There is some jerkiness at that range, that is true, but overall I think it's worth it. Just look at the stats, a non S with PDK will accelerate to 60 quicker than a manual S model, at least on paper...

According to the dealership, this will be the first year that auto will be sold more then manual. It's also a matter of time for Porsche to have only PDK, like it or not...

 

John -
The jerkiness is removed if you opt for manual mode . I tend to drive roads like US1 in Florida where it's a 45 Mph speed limit up to a light . The next light is never far away . at 51 years old nausea would set in like in an amusement park ride . Manual relieves that . Yet on the highway sport auto finds the right gear nearly every time for passing and I can override it too. The only complaint about sport auto is that at 55 MPH it won;t remain in 7th even when override applies yet at the same time 55 MPH does not have the RPM's too high. The car is great on gas .

I believe that at some point the PDK will evolve even more to accomodate the tremendous variety of driving circumstances. At present it seems to nail very slow and very fast driving perfectly .

It's leaps and bounds over a manual or a tiptronic . The manual gives the driver gear selection authority .. the only problem is the driver can;t get to it as efficiently or as quicly as PDK . Plus at slow stop and go the clutch becomesa hindrance and on a launch the computer PDK will slam dunk the manual .
The traditional tiptronic lacks the precise interraction as the car really comes more like a full auomatic rather than an automanual PDK.

Your 997 car is awesome. At 68K you really scored . You'll have fun exploring PDK . I'm still learning but have taken a lot of time to think and reflect on it as i am going.
Plus I still have my Evt700 Turbo and that's a manual so I have both cars to contrast too.

 

Good tip, I'm gonna try it next week. I'm only in my second day driving it and coming back from work I passed by at least 4 cops w/ radar. They tend to have little patience with P-cars around here, so I didin't abuse it-yet.

Interestingly, the suspension actually feels harder than my 987s w/ PASM and 19". According to the Porsche operational book, the "soft" range with PASM is actually softer than the conventional suspension. That explains why they can drop 1" and add 19" wheels.

As I reviewed their book, one think came to mind. I think the S and non S models are close now for saving production costs... Just my opinion...

 

For you maybe true.

Yes, the 0-60 is faster and it shifts quicker than a person.

But it also minimizes driver involvement.

Whats the point of driving a sports car and being less involved in driving it.

IMO you want to enjoy a porsche to the fullest; get a manual. You'll have more fun than the 0.1-0.2 seconds the PDK saves you in a straight line.

 

I agree with that, my point about the PDK is the tremendous advance in automatic. In my particular case, the car available had it and for the price I got it the optionals wouldn't matter much, I would even accept wood interior (imho, argh). At least it is black, normally the "good deals" are either underware blue or eco green.

 

I can not see how you claim "minimizes driver involvement" . I almost wonder if you have even driven the car . Just because the manner of involvement is not the same does not mean one can label the entire experience less or more .. it's simply different .

Sure in gridlock traffic in normal auto mode there is less interraction but that's a good thing . No one likes pushing the clutch at 5MPH stop and go.
Likewise slicing through gears and even deciding which mode to choose from is more interractive.

My feeling is that on the whole the transmissions just differ . In my case it's not an either /or decision . I have both . That's what i feel it takes to cover more ground with thse cars . I even think two cars isn't enough but I do have to set a limit somewhere.

 

I have only driven the PDK on a test drive. Not a track where the experience might, and I say might be different.

But there is certainly less driver involvement then when you drive a stick. It's silly to even debate this. With a manual you need to be on your mark to make sure you use the power of the engine, miss the mark and you know it......the PDK can make sure you never miss the mark. It does the work for you.


You stated it was "leaps and bounds over a manual and a step..."

Its certainly better tranny than a step...but it just different than a manual....not better.

 

For many years educators felt that handing a student a calculator made him less involved yet in recent times caluclators , and computer technology bypassed the dry computation and opened the door to quick application.

Ask a person to type 1+1 =2 in a calculator and he might reach the answer quicker in his head so just because one has technology doesn't mean its always faster either .
All it means is that a new tool enters the frey.

Such is the case with PDK . There are times where the technology is simply a tool to reach greater horizons .

Just as dry computation could limit a person without technology so could a person stalling in first gear but why would that matter ? A car in itself is a piece of technology and now it has some new offerings .

 

greater horizons?...maybe.

The car can outdrive the driver. Where's the fun? Where's the involvement?

Your might reach greater horizons in a PDK because the computer does it for you and you are less involved. Less human error. That's my point.

PDK will probable make someone a faster driver on the track..esp if you can't shift well or if you shift too late; etc. Concentrate on the turn in point and let the computer handle a tough part.

But does it make you a better driver?

Now I don't think its a bad thing if you want to go fast and leave part of driving experience out of the equation. Get a PDK.

But don't try to convince me that driving a PDK is involved as driving a manual. Its not.

 

I grew up only driving manual cars, my first auto was just a couple of years ago, I really dislike it (Passat W8). MB was a little better but not much. The manual 6 on my missed 987s w/ short shifter was a dream to drive. Sure it is more involving, no question about it.

Porsche is releasing a 8 gear PDK on the Cayenne and Panamera hybrids. There is a rumor that in the next 5-8 years they pretend to phase out manual shift completely to reduce costs and emissions. IMHO, that's not a reason to get PDK or any other new technology, but eventually it wont matter what we prefer but what will be economically interesting for the factories to sell.
Vinyl was more involving than CDs as well.

 

The car itself is a form of transporation requiring less involvement than a a horse and carriage, or a bicycle, or walking. If one really gets down to transportation "involvement" walking is the most basic and beyond that one relies on technology .

In the manual cars computers run the engine and yet I don't see the die hard manual only crowd opting to return to the simplcity of earlier cars .

Likewise the die hard PDK crowd seem almost equally adamant that this technology is the key to Porsches quest for "precision driving" .

My view is that both have strenghts and weakness. I can look at both for what they are and enjoy both .

However .. given two drivers of equal skill .. the PDK will give an advantage . It can do what an automatic does and it can also do what a manual does without some of the weaknesses of both .

It still needs to evolve yet considering that its in its first year on Porsche street cars .. it has opened quite a few eyes .

I feel discussions like these are good . I do urge you to at least spend some time in a PDK car beyond a test drive though . I feel it at least provide time for you to either reafirm this bias or reduce it .

 

Congrats on your new car! Great deal. I too, have a 987S manuel that is going back in Nov (off lease) and picked up an 09 Carrera with 19's. The Boxster S is an absolute blast and I'm extremely pleased so far with the 911. You definitely feel the power difference and I'm still breaking it in, so haven't really tested it. I don't feel I need the additional power of the "S" especially with the new upgrade to the engine on the 09.

I recommend the 19's though; looks great on the 911 and the extra traction is nice with the wider rears.

 

I want 19" wheels like the next guy, but for the deal I got I dont get to pick the optionals. Aftermarket exists for that...

Agree wth the difference to the S cant justify the price difference. I tried one, they cost at the time I got mine, between 88-95 coupe, at least 100 for the cab. There was a 44mile demo cab with MSRP of 115 going for 96, but again, too much difference to my 987.
The best deals I could find on eBay or Autotrader normally exclude the 1.9%, that I liked and needed. If you can deal with the current 6+% APR here or have the money ready to go, they offered me a Cab base with 92 k MSRP for 75. The S cab 100k MSRP for 90k. Well, I could wait and get the money, but the deal on the coupe was just too good to let go...
Let us know how the breaking goes, I'm a little hesitant to abuse the car, used launch control only once so far...

One good thing compared to the 987, baby seat on the back, my 15 month old boy loved the noise and when I stepped in, he was absolutely thrilled...

 

The "back seat" is one of the reasons I got my 911. My 20 month old son absolutely loves sitting in the back; loves the sound of the engine and exhaust!!

 

Yeah, 911s are pratically family cars...Some friends that drive minivans could not understand how I could drive a 987. It's simple, travel light, leave the wive, kids, in laws in another car or even better at home.