996 & 997 drives
good morning gents.drove 2 porsches yesterday.... first a 996 carrera (3.4), then a 997 carrera S
Honestly, i was dissapointed when drove my first 911. The quality of the 996 interior was not up to my expectations for a car of that calibre
after a basic look around of the car plus the interior, start up and, of course the was that classic exhaust sound, subdued, but there nonetheless... in the first few meters i noticed that the clutch was a bit on the hard sideIMO, but it wasnt so tough to actually make the car difficult to drive.
Off the driveway and driving out of the suburb, the ride height was not really a problem at all, going over speedbumps with relative ease.. when i got onto a descent empty road, of course, i floored it.. again, kinda dissapointing.... i know, i know, that was a 996 with the 3.4, but when i compare that cars acceleration to a m3, for example the car actually felt a bit slower..
Through the first couple of bends the car did have quite alot of grip though, not bad at all although i did not really test its limits because this was my first 911 experience..
after driving the car around for about 30min i got a little tired and impatient because i just wanted to get into the carrera s.
Got back and when i pulled into the driveway there the 997 was, waiting..
i know that there were many complaints about the looks of the 997, some saying that it doesnt look modern, and that the 996 is better. but anyone who saw the 2 standing next to each other will agree with me on this. the 997 just looks much better, plain and simple. theres nothing in it, it just looks more modern, stylish, aggresive.Both were white bt the way..
it just throws the 997 shape into a new perspective. i read in evo mag that the 997 looks like a athlete in a lycra suit. and that it does.... the curvy waist and hips pulled over the wheels... you guys know what i mean.
but this car really has bulges in all the right places. its not overly aggresive, flashy or "bling bling", but it just gives the message that this is not a car that was designded to show off, rather, to perform. comparing this car to others like ferrari/lambo isnt right... its like comparing 2 athletes like Maurice Green and Michael Johnson before a race. the one is all muscle, psyching himself up, shouting, getting alot of attention. then theres michael, quiet, not that muscular, to himself, but confident... he might not be getting all the attention but everyone respects him, he is the record holder, he doesnt show it off, but he knows it. some of you will be thinking that i smoked crack before i wrote this, but if you know what im getting at, then you'll understand why i used this analogy. 
after checking basically all the details of the car, from the exhausts, which really looks good, to the headlight washers, to the mirrors. BTW did anyone of you know that the c2s is actually lower than a lambo gallardo.. but because of the short front and rear overhangs, short wheelbase and how the front and rear turn up rather than go straight, you dont really see it.
anyway, getting into the car, the seats where comfy, surprising, because they where the sports seats and the seats i checked and sat in before at my local porsche centre where the addaptive type. legroom and everything was nice, and although there are many buttons, its not really a problem to me. i kinda like it.
i have to say, the uprated sound is actually quite good, really bassy, whereas in some other cars it sounds like the sound i coming from tin cans 
start the car up and theres that sound again, although much, much better. drive off and i notice that the clutch is much nicer to use than in the previous car, lighter and much more precise... you can really feel when the clutch starts to bite in tis car much better than my current car.
driving the same route as previously, taking the speedbumps a little slower, playing around with the buttons, you can literally feel the people staring at you.. its not the reaction that youll get while driving an italian, but you still get lots of people that seem to have rubber necks. from what i have noticed is that you get most stares from the youngsters and elder males. but in differnt ways. the youngsters will gasp and stare, in admiration and you can just see that they're thinking " thats the car im gonna drive one day", while the elder guys give the thumbs up, the nod of the head. in respect of the car, i suppose.
then you get the young adults in may age group, they look at the car, admire it, then when they see that the person driving it is their age, they look away. got some shouts "TAKE DADDYS CAR HOME".. Didnt really bother me though.
Hold on, im losing the plot here... anyway, got to that quiet road again, floored it...
instant.
the car takes off, just like that... not EXTREMELY fast at first, but fast enough... then as the rev counter reaches +- 5500rpm, its asiff you just swore at the cars momma. the car lunges forward once again... but the suprising thing is just how linear the whole process is. nothing takes you by surprise. it all happens so fast, but its all controllable.
the acceleration i was talking about above happens so quick, but its asif your connected with the car. 4000 rpm , 5000rpm , 6000rpm..change gear, then the same process over again.
That brings up another subject, the gearchange... which is perfect IMO.
Getting to the first set of curves, the car is planted... there are no signs that the engine is out back. (once again i did not really thrash the car, so i didnt take the car to the limits) the car is quite neutral..
compared to a m3, this car has just so much more grip, its amazing.
But one of the best things, is undoutably the sound..
this car really has character.
driving it easy and its, well very easy. the engine+exhaust grumbling behind you. the suspension quite comfortable for such a car.
Then if you pick up your pace, the character changes, the sound gets much more aggresive, wailing away at the top of the rev range.
the car sounds great, but from the clips that some of you put up, esp MikeS, the PSE sounds better.
Braking aswell, is totally mind blowing. with this braking power i was expecting the brakes to be overly sensitve, but not so...
another thing i noticed is just how sensitive the steering is. I didnt go over 170 kmh(approx106mph)but the steering is so direct, so precise.
+ all this was happening while my dad was sitting, a little uncomfy, on the back seats... there have been complaints about the seats on how small they are...but to those people i say shut up... there are seats, period. what other car offers such perfomance+handling with so much practicality...
I can see the bmw fans rolling their eyes....
but, the M5 is NOT a sports car... IMO its just a saloon thats thinks it can behave like one, it does that job excellently, its a very good+advanced driving tool, but its not a proper sports car.just like the carrera S, its a excellent sports car that thinks it can be a GT, it does a good job, but it will never be as good over long distances as a 5, 6 , cl and the like. 
(once again thats just my opinion)After i drove the car i remembered that i completely forgot about the PASM + sports chrono buttons. i was enjoying myself so much it just slipped my mind. So all my driving was in PASM "normal".
So yes, finally im done with my stupid review.
My words wont matter much to most of you.
But to ME, the Porsche 911 Carrera S is the best car in the world. Period.
I dont want to argue about this statement, its just my oppinion.
Untill the Turbo arrives, he he
