Aviator:

So I test-drove a 991s today. A disappointment really. The main issue for me is that, compared to its predecessors, from a 1973 RS to the 997, it "feels" awkwardly different. Less of a Porsche, is the only way to put it.

Sure, it has loads of grip, fantastic brakes, it probably is super-quick around the ring but that new steering, it does not belong.

It is impossible to fully get the feel of a car like this on Swiss roads but I found a short hill-climb near the dealership, where staying within the speed limit still allowed for a bit of spirited cornering. I can't say how the electro-mechanical steering fares if you ever manage to get the car sideways but I can emphatically say that it makes for an unacceptably vague corner entry. If, as they say, there is none of the old understeering tendency, you wouldn't know it: most often, all you can do is trust that the front tires are doing what you imagine they should do. I imagine that once you get past this lack of information and decide to "trust" the car, it rewards you up to a point; but this is akin to trusting your parachute, instead of commandeering your airplane. 

Another issue, with the PDK equipped car: It is one thing to have your engine cutoff at the traffic lights (incidentally, I wonder how this trend with new cars translates to service costs - surely all this on-and-off increases wear and tear for the starter et al?). It is another to be rolling down a road, effectively in utter silence, in a 911, because the engine has decided to disengage, waiting for you to touch the brake so that it may rev up again.

I never expected the day would come when I would feel relieved to climb out of any 911 and into my trusty (albeit improved) old 986! But this is exactly how the test-drive ended today.

Steering feel bothered me during my first day with the car, I completely forgot about it a month later during the second. You have to adapt, but you can, and I did. The thing is, the flaws of the 996 & 997 (I have not had earlier cars) left drivers in deep need for a lot of steering feel because understeering was such a constant battle. The 991 is such a drastic improvement in handling that Porsche can get away with a steering rack which, I agree, would otherwise be a disaster if retrofitted on a 997. A Cup racer that I gave the keys too for a few twisty miles (on the wet) gave exactly the same echo: there's less feedback, but there's enough. That's exactly what Porsche says: all told, racers prefer the new rack.

The eco-gimmicks are indeed annoying, but you can easily turn them all off if they bother you. More concerning is the fact that they result into a appetite for super-unleaded which goes in the opposite direction of normalized combined cycle claims. There is an accumulation of anecdotal evidence that points to a 20% increase in fuel consumption over the 997 in realistic driving patterns. That's a LOT.

I think that what die hard fans will dislike the most abnout the 991 is that it's far more accomplished, and therefore demands a lot less "specialization" from the driver. It is a 911 for everyone, not a 911 only suited to those who know because they learned the tricks and work-arounds. A better car for the broad base of customers, and Porsche is in the business of selling more cars, not less.


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997 GT3 - 550M - 355 GTS F1 - Prius - Audi S5 Sportback