticeable, it's another of the things I noticed when I first glance at the car. And it will still settle a bit more after a few more miles too. However, the ground clearance is not bad, my 996 had the RoWM030 but with the aerokit front bumper which has a lower lip and also further forward so the ground clearance is actually better in my -20mm 997S. Visually the 997S right now looks a little bit higher than my previous 996 with the RoWM030, but after the suspension settles after a few hundred kms, it should end up about equal. The PASM 997S looks noticeably higher, and due to the low profile of the 19" tires, the space between the wheel arch and the tires appears even larger. And the standard 997, well it looks like its going to the Paris Dakar rally.




So the -20mm gets another A+, I just love it. They couldn't have done it better. Now I see how this car under the hands of a professional driver can go under 8 min in the ring with street tires and 355HP.






FINAL CONCLUSION:

This car may not be the most powerful car out there, it may not be the most spectacular and flashy looking, it may not be the most roomy, it may not be the most track oriented, etc. but its the best all around sportcar on the market. It simply does everything right, it has no mayor flaws or buts.

It can outlap a mid-engined alum chassis 400HP-V8 Modena at the track and with only 355HP, yet it has the passive safety of any sedan with side and trunk airbags, studied deformable chassis, etc, and better active safety than any people carrier, not even giving up the statistically accident reducing electronic stability system, its got rear seats for kids of adults for shorter distances or luggage, its discrete "enough" to be able to take the car anywhere and use it everywhere and not have to leave it in the garage all week, its versatile to use it everyday and in every weather, its maintenance is more than reasonable for such a car, its reliable, its price tag is reasonable for such a package, its brilliantly engineered, its very effective in the real world streets not only in the smooth tracks, but most of all its simply is pure fun to drive. You can find better purpose built cars, but for a specific purpose (track, looks, exclusivity, practicality, power, comfort, etc) but in the all-round sportcar category Porsche has done it once again, like only they can. It has no mayor flaws, it simply does everything right, now more than ever.




So there you have it fellow Rennteamers, these are just my own subjective views and findings, but I hope you found it an interesting read, and enjoyed all the photos.