GT3 would score even less point cuz it ain't got no rear seat.

 

Suppose the comparison car had been the 997S instead of the 997tt . Dollar for dollar the M3 = Cayman S = No contest (in my opinion) . So how about the 997S ....

The M3 weakness goes is the awful gearbox (sloppy). The 997S lacks the straight line speed unless its modded .

On the track the M3 might give it a heck of a run .
The facelift would erase a lot of this for the 997s --keep in mind the car was launched in August 04 (as an 05 model) and has been relatively unchanged.

I still feel that the 997S is the better car !!!!

BUT -- i also feel that the M3 ought not be so good that its this debatable. Look at it cream the 997S on a rolling start . Ok so the driver was heavy set and the car had two passengers , Also it looked like the M3 got the jump .
Nonethless it did cream it ... Period !

M3 vs 997S-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isBoU_Is24g&feature=user

As for a stock 997tt . The stock suspension and pre ECU software lag is an issue . As well the stock exhaust is simply too quiet and heavy . It would beat the M3 but at double the price it should not only beat the M3 but cook dinner for the driver and it does NOT do that .

The M comes stock quite decently.

Conclusion -- Porsche remained a benchmark because they have always risen to the challenge of the competion . The new cars are not playing games in terms of delivering quality performance . The fact that the tuners have kept Porsche ahead of its competitors shows that it can be done . In my opinion it should have come from the factory better prepared.

 

Well actually the R&T article Z06 vs TT vs GTR has the TT faster at the 1/4, and Edmunds' testing noted that the TT would pull away slowly on a head to head. Every favorable accel test of the GTR is with LC from a dead stop, which not only has been shown to be quirky (One Lap 12.8s 1/4) but also of no use when rolling. I do think all the early test cars were "specials." Even MT tested an early/special 997tt and shot off a 3.2s 0-60 and a 11.4s 1/4 mile. Its never been matched since.

I think in most street run-offs with the supposed competition - Z06, TT, Viper - the GTR will be notably outpaced. Even some of the NAGTROC guys who have recently driven Z06's are starting to wonder how a GTR could possibly even keep up to that beast. They are talking about limiting runs to 30-50 or 30-70mph, and avoiding any pulls outside that narrow sweet spot.

I think that when the GTR makes it to track days, the competition will already be running tweaked alignments & suspensions, their drivers will have far more seat time in their cars, and the new guy is going to wonder why he's not 5 seconds ahead per lap as anticipated. Most track rats know the driver accounts for far more than the car.

The reality of the GTR may be that it will live up to the early hype. Even if it is close, it is a victory for Nissan and for auto enthusiasts in general. Porsche enjoys more competition, and we all benefit from more competition. If it falls far short though with tranny and engine issues, then I imagine a scene analogous to some FNG with a Godzilla t-shirt bursting into a popular hangout screaming he is the new king only to slip on a puddle and land on his face while everyone starts laughing.

Lastly, I remember when the E36M3 first came out all the mags proclaimed it the winner over cars that would kill it in performance tests. They claimed the car had a direct connection and feel that was unmatched. They were right and I cherished my E36M3 until I got the 997tt.

 

My first car, that I learned how to drive with was a 5spd 1984 735i so I love bimmers and fell in love with the sound of that inline 6(and have always have had a soft spot them ever since)...But regarding magazines maybe when i was a teenager...now?pfff,booooring,can't be bothered...
not to mention how purely mercantile they have become being primarily aimed at fanboys:ie
Those that can DO while those that can't...read and rant about it...

 

FUNNY!!!!
This comparison along with many many comparisons will be made for many years to come.
All I can say is this....
To all M3 owners...
When I pull up to you at a traffic light, I have no desire to race. I know that I have a car that you could only wish you owned. You chose to buy a car that was "more affordable" than a 911. Better performance? Whatever. We are driving on a state street/highway with a speed limit of 50-75mph. 911 is the "superior" car. No matter what you say, think or feel.
If we were on a track? then we'd race and probably the better driver would win. But as one of the prevous members stated, this would be less than 1% of the time.

So, please stop the comparisons!!!
If you must go this far, then what about the Atomic 80? It blows away ANY freaking street car!!!!!
Just save up some money and get a 911....
You will sleep better at night...
I do..

 

excuse my ignorance,
what is a 'fanboy'?

 

M3's are great cars. My previous car was a 2002 m3. I (like so many others) upgraded from an m3 to a porsche turbo. These cars should never be compared. The porsche is in a completely different league than the m3.

 

996tt and even more so 997tt are in a different game, let alone league than an m3. no comparison, this is a JOKE of a test. sure the m3 is more practical, but its not as fun (albeit very fun), and is nowhere near the supercar performance status that a 911 turbo is. its that simple.

 

I don't have a 997TT, just a lowly 997S. Even I do not have the slightest thought of trading "down" to an M3. This comparison test by C & D is an insult to cars lovers.

 

This C & D test reminds me of the Consumers Reports car tests that find Toyota Yaris the better vehicle than the Ferrari because of the superior gas mileage.

 

1) reads magazines and decides that a car is superior to another
2) posts incesssantly how the new car can beat the old standard
3) has a poster of Danica and Miley Cyrus above his bed
4) gets an allowance

 

I get your point, but: did you test drive your 997TT before buying? I didn't, and I think most people that drive '07 cars did not.

You shouldn't believe everything in every mag, but at some point reasonable people make decisions based on the emerging consensus. Having just ordered a GT-R, that's my logic and I'm sticking to it. ;-)

 

C&D is clearly made up of engineers who are more concerned with cup holders and arm rests than actually driving the car. That magazine has been dead since David E. Davis, Jr. left.

 

well said! if youre concerned about cup holders, and trunk space, and rear seats, Porsches, Ferraris, and Lambos are prob not the car for you. its funny when people who drive m3s say, 'well i can hold two adults in the rear' and then subsequently tell you 'i never let anyone sit in the back'

 

magazines ALWAYS have an agenda.