That does seem odd, unless they are covering up something new?

 

yeah but that´s true Porsche philosphy.
buttons instead of I-drive, MMI all-in-on solutions. the shortest ways, direct, from button to function.

 

I agree with everything here but the 7 speed. It'd be great to have OD for highways. That's how they achieve the major mileage improvements.

As an aside, I had a Lexus LS460 with electronic parking brake. I had two separate issues with it. 1.) The battery died once while it was engaged and I had to work on it for 45 minutes (remove the spare tire and some other bits to manually unscrew the brake) to disengage 2.) The unit broke once (separate issue) and I had to had to actually break it more, per the dealer, to disengage and drive it to the shop.

 

I cant believe it, this is what I have been waiting for , i'm not a happy camper, I guess let me put in my order for a drop audi R8 instead, and get back my 1000 deposit, so far no good my .02 cents. But i will wait for the final results in sept....

 

I am fairly new to the Porsche family, but it seems to me this is the direction the sales numbers are driving Porsche to. If my memory serves, current 911 sales have a 60%+ take rate for PDK, and only 10% or less of Carrera owners track the cars. I would wait to see what kind of package they put together for the GT3 before we start pronouncing the death of the 911 as a pure sports car.

Although I agree electronic steering and parking brake would not be my choice.

 

My thoughts exactly. Loyal 911 owner for 4 years but I don't like the direction Porsche is going with the 991. I'll render my verdict when I get to drive the 991 but Audi R8 is looking more attractive the more I read about the 991.

 

There's always that component and it's only human nature, but some of us react to what is a significant inflection point in the 911 evolution. These are: longer WB, electric steering, electric e-brake, sedan-like interior, to name the most important. These 3 items alone are a major departure from the classic sports car design. Putting aside the all-in-the-rear still unique architecture, what distinguishes the 991 from GTs offered by MB, AM, Jag, Audi?

I would hail the new car if it had the same WB or smaller, tidier/simplified interior, smaller size, and no added electronic gizmos (which add nothing to sport driving and perhaps lessen it). These changes are favoring the boulevard driver who buys Porsche for the badge and enviro concerns - that's all.

P.S. - 20" rims on the S? What's the sport value on that?

 

I need to test drive of course but your post is spot on in many ways.

 

I'm quite sure the the 991 will be an improvement but some things I'm still unsure about. At the moment, they seem a step back to me:

Electric E-Brake
With the "Old-style" handbrake, I always had peace of mind I could pull on it and it would always work regardless of the state of the battery, keys in ignition, or any other variable. Plus, there was the satisfying clicking of locking the brake when exiting the car.

20" inch wheels
I think this is a marketing effort to show more "bling". Bigger wheels mean more unsprung weight, meaning less performance (Rubber is lighter than steel). Still hope we can run smaller wheels.

7 speed manual
I think this is great and a major improvement over the 997. When you're cruising on the interstate (say around 85 mph, between LA and San Francisco), it's nice not to have the motor droning around 3,500-4,000 RPM). Plus, you'd have major fuel savings too.

Updated interior/electronics
If you read many postings here, you see many users complain how dated their Porsche electronics feel compared to MB, BMW, Honda, Nissan, etc. Better Bluetooth profiles, Navigation options, customizable settings are what the next generation of buyers are clamoring for. I think this is overall a good thing as it will let us enjoy the car more (i.e. better NAV which helps us find and avoid traffic jams).

Let's wait and see how things turn out in the fall.

 

I'm still expecting (and hoping) that the next GT3 will have a true 7 speed close-ratio manual - it would benefit a bunch from that (narrow power band requires close ratios for best performance). Hoping for top speed to be achieved in 7th at power peak (~8k revs), unlike PDK where top speed is in 6th gear.

 

Anyone hear what the width will be? Will C2/C2S grow to the former width of the C4S?

 

I think I read somewhere that the widebody will be used for the S (both C2S and C4S) and the C2 and C4 will use the old narrow width, instead of using widebody for the AWD cars.

 

I doubt you'd feel the difference of a 2.5% change in power and a 1.4% change in weight.

 

Those two combined equate to an additional passenger in the car...which I definitely notice the difference in feel when I'm driving mine.

 

With regard to straight-line acceleration, I calculated it'd be about like having a passenger who weighed 128 pounds. Not impossible to feel that in a 3,200 pound car, but not easy either.

For handling and braking, it'd be like having a 45 pound passenger.