Corvette vs Porsche - my thoughts after test drive
#1
03-02-2010, 11:51 AM
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Corvette vs Porsche - my thoughts after test drive
Hello all – thought I would post my Corvette vs. Porsche thoughts after a test drive in a slightly used 997 TT with only 3000 miles on it. Please note that these are simply my thoughts and observations and that I am by no means an expert on facts for either car or on the automotive world as a whole.
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Over the past couple years I have owned a couple of C6 Z06s, but I never was a Corvette guy. I landed on the Z when it came time to buy a sports car again since I was drawn to their arguably unbeatable value in terms of performance for the dollar. I had however always dreamed of owning a Porsche and I have very clear memories of staring for an eternity at a picture of a rear ¾ view of a 993 turbo about to take to the road in an old Road and Track special issue titled “Supercars”. I always found myself wondering about the Turbo and have been entertaining thoughts of acquiring one and ultimately likely selling the Z.
<o></o>
Yesterday a local dealer who knew I had been looking asked me if I wanted to take out the black 997 TT they had for sale and I couldn’t resist. The streets are mainly clear here now after weeks of a fairly mild winter and I set out to satisfy as much of my curiosity as I could in a 45 min test drive. Here are my thoughts.
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The adaptive sports seats are incredible. People always criticize the Corvette interior and specifically the seats for good reason, but short of a specialized aftermarket race seat I’m not sure a better bucket exists – especially for all around potentially daily driver purposes.
<o></o>
I was surprised to notice side to side movement in the shift lever of the Porsche. I didn’t notice it while driving, but just seemed to have a little more play than I would have expected from a precision high dollar car.
<o></o>
I fit in a Porsche. I am 6’2” 230 lbs and though I’m sure I might look a little big for the car, I was actually very very comfortable in it. I will say however that the smaller cabin space vs. the C6 was noticeable and I wonder about knocking elbows on the times I had a like-sized passenger on board. I also think it’s a bit of a paradox that the car feels smaller but is actually heavier than the Z?!?!? The Porsche though to its credit does have two additional seats that I could shuttle my kids to the ice cream store in on a nice summer day!
<o></o>
After taking a minute and trying not to panic, I eventually find reverse (the diagram says it’s over here on the left …). Heading out I immediately notice how freely this 3.6L engine revs. And the car feels nimble. I mean it’s hard to explain since the Corvette suspension, and most sports car suspensions feel taught and responsive by their very nature of course, but not like this. This thing felt like a cat that was about to pounce. Maybe the steering feel that I read about people praising the Porsche for is partly responsible.
<o></o>
The sound is pretty awesome – even with just the factory exhaust. Quiet with just a dull murmur at idle, but climbing to a nice pitch in unison with the RPMs. By contrast I’m in the process of trying to find ways to quiet my Corvette with full aftermarket exhaust down at all levels – as well as eliminate some drone.
<o></o>
Throttle response was awesome. Turbo lag was never evident to me and the cat about to pounce analogy come to mind again. When you want to go – this thing GOES. Of course the naturally aspirated LS7 in my Corvette responds as well, and is a beautifully efficient engine at any RPM, but maybe it was the Porsche suspension that made this car feel more agile and responsive? Not sure.
<o></o>
First sweeping corner now and I decide to upshift a bit early and hold some revs into it so I can fire out the other side. I do. And WOW – I didn’t expect the rear end to be sliding out so easily!!! Maybe it had just been a loooong winter since my last days in the Vette or on the track, but it did catch me a little off guard. My mild steering correction combined with the PASM reacted very quickly to right the ship and I was again pushed to the back of the seat. The need for 3<SUP>rd</SUP> comes very quickly and I’m already exceeding the speed limit so I back off. Impressive.
<o></o>
In all, both cars are awesome in their own right. For the budget conscious customer still looking for the utmost in performance it is hard to beat the Z06, but I can now also see where the added cost to get into a comparable 911 turbo goes. I guess (and maybe this is very obvious to some) it’s a lot like why I decided I loved European cars after buying my first Audi. German engineering, more refinement, greater styling, and I get to pretend I’m that guy in the old magazine about to head out onto the open road. What a feeling …
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o></o>Over the past couple years I have owned a couple of C6 Z06s, but I never was a Corvette guy. I landed on the Z when it came time to buy a sports car again since I was drawn to their arguably unbeatable value in terms of performance for the dollar. I had however always dreamed of owning a Porsche and I have very clear memories of staring for an eternity at a picture of a rear ¾ view of a 993 turbo about to take to the road in an old Road and Track special issue titled “Supercars”. I always found myself wondering about the Turbo and have been entertaining thoughts of acquiring one and ultimately likely selling the Z.
<o
></o>Yesterday a local dealer who knew I had been looking asked me if I wanted to take out the black 997 TT they had for sale and I couldn’t resist. The streets are mainly clear here now after weeks of a fairly mild winter and I set out to satisfy as much of my curiosity as I could in a 45 min test drive. Here are my thoughts.
<o
></o>The adaptive sports seats are incredible. People always criticize the Corvette interior and specifically the seats for good reason, but short of a specialized aftermarket race seat I’m not sure a better bucket exists – especially for all around potentially daily driver purposes.
<o
></o>I was surprised to notice side to side movement in the shift lever of the Porsche. I didn’t notice it while driving, but just seemed to have a little more play than I would have expected from a precision high dollar car.
<o
></o>I fit in a Porsche. I am 6’2” 230 lbs and though I’m sure I might look a little big for the car, I was actually very very comfortable in it. I will say however that the smaller cabin space vs. the C6 was noticeable and I wonder about knocking elbows on the times I had a like-sized passenger on board. I also think it’s a bit of a paradox that the car feels smaller but is actually heavier than the Z?!?!? The Porsche though to its credit does have two additional seats that I could shuttle my kids to the ice cream store in on a nice summer day!
<o
></o>After taking a minute and trying not to panic, I eventually find reverse (the diagram says it’s over here on the left …). Heading out I immediately notice how freely this 3.6L engine revs. And the car feels nimble. I mean it’s hard to explain since the Corvette suspension, and most sports car suspensions feel taught and responsive by their very nature of course, but not like this. This thing felt like a cat that was about to pounce. Maybe the steering feel that I read about people praising the Porsche for is partly responsible.
<o
></o>The sound is pretty awesome – even with just the factory exhaust. Quiet with just a dull murmur at idle, but climbing to a nice pitch in unison with the RPMs. By contrast I’m in the process of trying to find ways to quiet my Corvette with full aftermarket exhaust down at all levels – as well as eliminate some drone.
<o
></o>Throttle response was awesome. Turbo lag was never evident to me and the cat about to pounce analogy come to mind again. When you want to go – this thing GOES. Of course the naturally aspirated LS7 in my Corvette responds as well, and is a beautifully efficient engine at any RPM, but maybe it was the Porsche suspension that made this car feel more agile and responsive? Not sure.
<o
></o>First sweeping corner now and I decide to upshift a bit early and hold some revs into it so I can fire out the other side. I do. And WOW – I didn’t expect the rear end to be sliding out so easily!!! Maybe it had just been a loooong winter since my last days in the Vette or on the track, but it did catch me a little off guard. My mild steering correction combined with the PASM reacted very quickly to right the ship and I was again pushed to the back of the seat. The need for 3<SUP>rd</SUP> comes very quickly and I’m already exceeding the speed limit so I back off. Impressive.
<o
></o>In all, both cars are awesome in their own right. For the budget conscious customer still looking for the utmost in performance it is hard to beat the Z06, but I can now also see where the added cost to get into a comparable 911 turbo goes. I guess (and maybe this is very obvious to some) it’s a lot like why I decided I loved European cars after buying my first Audi. German engineering, more refinement, greater styling, and I get to pretend I’m that guy in the old magazine about to head out onto the open road. What a feeling …
THANKS for the review 
#3
03-02-2010, 12:18 PM
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Nice to see a review and not a Porsche vs <STRIKE>GT-R</STRIKE> Vette thread... Thanks for taking the time to do it. I would agree that the Vette is a hard car to beat for value and performance if fast is what you really want.
To me ( like you seem to have found out ) the Porsche is a total driving experience.
A person can't really describe it, you just have to drive it to understand.
To me ( like you seem to have found out ) the Porsche is a total driving experience.
A person can't really describe it, you just have to drive it to understand.
#4
03-02-2010, 01:14 PM
Thanks for the nice unbiased write up man. I enjoyed reading it.
Hopefully I can write up my own impressions when I get more time in the 997TT since I owned a C6 Z06 for almost a year.
Hopefully I can write up my own impressions when I get more time in the 997TT since I owned a C6 Z06 for almost a year.
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