ADias:
PAG knows its customers, and reality distortion sets in. :)
LoL 
Sorry for not replying earlier to your questions, but I am working like a madman - some reality distortion now and then helps to cope with the workload 
@ Easy: the steering is actually better than I thought - but then my expactions were very low.... unless you cruise in taxi mode in the city it feels rather meaty (definitely not as the AUDI like light artificial feeling) and it's very precise when attacking a corner. However there is no doubt that I very much prefer the steering of both 997.1 GT3 and 987.1 BoxsterS. The steering simply "talks" less with the driver. It doesn't spoil the experience unless you need every little bit of extra information from the steering - in the wet or on the track. But that's just an assumption as I drove the car in the dry....on public roads 
@ Gnil: you know me too well 
Yes, I drove it as I had stolen it. And here's the problem: if you want to tickle Mr. Hide rather than being bored by Mr. Jekyll you are way beyond what traffic law suggests....Sometimes I was really shocked when looking at the speedo 
@ BjoernB: hard to compare a 997.1 GT3 (the 911 I know other) with the 991 S. Completely different packages. My comparison mainly referred to the suspension/grip - IMHO this is the department where the 991 comes closest to a 997 GT3. Not only that the grip level is fantastic it also feels just right when pushing the car (again: driving license at risk on public roads...). If you really want to feel that the 991 is still a rear-engined car you have to do crazy things.....as I did in a roundabout near the Porsche Zentrum. The other drivers approaching the roundabout simply stopped and smiled while I was doing 20 "laps" or so...
I have not the slightest doubt that the reported NoS laptimes for the 991S are real: suspension, wider track, longer wheelbase allows for crazy speeds in the fast corners. I am very much looking forward to the first "battle" against one of these toys with my old school GT3 
@ GTLover: the swap of my GT3 to a 991 Carrera was never an option for me as the GT3 is a tracktoy only and as such it provides more driving fun (laptimes put aside). We will swap our 987.1 BoxsterS to a 981 S and the GT3 will stay and probably will be replaced by a 997 3.8 RS or a 991 GT3.
Maybe one final remark regarding the PDK: wifey loved it (that was the real purpose of the testdrive as she wants the PDK in the new BoxsterS but had no experiences with PDK cars so far) and I liked it at least better than expected...
Though I have to say I never changed gears so often "manually" with an automized gear box asin the 991 - ideal setting for me: Sport (Sport+ is useless in public road driving IMHO) and "manual" gear shifts. Not as involving like an old school manual, but also not a playstation feeling. Of course it's a bit ridiculous if you approach a red light and the pedestrians think you are perfect with heel-toe when shifting down from 2nd gear to 1st gear
As for the sound: the car was not equipped with the PSE but in Sport or Sport + with the "sound generator" in the rear cabin activated the sound was really nice - maybe even better than a 997.2 with PSE. Now I can ownly dream of the sound in the new Boxster S with PSE.....top down, engine and air intakes right near the driver...
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public roads: Porsche 987 S Seal/Cocoa, toll road 
: Porsche 997 GT3 Arctic/Black
Even my wife who was bored to death by a. 997.2 S Cab loaner (why should we ever swap the Boxster S for such a boring car ? ) 
loved the car......which means she will even more love the 981 
........final comment from my wife 
Thats quite an endorsement coming from you 
IMO the car has two personalities unlike the 997, a calm and relaxed manner on regular driving, but when you hit a couple of buttons and push the pace then its Mr. Hide, with a handling and grip that makes the 997 look 2 generations old 
