I always give away my auto magazines after I've read them and I'll admit, I'm more of a 911 fan than a Boxster fan so I don't read all the reviews on the Boxster. So, I can't quote the source. But I did read recently a review that said the steering was unchanged in feel even though it was the new electric.

That being said, I would, without a doubt review the steering myself if I was contemplating a new Boxster. Under absolutely no circumstances would I be swayed by a reviewers comments. I haven't driven it. I can't really say. But I will say, it was a lapse in my judgement to quote a reviewer's opinion. I rarely agree with them and it seems to me that they operate under peer pressure to not deviate from the consensus opinion or at least the "first" opinion. It elevates them to "expert."

As you can see on this thread, most 991 owners don't agree with the reviewers. It is a reviewer's job to find something wrong so as not to appear to be a fanboy. And it is human nature, if that is implanted in you before you test the car, that you are inclined to see the same thing. The good part of this thread is that originally it was only 991 owners who, having had time to really get used to the car and set their muscle-memory on the new steering, were asked to comment.

 

You're right generally speaking, but not car reviewers.

Most just go on and on about how amazing the car is no matter what it is. It's actually rare to see them criticize anything substancial about a vehicle. So to see so many of them criticizing the steering is a little concerning.

That said, I can't wait to test drive it against my Cayman back to back.

Then I'll write my own review!

 

Good for you. However, there are some traps you can fall into. First, you WILL notice a difference because that's what you're looking for. Whether that's good or bad depends on whether you are looking for a way to like the car and maybe get it or a way to justify sticking with what you have.

If you resent the fact that something you really like and now have is being upstaged, you will resist it. Also, if you got the new one, your bias would be to protect your decision from criticism. See, you can't win—there's an argument for whichever side you take.

Now back to the reviewers. There is peer pressure among the automobile writers. They keep cars for less time than it takes me to get used to a new car well enough to have an opinion. And yet opinions they do have. If one of them is brave enough to bring up a fault, the rest will say, "Oh yeah, I noticed that, too." They don't dare be less observant than their peers. And if more than one says it, then that becomes a consensus and they would be more than brave to buck that consensus.

Go into your test drive with an open mind and without the bias instilled by reviewing all the reviewers beforehand. And never be afraid of something new that has been tested for years and years by experts and engineers with sophisticated test equipment and objective back-to-back comparisons.

 

Great post, so good that it seems to have closed the discussion on this thread. I hope that everyone had the opportunity to read it.