Automobile Mag 991 review - maybe not that wonderful
#1
01-06-2012, 12:26 PM
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Automobile Mag 991 review - maybe not that wonderful
A few paragraphs:
"the outgoing car is a true 911 in every way -- a little scary, a lot capable, and a complete match for the thrill of the old air-cooled 911s.
Porsche's sports cars have distinguished themselves from every other car in the world by communicating to your fingertips every little thing the front end does. A dip, a hole, a camber change, the curled edges of a red Japanese maple leaf -- you are blissfully aware of precisely everything that a 911's front wheels roll over. More important, every steering input you make is met, a fraction of a second later, with an equal and opposite tug at the wheel caused by the monster fighting your every move. The outgoing 911, inparticular, is a glorious departure from modern cars' ridiculous obsession with beating their predecessors and competitors around the Nuerburgring. Sure, the 2011 911 is fast as hell around that and every other racetrack, but that's not what makes it so good. We love the 911 mostly because it's the only car in the world that delivers supercar performance with sports car levels of driver involvement.
Later....
In fact, the 2012 Porsche 911 has no temper at all. The rear end never feels like it's going to come unstuck. And the steering? Well, it never feels like much at all. As a result, the new 911 doesn't really feel like a 911. For that, we can blame European-market customers and press, who railed that the last car was nervous at top speed. They weren't wrong -- it was -- but that problem is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Even Porsche points out that less than ten percent of autobahns now have no speed limit. The company also admits that the United States is "easily the most important market" for the 911.
We don't have autobahns here. At our slow interstate speeds, modern cars are so incredibly capable and refined and removed that we eat food, apply makeup, and talk on the phone -- because we're bored. That's what makes the 911 great -- you actually have to work to keep the car on the straight and narrow. Or at least you used to.
If the 991 is the only 911 you've ever driven, you'll probably think it's the best Porsche ever -- and in many ways we agree. If, on the other hand, you reveled in the old 911's endless feedback; if you relished the thrill of taming a car that didn't really want to be tamed; if you loved the 911 precisely because it wasn't perfect; and, certainly, if you thought that the Porsche 911 was an icon that couldn't be improved and shouldn't be changed, then the 2012 Porsche 911 might not feel like that much of an icon to you."
I guess that we'll have to wait to see how they "improve" the tt.
"the outgoing car is a true 911 in every way -- a little scary, a lot capable, and a complete match for the thrill of the old air-cooled 911s.
Porsche's sports cars have distinguished themselves from every other car in the world by communicating to your fingertips every little thing the front end does. A dip, a hole, a camber change, the curled edges of a red Japanese maple leaf -- you are blissfully aware of precisely everything that a 911's front wheels roll over. More important, every steering input you make is met, a fraction of a second later, with an equal and opposite tug at the wheel caused by the monster fighting your every move. The outgoing 911, inparticular, is a glorious departure from modern cars' ridiculous obsession with beating their predecessors and competitors around the Nuerburgring. Sure, the 2011 911 is fast as hell around that and every other racetrack, but that's not what makes it so good. We love the 911 mostly because it's the only car in the world that delivers supercar performance with sports car levels of driver involvement.
Later....
In fact, the 2012 Porsche 911 has no temper at all. The rear end never feels like it's going to come unstuck. And the steering? Well, it never feels like much at all. As a result, the new 911 doesn't really feel like a 911. For that, we can blame European-market customers and press, who railed that the last car was nervous at top speed. They weren't wrong -- it was -- but that problem is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Even Porsche points out that less than ten percent of autobahns now have no speed limit. The company also admits that the United States is "easily the most important market" for the 911.
We don't have autobahns here. At our slow interstate speeds, modern cars are so incredibly capable and refined and removed that we eat food, apply makeup, and talk on the phone -- because we're bored. That's what makes the 911 great -- you actually have to work to keep the car on the straight and narrow. Or at least you used to.
If the 991 is the only 911 you've ever driven, you'll probably think it's the best Porsche ever -- and in many ways we agree. If, on the other hand, you reveled in the old 911's endless feedback; if you relished the thrill of taming a car that didn't really want to be tamed; if you loved the 911 precisely because it wasn't perfect; and, certainly, if you thought that the Porsche 911 was an icon that couldn't be improved and shouldn't be changed, then the 2012 Porsche 911 might not feel like that much of an icon to you."
I guess that we'll have to wait to see how they "improve" the tt.
Last edited by number 3; 01-19-2012 at 12:21 PM.
#6
01-18-2012, 04:25 PM
Why people don't want this car alone to move forward and get better, I may never understand. The argument seems to be that people miss it's shortcomings. No one ever says that about Ferrari.
#7
01-18-2012, 06:47 PM
Ive said it before - crap magazine. The 991 is better in every way and this review stands alone in what they say. I'll take the other 22 reviews I've read watched over this one.
And by the way this article has been covered in another thread.
And by the way this article has been covered in another thread.
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#10
01-19-2012, 09:56 AM
Translation:
"Don't take advantage of flatter and better handling and it more closely resembles the previous model."
...and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) was already available on the 997 cars. (turbo) so I don't get this statement.
And regarding the magazine review I tire of the revolt against change. I assume it to be human nature to resist change so I'll chalk it up to that. But as I mentioned in a related thread ...they made it faster, flatter handling, quicker braking, lighter, and greener - and made it less twitchy (less likely to kill you) and the magazine says it's no longer a 911. I'll take it!!
So in 1912 upon the advent of electric ignition by Cadillac, did the Daily Times writer say "It no longer requires a hand crank to start your car - I long for the days passed and my beloved Model A" (??)
Zzzzz
"Don't take advantage of flatter and better handling and it more closely resembles the previous model."
...and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) was already available on the 997 cars. (turbo) so I don't get this statement.
And regarding the magazine review I tire of the revolt against change. I assume it to be human nature to resist change so I'll chalk it up to that. But as I mentioned in a related thread ...they made it faster, flatter handling, quicker braking, lighter, and greener - and made it less twitchy (less likely to kill you) and the magazine says it's no longer a 911. I'll take it!!
So in 1912 upon the advent of electric ignition by Cadillac, did the Daily Times writer say "It no longer requires a hand crank to start your car - I long for the days passed and my beloved Model A" (??)
Zzzzz
Last edited by EricP; 01-19-2012 at 10:01 AM.
#11
01-19-2012, 10:10 AM
It's human nature to revolt against change. Look at the criticism Nissan GTR received when it beat Turbo on Nurbirgring. "feels disconnected from the road." "too much electronics interfering with real driving experience." etc...
It does look like Porsche engineer are going down the same road as GTR with all the handling electronics wizardry...
It does look like Porsche engineer are going down the same road as GTR with all the handling electronics wizardry...
#12
01-19-2012, 10:16 AM
It's human nature to revolt against change. Look at the criticism Nissan GTR received when it beat Turbo on Nurbirgring. "feels disconnected from the road." "too much electronics interfering with real driving experience." etc...
It does look like Porsche engineer are going down the same road as GTR with all the handling electronics wizardry...
It does look like Porsche engineer are going down the same road as GTR with all the handling electronics wizardry...
#13
01-19-2012, 10:19 AM
It's human nature to revolt against change. Look at the criticism Nissan GTR received when it beat Turbo on Nurbirgring. "feels disconnected from the road." "too much electronics interfering with real driving experience." etc...
It does look like Porsche engineer are going down the same road as GTR with all the handling electronics wizardry...
It does look like Porsche engineer are going down the same road as GTR with all the handling electronics wizardry...
"The new power steering - a pleasant surprise - I thought it was going to be a problem."
"The first thing you need to know about this new 991 is it's a real 911, it feels like a 911." -- Chris Harris
We've all seen the video
#15
01-19-2012, 11:26 AM
I hear you, but there are dozens of reviews of the 991 out there now and Automobile was the only source to issue gripe and malcontent. I haven't heard another report of driver disconnect yet. Chris Harris (who I trust and admire) says it's still a 911.
"The new power steering - a pleasant surprise - I thought it was going to be a problem."
"The first thing you need to know about this new 991 is it's a real 911, it feels like a 911." -- Chris Harris
We've all seen the video
"The new power steering - a pleasant surprise - I thought it was going to be a problem."
"The first thing you need to know about this new 991 is it's a real 911, it feels like a 911." -- Chris Harris
We've all seen the video