Don’t read this to seriously, it`s written in affect. It’s my thoughts after driving my new 991.2 4S 2500 km a week around in the mountains and fjords of Norway. After the trip I sold it and bought a new 991.1 GTS.

But first a little background.
I`m a Norwegian man, owned numerous , Audi S & through the happy years from driving, 37 seven years since I took my driver’s licence.

Why am I driving a 911?
The act of driving comes to me while driving 911. It’s like a fundamental need is being fulfilled, a feeling of the ability of speed is filling my mind. The ability to curve the twisty turns, brake, accelerate – fly in a speed tunnel – feeling light. This mobility and agility fits me – and feels natural and necessary in a strange way. I love Porsche for their self-imposed mission of making drivable usable sports car for me and my urge for driving. No nonsense - it`s a thrilling driving machine with this purpose as a main goal.

For the last three years me and my brother were happy, found love in the 991.1. Me with a 4S and he with a Carrera. What a car! After first test drive we were stunned by the lightness of the car, the responsive powersteering, the calm sportsuspension, the thrilling PDK , power and the lovely vibrations and sound of the engine. Best 911 so far. Bye bye to my 997 T. If you’re interested, read this Sport Auto test. When 991.1 were launched I remember all the talking about the new electric powersteering from the journalist. They should have been talking about what matters – the car , the sensational abilities, the feel. And the powersteering is super, by the way. But a journalist is not in the mode to buy and live with the car , they will sell their article – but of course. We buyers and users are much more interested in everything about the car. I must say that I read a lot of the magazines, especially those available online. The reading gives me a lot of useful information and inspiration. Thanks to the journalists and car testers.

We have constantly been praising the cars running the twisty Norwegians roads, and Nürburgring a couple of times each year. Not much difference between the 3.4 end the 3.8 actually, the feeling is the same. Of course my 4wd gives a more stable car, better winter traction and a little more torque and power. The Carrera is more alive and steered more by the throttle. – what more to wish for? But the feeling in the two cars is the same, a sharp drivers car with rev nymph engine. A real difference is in the sportsuspension, you get extra contact with the road and the car gets better turn-in. Also the 4wd steals a little turn-in. You have to try it back to back to discover those differences.

This brings me to my point. Has the 911 gone Girly? The society is definitely getting there. Look at all the slim, fit and perfectly dressed guys at all ages, almost as «pretty» as girls. Not a hair lays wrong - and just as obsessed by shoes, clothes and appearance as most of the girls. Can`t blame them - they are under heavy pressure by the civilized world. When I was young those boys was a rare sight. Now it`s common - and apparently status. Don’t take this part to serious - I`m old and not up to date - and just envious.

My 13 mod. 991 4S crashed heavy at the autobahn heading for the Nürburgring 2. time this year. As my head hit the airbag I thought «no driving at the Ring tomorrow». No one was injured, thanks to modern cars. Scary when a car in front of you changes lane without understandable motive and signs. 1 second - and .

So I bought the 991.2 4S with sportsuspension, sportexhaust and 4wsteering. Took off for a week in Norway to test the car. Along with me my friend was driving his new 991.1 GTS. It gave my plenty of opportunities to test the cars back to back. Driving mine, his , mine again and so on.

The new engine is so efficient. It shoots you out of the twisty turns with such speed and early power. Perfectly control of the turbo power gives you immediate power and speed out of the bends. Definitively a faster car than the 991.1. The early power, the new even lower chassis, the sharper PDK gearbox, better dampers, the better lighter more quiet N1 Pirelli P Zero`s, the 4wsteering all together makes the car very fast, safe and efficient. The engine sound at start-up is as good as 991.1. At sporty acceleration and engine braking the engine and sportexhaust has a lovely sound. It`s a fantastic car. Its doing whatever you want - a dream car. I`m sure it would have been fast and still feeling safe around the Nürburgring, just like the .

So what’s the problem, where is the Girly part?
The car is boring when you don’t push it. No sound, no vibrations from the engine, no engine braking - no nothing. It has transformed to a car my dull friends could can learn to love. Quiet and polite. And they will love it and buy it - Porsche knows their markets, and the way to new customers and increased profit. Soon everyone will have a Porsche, but not caused by my obsession of driving. They will appear sporty, quality seeking and young in mind - and they certainly do in a Porsche. Bring the good stuff to the people - inspire them - they deserve the best.

But Porsche leaves me in a terrible dilemma (a luxury problem of course). I want the fastest , lowest, best looking (Girly part) and most technical advanced product. 4wsteering, high power low consumption, Car Play, head-up, night-vision, 48V el turbo and so on. But I don’t want to lose the feeling of a car and engine full of steroids. Like the hauling high revving engine of 991.1. Going through the gears when driving is a pleasure every time, the revving never stops - can this be real you think when the engine refuse to change gear as it flies by 7000 rpm. The sportexhaust note is fantastic and loud. The 991.2 shifts mostly before 5000 because its most efficient - but it’s no fun. Why do you have to spoil all the fun Porsche? It`s not all about numbers - it’s what we feel when we drive. At a race track its most important to be fastest, for me in real life it’s about repeating the sports car drive experience again and again, feeling like «a race driver», but on the safe side - only competing with myself - to get the feel-good running around my brain.

Give us a 991.2 non-turbo engine for the enthusiasts, like the 991R and the GTS.
Or perhaps a smaller non-turbo with a little hybrid? Then the consumption and pollution numbers would be right.

I went back to the 991.1 GTS. I was forced to choose, can’t have everything.
But I have experienced the future – when will the new best be launched?

Don’t leave me this way.

Thanks Porsche for all your inspiring cars! Makes me work harder.

 

They sure lost something brother! :-)

 

Great review Think I'll stay with the GTS T

 

Amazing review and input!
Thank you!

 

Thanks, looking forward to test the GTS at the Ring. My crashed 4s didn't have sportsuspension - looking forward to experience the new car at this fantastic track. Nice color at your car.

 

Thanks for the replies, I`m worried for the future, isn't anyone else? No opinions of whats happening? You guys love small turbo engines?

 

I'm worried just as you are. Last year my wife got a 2016 BMW M3 after having driven the predeceding normally-aspirated one for several years. The engine of the new one has much more torque, more power, essentially no turbo lag. It's a considerably faster car, but it just doesn't tick my boxes the way the previous one did. I find that there is less involvement in driving it. The instant torque makes for a somewhat artificial sense of driving. It also makes one a lazy driver. I miss the old one. I'll hang on to my 991 S for a few more years and then see what Porsche, or anyone else, has to offer.

 

My friend also had the new M3, but changed to a 991GTS - same story here - efficent but a little boring. Well, we are the lucky once - we know what we want - and do what it takes to get there. The others don`t know what they are missing.

 

LJ, you made the right choice and you are so right about the 911 as an experience, I could not have said any better.

Yes, the world and companies in general are going soft and vanilla. They are losing quality customers for volume and since there is no free trade in anything in life, in this case the product suffers. That's why my '12 E92 M3 is probably my last M car and my '16 991.1 GTS 7MT probably my last Porsche. I have owned plenty of cars including new turbo ones ('13 F10 M5) and have test driven the mentioned here new M3, M4, 991.2 C2S, .... and the new type of cars today are just too numb and heavy , full of gadgets and driver nannies. And yes they all have turbo lag though they have been improved and if you keep them revving high is almost negligable.

We all understand that for most people it is a good thing, all comforts while getting easy and accesible performance but for enthusiats it does not. The main reason for it and I have mentioned in other forums is that humans have senses, when you take these out you get manipulated human robots. For me it is all about the senses hearing, touching, feeling, smelling and that sometimes means not being comfortable sometimes and working for those sensations which is rewarding. This why todays real enthusiasts are going back to basics which is old school weight reduction not the current horsepower war.

Actually the most raw car I own is a '03 AP1 S2000, light, great manual gearbox and no stability control. So for now I will keep these three cars as I can't find much new out there days that really interest me, if anything I will add other cars with NA engines even if they are older. These high rpm engines are magnificent, the S65 V8 and the F20C I4 are engineering jewels, they will most likely never make them like that again....though humans are known to make mistakes and go back to what really works....

 

I guess I'm one of the people who value some comfort and isolation in a 911. I recently drove a C2 .1 without PASM or PSE. I found the ride hard on less than perfect roads and noisy on less than perfect pavement. The engine noise piped in from the engine compartment under full acceleration at highway speeds made me want to take my foot off etc gas. But I'm an old guy, pushing 59 years.

So, I'm going to order a 991.2 C2 base. With standard adaptive suspension, it rides better and is more comfortable over rough roads. Tire roar is reduced. Acceleration is more than I will ever use and in the Sport/Sport + modes, I can let the engine spin to my hearts content whenever I want.

Thanks Porsche, for a better daily driver.

 

And you will get it in the 991.2, it`s a lovely car. Better for everyday driving and talking in the phone also. I also hate the useless road noise, and its much better in the 991.2, partly also because of the next generation Pirelli P Zero N1 that these cars is equipped with. It says "The quiet tire.
The tread pattern design was conceived to reduce cabin noise, improving driving comfort. The transverse grooves are purposefully arranged in an out of order sequence, disrupting air percussion noise to distribute sound over various frequencies, thus minimizing volume."http://www.pirelli.com/tire/us/en/ne...o-in-portugal/
Witch color will you go for at the car? The sport exhaust is really a must, then you can choose. Its very quiet , and when open - broom broom. And it looks nice with the center exhaust pipes.

 

great write up op.

 

My build:

http://www.porsche-code.com/PHJV1FG6

The other possible colour is GT Silver

 

It looks fantastic in white. Perfect config. The GT silver is also nice, the colour changes a little according to the surroundings. But white is very clean and nice. Have you tested the seats for a drive? Like 30 minutes? The 18-ways seats is the best comfort I think. Go for ventilated seats anyway - its addicting. Take the adaptive cruise , then you get the automatic radar based emergency brake - you never know.Take a look at the carbon interior, and leather with silver stitching on the dash. Its worth at though.

 

Gotta keep that in mind my next tire swap.