I have been really interested in the car lately, after seeing all the videos online, the numerous tests, so I enquired Porsche and was immediately invited to try the car. The test occurred today in Holland on the Zandvoort track.
First of all, what a track! Lots of turns, some blind corners, slow, fast, going up and down, really glad to have discovered it, really nice old school track.
Porsche legend Gis Van Lennep was there, it was awesome to meet the guy.
Very nice costumer event, first I drove a 991 Turbo then a 991 Turbo S and finally a 918 Weissach behind an instructor in a Turbo.
First the 991. Well, I think the choice of car was wrong, why not a GT3 since it was a track event? Shame… This is the first time I was driving the road car. The only 991 I had driven before is the RSR so can't even compare (metzger engine, hydraulic steering, much wider track, more aero, etc.).
I was a bit disappointed by both Turbo to be honest. I know I sold my 997 Turbos S a while ago but the normal Turbo didn't feel faster and the S a but more punch mid range. The big disappointment for me was the steering. The car goes where you point but it's completely lifeless, no feedback at all, it's disconcerting on a track. The car setup is too soft for the track even with PDCC and PASM etc all in full attack mode. The car however is very nice to drive on the limit, you loose the back very progressively. It's a very nice GT. The PDK also is not great, it's fast but it felt slower than the 918 for example.
Then the 918. Interior is super nice. Build quality is superb! It's a like a modern Carrera GT with that center console with an iPad on it, it's awesome. The seats are very upright, especially in the passenger seat you sit too upright I thought, this is weird coming from Porsche who usually makes perfect buckets.
First lap in E mode, it's awesome, engineer told me it's on par with a base Boxster, that's impressive. So much torque, then a few laps in race mode. The chassis is amazing, extremely stiff and rigid. The steering is surprisingly heavy but it's sharper than the Turbo and somehow you get more into coming up though your hands. No roll at all. For a road car, I mean, that's really extreme. Weight? Can't feel to be honest. the car is 1640 kgs, yes you feel the inertia on braking, but on acceleration it's really fast and neutral. Couldn't feel the 4WD either to be honest, I had a few oversteer moments on exit and the car's behaviour was just perfect.
The brakes were very weird and disappointing, at the end of the straight, I slammed the brakes and there is no feel at all. Porsche guys said it was normal due to regen and than you get used to it, but I only did a few laps and I didn't. They are much more natural in Laferrari which also use regen.
The noise is superb, coming from right behind you. So loud! It really sounds like a race car a full speech. Doesn't' sing like a Carrera GT but it beast it in terms of volume easy!
My biggest disappointment weirdly was the combustion engine. It's too linear. For example, compared to Laf which I know very well, there is more torque in the 918, a mountain of torque actually but then between 7500 and 9000, you feel nothing. You see the rev going up but you don't feel any additional push if you see what I mean. Compared to Laf, that's when it becomes mental, those last 2000rpm the V12 just screams and delivers its ultimate punch. Also you are going so fast at those speeds, it's difficult to know where you are in the rev range in the Porsche. The Ferrari has this smart setup with diodes on the steering wheel. I was seating slightly too high in the Porsche even though I'm only 6ft.
Then we took a normal version on the roads. And it's even more impressive than on the track. Switching between E mode and Sport mode, driving in full electric is more fun than I thought and just amazing.
How to I compare the two cars? The Ferrari feels faster, no question, it's more mental, more playful. That's not saying it's faster around a track over one lap because the 918 has so much torque, but you need to adapt your driving a bit and get used to those brakes. The 918 feels its weight on braking too, there's more inertia going to the apex.
On the road, the 918 is the more versatile car, more usable I'd say, it's smaller, more discreet, just a better all rounder no question.
Funnily enough, the perfect car would be a combination of both. The Ferrari is more of a supercar in the sense that it feels faster, the rear breaks traction more easily, there is more intimidation, it's also more fun, the 918 is glued to the road, the tyres are also much better though so that helps, Cup 2 vs Corsas. The E mode is amazing. The interior design and quality is amazing. I tested the burmeister and it's just brilliant. The stereo is the Ferrari is laughable.
It feels a bit like the 80s when we had the 959 vs the F40. Porsche has gone further in the technological tour de force where the Ferrari feels more raw. (Although actually the 918 is stiffer, even in normal suspension mode. The Ferrari is more compliant in bumpy road mode and has a lot more body roll)
Hope this helped guys. Sorry not much structure in my post, just writing down my impressions as they came.
No word on number of cars sold but I got the impression that there plenty left available.
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They DO have a 959 Sport...
Its pity that guys like Futch are not present in automotive media...
