997 "S" PDK Gets Bronze

[sawood12]

This is one of the things I like about 911's. They seem to always end up in group tests in which they are punching above their weight. The GT-R is really a 997 turbo/Lambo Gallardo equivalent. And the R8 is alot more expensive and more powerful than a 997. Also you have to take alot of these group tests with of pinch of salt. For example when the R8 first came out it was pretty much neck and neck with the 1st gen 997 C2. Now with PDK, improved chassis, direct injection and more power it has to be a step ahead in performance terms. I really hate these road tests that say things to the effect of "well the 911 is the better performing car but the R8 wins". It dis-credits the test. Anyway, I had read that one magazine dyno'd the GT-R it was given by Nissan and it was ouputting significantly more power than advertised (around 580bhp if my memory serves me right). So that might go someway to explain the sheer lenghts that the GT-R seems to muller it's opponents. It was always going to be inevitable that the competition would eventually catch up with Porsche. The relentless march of technology has meant that you could probably get a camper van to lap the ring as quick as a 911 while you wife was in the back making a cup of tea. At the end of the day the 911 is still punching above its weight and it is doing it with alot less technology shoehorned in. The 997's 4wd and active suspension is pretty rudimentary compared with that of the R8's and GT-R's. For example PASM is really a case of yesterdays technology today - afterall, all it does is vary the damping rate (and from what I understand only between two specific settings rather than being infinately variable) whereas other active suspension systems varies spring rates, anti-roll bar rates and ride height. And the with the GT2, Porsche is still messing around with 40yr old mechanical friction plate LSD's, where Ferrari are honing their space-aged E-diff. There is a hell of alot of technology and development to go into the 911 yet. Porsche are being very shrewed and calculated in the rate it introduces these extra bits of technology.

 

[richardheeley]

I'm afraid I don't entirely agree with you about Porsche unfairly being asked to punch above its weight. Isn't the GT-R significantly cheaper than the 997? Isn't it the GT-R that's punching above its weight (at least cost wise)? To be honest I don't like the look of the GT-R and it doesn't appeal to me at all, although, I must admit the R8 does. I think it's time Porsche put some of its profits back into product and gave us some decent value for money. Richard.

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: richardheeley I think it's time Porsche put some of its profits back into product and gave us some decent value for money. Richard.

Won't happen all the while the buying public are prepared to pay top $ for whatever Porsche bean counters want to offer in return If sales dived like they did back in the last "credit crunch" [] [just love that saying why use one word with an R when you can use two words with two R's] 90-93 then the design department may be allowed to go mad and give us MY15 in MY10

 

[sawood12]

ORIGINAL: richardheeley I'm afraid I don't entirely agree with you about Porsche unfairly being asked to punch above its weight. Isn't the GT-R significantly cheaper than the 997? Isn't it the GT-R that's punching above its weight (at least cost wise)? To be honest I don't like the look of the GT-R and it doesn't appeal to me at all, although, I must admit the R8 does. I think it's time Porsche put some of its profits back into product and gave us some decent value for money. Richard.

Its a bit unfair to blame Porsche for its 911 pricing strategy - afteral what other car company spends as much on developing its products so extensively prior to launch (all those miles and laps round the ring?). Afterall the R8 is about £20k more expensive than a 997 (and I suspect more expensive than Audi would have liked it to have been) and the AMV8 fell well short of Fords promise of a 911 killer for 911 money - when in actual fact it was £20k more expensive and slower. Seems to me that no other manufacturer is capable of building a similar car (in terms of blending performance with everyday practicalities) for the same money let alone less. It is clear that the GT-R is as a loss leader. It has to be. Afterall who would buy an £80k Datsun no matter how fast it was? The Mitsubishi Evo 9 didn't knock the 911 off its perch even though it was faster and half the price - though had the build quality of a Kinder Egg Surprise toy. We shouldn't loose heart in the old girl yet, even tough the competition is nipping at her heals. It is competitively priced (GT-R excepted), has much much more to give and I have no doubt it will out live its current competition.

 

[spyderman]

[link=http://fifthgear.five.tv/]Fifth Gear[/link] have just shown a comparison between the "new" 911 Turbo and Nissan GT-R, both driven by Ayrton Senna's nephew Bruno. On a wet track, the GTR won by only 1/2 second. Bruno said the 911 felt a bit light at the front. Probably won't be available as a replay until next week.