Crown

The exccellence article says "and it’s big fun to drive the car slightly sideways", so there is your answer, the 991 does go sideways, and it's fun to do it as well.

Where's the video?

Alex18_996CC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgLo3xggh1I&sns=em
 

pxaxh:

http://www.autobild.de/artikel/porsche-911-carrera-s-fahrbericht-2281216.html

i fell in love with this car

pxaxh:

First Drive in The New 911

By Pete Stout on Tue, Nov 8, 2011 11:30 AM PST

Somewhere in California, the deep crescendo of 3.8-liter, water-cooled, flat-six engines being wound to their redlines shoots from the tailpipes of a smattering of new 911 Carrera S sports cars and bounces off desert canyon walls.

Editor Pete Stout is getting his first taste of the new Carrera S, and here are his initial impressions:

Update: 11/09/2011, 12:30 PM — Yesterday’s testing was staged out of Santa Maria, but we snuck north, pushing the limits of the time we were allowed with the car during the afternoon. Destination: a little, unused road in Central California that’s an awful lot like the roads near Cerda in Sicily — site of the Targa Florio. No time for pictures, just enough time to drive it.

Within the last year, we’ve driven the GT3 RS, GT2 RS, Carrera GTS, Boxster Spyder, and 911 Speedster on this same road. Keep this information in mind as you read end-of-the-day impressions below. We learned a lot more there than we did on the recommended test route.

Update: 11/08/2011, 7:15 PM — End-of-the-Day Impressions — Damping over rough-and-tumble pavement is fantastic…better than in the 997 Carrera GTS, a car which I remember mumbling something about perfect damping in a road test in the May 2011 issue (#191).

The 991 processes sudden shifts in camber on the road surface better than any 997 can. The lengthened wheelbase and widened front track add stability, but the car is still playful, easy to place, and fast, fast, fast. The electric power-assisted steering is precise, accurate, and predictable. It’s not as good as early 911’s or 914’s non-assisted steering, perhaps, but this is not an early 911 or 914.

Traction/grip is incredible on the S’s standard 20-inch wheel/tire package, yet approaching the limit is a predictable and gentle affair — you always feel like you know where the edge is.

Transitional handling is very quick and Cayman-like — thanks to the longer wheelbase — yet with excellent traction when powering out of turns — thanks to the rear-heavy, 911 weight distribution. It has the best of both worlds.

Did I mention sound earlier today? The note from the sport exhaust reverberating off rock walls in second gear is simply wonderful, and it rivals some of the best noises of recent Porsches this side of the Carrera GT. Though it’s guttural down low, musical in the midrange, and spine-tingling in the upper reaches, the sound may not be GT3-good, but it’s a big step up in excitement from the 997 Carrera S. But unlike a GT3, it has refined manners most people would be happy to live with on short or long drives.

The seven-speed manual gearbox is very nice. The clutch is a hair grabby, but this one may have already lived a rough life this morning. It’s nothing that can’t quickly be adjusted to, though. Throws are light and precise, and seventh-gear lockout is interesting: You can’t shift from fifth gear to seventh in the 991 in the way you can shift from fourth to sixth in a 997. Seventh gear can only be accessed from sixth.

All up, I still have to process today’s drive, but thus far all signs are pointing to the idea that the 991 is the step it needed to be, and then some. Dynamically, it’s at least the step the 996 made over the 993.

Update: 11/08/2011, 3:00 PM — The New 911: First Drive On Track — The widening of the front track by 2.01 inches is noticeable in terms of reduced understeer. There’s a ton of initial grip on turn-in, followed by nice, neutral cornering behavior and, as always, great traction powering out of the turn.

The Carrera S is confidence-inspiring at the limit in Sport Plus with PSM on. You are able to make considerable adjustments with the steering wheel and the throttle before PSM intervenes now, and it’s big fun to drive the car slightly sideways.

If this is the basis for future 911s, the next Turbo, GT3, and GT2 promise to make a real leap forward.

Update: 11/08/2011, 2:40 PM — Blast off with launch control! Here, a PDK-equipped Carrera S does the honors: On the brakes, full throttle, off the brakes, and this is what you get:

Update: 11/08/2011, 11:30 AM — The 400-hp, 3.8-liter engine is strong and it pulls beautifully with all the power you could need. There are no 3.4-liter Carreras here.

PDK is a real step forward with quicker shift times and sharper response. Ride is superb, yet handling remains sharp; it’s never floaty and always confidence inspiring. Sport setting for the dampers makes a noticeable difference, but it is more usable on real roads.

Sport exhaust is fabulous. The 9A1 engine sounds much better than in the 997-2. It burbles on the overrun like an early 911 with carburetors or MFI.

From the passenger’s seat, the interior feels Panamera-like, but from the driver’s seat, it feels surprisingly like a 911’s – think 997 with a different center console. The driving position is excellent.

The new, pop-up sunroof fixes the 29-31 mph wind buffeting/whumping found in 996s and 997s, but this annoyance may have moved to when you’re running with one window down.

The car looks great on the road and in various colors. It looks special and expensive, and it has a great stance.

Porsche Cars North America expects 30 percent of its U.S. sales in 2012 to be the 911.

http://www.excellence-mag.com/of-note/first-drive-in-the-new-911

NICE :)

Fantastic video of the manual transmission! It sounds so much better with the pauses between the shifts rather than the PDK's constant power band.

Looking at these latest photos, I can firmly say, I absolutley hate the aluminum window trim and Carrera Classic wheels. The trim and those wheels ruin the entire car for me.

The car looks a million times better without the aluminum trim and with the Carrera S wheels. But of course that is all left to opinion!

Saw a dark blue exterior/grey interior 991 in Frankfurt as in the pics above and thought it was such a dull combination of colours. White/red paint looks much more exciting!

--

987 Boxster & New VW Scirocco

I decided to leave my order in place as I couldn't be bothered waiting until April for some of the trim options I had wanted to become available so if all goes to plan I should collect my 7 speed manual, - 20 mm C2S 5 weeks today

Carrara:

Fantastic video of the manual transmission! It sounds so much better with the pauses between the shifts rather than the PDK's constant power band.

Looking at these latest photos, I can firmly say, I absolutley hate the aluminum window trim and Carrera Classic wheels. The trim and those wheels ruin the entire car for me.

The car looks a million times better without the aluminum trim and with the Carrera S wheels. But of course that is all left to opinion!

Isn't it funny? I had the 180-degree opposite reaction. Totally, and I don't normally like chrome. But something about that -- and those wheels -- just grabs me. 

That's why they make different kinds of beer, I guess. 

"I don't mean to brag, but I am really good at self-deprecation."

http://www.insideline.com/porsche/911/2012/2012-porsche-911-carrera-s-first-drive.html

Take Away
Perhaps you've noticed that the laundry list of features in the new 2012 Porsche 911 — both performance-related and otherwise — is massive. Still, from a driver's perspective, what matters isn't the feature count but how the car works. Fortunately, function remains a first-order priority in this car.

It is truly one of the world's great sports cars. In the right hands it is as capable as virtually anything else made, yet it retains the ability to be driven in a practical manner every day. This is a rare and unique trait that identifies few other cars.

(...).

Still, after 13 years in this business, the new 911 ranks among the best cars we've ever driven. It's confident yet benign, seriously quick but utterly manageable and radically capable, yet easy to drive.

After 48 years, Porsche still sweats the 911's details like they matter. Because they do.

Amazing pictures in that review!

I am very nervous about the steering.  I thought the steering of the 997.2 Carrera (not GT3) was already losing some feel and feedback - this sounds like things have worsened:

"But once you've adjusted to the utterly horizontal cornering attitude, you'll find yourself wondering what Porsche did to the 911's once-sublime steering. Don't get us wrong: There's enough steering feel and weight to prudently guide the 911 at insane velocities. But this isn't the same feeling we're used to. Nor is it one we'd prefer.

That's because the 2012 Porsche 911's steering is fully electromechanical. It utilizes two sensors — one to measure inputs from the driver and one to measure inputs from the road — and metes out electrically motivated assist according to a Porsche-specific software calibration. We hesitate to call it numb, but it's far from the granular, feelsome feedback we've experienced elsewhere — even in other 911s. Effort, too, is on the light side."

--

73 Carrera RS 2.7 Carbon Fiber replica (1,890 lbs).  Former: 73 911S, Two 951S's, 996 C2, 993 C2, 98 Ferrari 550 Maranello

Carrageous:

Carrara:

Fantastic video of the manual transmission! It sounds so much better with the pauses between the shifts rather than the PDK's constant power band.

Looking at these latest photos, I can firmly say, I absolutley hate the aluminum window trim and Carrera Classic wheels. The trim and those wheels ruin the entire car for me.

The car looks a million times better without the aluminum trim and with the Carrera S wheels. But of course that is all left to opinion!

Isn't it funny? I had the 180-degree opposite reaction. Totally, and I don't normally like chrome. But something about that -- and those wheels -- just grabs me. 

That's why they make different kinds of beer, I guess. 

Me too!

Beautiful pictures, thanks Carrara!

This first-drive review from Autoweek sounds a lot less positive than the one from Excellence and contains a couple of potentially worrying issues - specifically comments about "numbness" (possibly associated with PDCC).  I'm not familiar with Autoweek's reputation, so I don't know how seriously one should take this.  Anyway, read the extract below - especially the parts I've highlighted - and see what you think:

What is it like to drive?

The thing here is how much feedback you want and what form you want that feedback to take. Purists will decry the new 911 and say it's numb, but others will like the sophisticated chassis and suspension that filters out noise vibration and harshness that you don't need. Big bumps, such as potholes, don't get through the steering column to your hands. Smaller ripples do. The most difficult thing for us to get used to was the new active antiroll feature that uses a secondary hydraulic piston at each corner to completely eliminate body roll when cornering. This optional function is a bit disconcerting at first, eliminating input your brain is used to getting from a car. On our first lap around an autocross course, we wound up going straight off in a fast corner because we couldn't sense what the car was doing. Our tiny brain was used to getting inputs of roll, tire slip and steering feedback that just weren't there. On subsequent laps we handled things better. On twisting mountain roads we had no problems, though we weren't pushing it as hard as you would in a gymkhana. No doubt more time in the car will mean adjusting driving style accordingly and what will almost certainly result in faster lap times. As it is, the new 911 laps the Nordschleife in 7:40 seconds, 14 seconds quicker than the model it replaces.

Do I want it?

Those who are going to squawk about wanting a simpler, old-school, lightweight, tossable sports car will probably want a Cayman R. Those who want more power, more room and higher speeds in the straights and through fast sweepers will want one of these. Say what you want about the looks--and you will say what you want--but the new 911 is faster and handles better than the old one, with greater sophistication and ride refinement than any Carrera yet. Drive one of these and then go drive that 993/964/whatever and see whether the new car doesn't do everything better than the car you hold in memory as being best. On the intro program, we drove one each of those old 911s and would have to take the stability and quickness of this new car over the old warriors. But we do think its numbness would take a bit of getting used to.

Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111109/CARREVIEWS/111109836#ixzz1dHsuZ6IK

PureBlue:

This first-drive review from Autoweek sounds a lot less positive than the one from Excellence and contains a couple of potentially worrying issues - specifically comments about "numbness" (possibly associated with PDCC).  I'm not familiar with Autoweek's reputation, so I don't know how seriously one should take this.  Anyway, read the extract below - especially the parts I've highlighted - and see what you think:

What is it like to drive?

(...)

Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111109/CARREVIEWS/111109836#ixzz1dHsuZ6IK

(...) but the new 911 is faster and handles better than the old one, with greater sophistication and ride refinement than any Carrera yet. Drive one of these and then go drive that 993/964/whatever and see whether the new car doesn't do everything better than the car you hold in memory as being best. On the intro program, we drove one each of those old 911s and would have to take the stability and quickness of this new car over the old warriors (...) 

Alex18_996CC:
New video !!!!

The SOUND inside the cabin is just perfect !!! Much more present than in the 997 series....

Manual gearbox seems a joy to drive, but PDk seems it is the smartest move !!

Even at idle it sounds great and deep !!!

Will the 991 (not S) sound the same ??

Edit :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgLo3xggh1I&sns=em


 

It sounds too close to my GT3, with a bit of less red line revving! Is that true or it is just my ears?! If that is the case then 991 GT3 should be somthing out of this space.

Leawood911:

US$247K - ???  I can buy three 991 for that here.  Sorry about that.  What to heck is governemt over there doing with all that money.  The public transport must be using Maybach limos.  Just don't get it.  Some countries like Sweden and Denmark are even worse.  I wonder if anyone has looked at the different Porsche sites (by country) and compared all the prices?

Cheers,

Turkey is the worst of all the countries in terms of consumer Tax + VAT on vehicles with larger than 2000 ccm engine. The total tax is %171 with the latest increase. 

ONUR

11 M3 Coupe AW

09 Audi TTS Coupe - 07 997 Carrera S - 05 M3 Coupe - 03 M3 Coupe - 96 M3 Coupe EVO (PASS TIME HISTORY)

pride355:

Turkey is the worst of all the countries in terms of consumer Tax + VAT on vehicles with larger than 2000 ccm engine. The total tax is %171 with the latest increase. 

Yikes!!! That hurts.

"I don't mean to brag, but I am really good at self-deprecation."

Wow, that engine sounds great.  And the NAV looks way better.

2005 997S Blk/Blk

rfakhri:

Alex18_996CC:

New video !!!!



The SOUND inside the cabin is just perfect !!! Much more present than in the 997 series....



Manual gearbox seems a joy to drive, but PDk seems it is the smartest move !!



Even at idle it sounds great and deep !!!



Will the 991 (not S) sound the same ??



Edit :



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgLo3xggh1I&sns=em





 

 

It sounds too close to my GT3, with a bit of less red line revving! Is that true or it is just my ears?! If that is the case then 991 GT3 should be somthing out of this space.

 

 

First drive from Motor Authority: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1068461_2012-porsche-911-first-drive

Pretty positive article but it raises some very real concerns about the steering.  Guess we're all going to have to test it out for oursleves to see how it really feels...

Nice... Very nice Video!!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2AprWaSRGg

Very nice video, PJD. He got a little drift in there, I thought everyone was saying you couldn't do that.

"I don't mean to brag, but I am really good at self-deprecation."

They're coming up from Europe as well...

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Porsche-911-3.8-Carrera-S/259965/

Carrageous:

Very nice video, PJD. He got a little drift in there, I thought everyone was saying you couldn't do that.

What I've noticed from many car reviews (not just on the 991), they tend to make stuff up a lot just to fill the alotted space.