Grant:
Whoopsy:
The 997 turbo S was the first of the true rocket ship with the addition of the PDK.

PDK is not my preference (nor are turbos), but they certainly match well with turbocharged motors (no loss of boost on upshifts).  Much more effective in that context, if raw performance is the goal.

 

I have driven all 3 kinds for the 997 era car. I bought a tiptronic 997 turbo, also drove a manual 997 turbo and ended up with a PDK turbo S. 

The manual was nice, but the tip was faster and then the PDK turbo S simply blows them both away, the difference is much more than the 40ish hp difference on paper. 

Back then, the fun thing for me is to try doing 90 degree turns in city blocks. The 996 era tiptronic INSISTS on taking those corners in 3rd gear, that was one reason I sold my tip 996 C4S after a week and replace it with a 6-speed C4S. Porsche changed the shift logic and take those in 2nd gear in the 997, so the car is much more punchy on exit, similar to a manual car when we all take those corners in 2nd gear. On the PDK turbo S, it also takes it in 2nd gear, but 70% of the time, the tail would step out a little bit, indicating that it simply got more out of the motor. 

I was a diehard manual guy before the 997 turbo S, but that PDK box really convinced me PDK is the way to go, just like fuel injection replaced carburetors. There is no compromises driving a PDK vs a manual, in manual mode it hold gears to redline and there is no torque converters sapping throttle responses. Power delivery is as direct as a manual car can be. 

 


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