oceancarrera
New member
I haven't had so much time on forums of late due to relentless work and family commitments the past couple of years. A couple of weekends ago, I was offered another 911 by my friendly OPC and then debated briefly with a friend on whether a new car would be a good idea (especially during these times)... and as he said, sometimes such opportunities come along and you just need to take them. And so this past weekend I collected a 997.2 Turbo S - my first 911 Turbo of any generation. I am grateful for the chance to now share some initial thoughts on the TurboS, and in comparison to my previous runner - a 7.2 GTS4. Previous 911s included a 993 and a 6.1GT3.
After driving Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshires' finest roads this weekend, the 997.2 Turbo S is a magnificent car and indomitable force on these Autumn roads. If cars were fighter planes, the TurboS should be the infamous F15E Strike Eagle of road cars. It is renown, familiar in name, proven, multifunctional and superior in intent, devastatingly fast and powerful, and ruthlessly effective.
Approaching the car, the now familiar 997 body enclothes a relatively modest interior with a refined finish evolved through 50 years of the traditional vertical five dial facia. It is supremely comfortable with the dynamic sports seats - beautifully finished with stitched leather everywhere with a smattering of backlit carbon on the door sills. It is well finished and functional - but never lavish. It makes the younger 991 chromed plastic interior appear garish in comparison.
Coming from a 997.2 GTS4, the TurboS is a surprise in several ways. Although they share the same widebody chassis, the overall feeling in the TurboS is one of relative lightness compared to the GTS4. The TurboS steering is significantly lighter, and under power the car feels like it is always adjusting its footprint for maximum grip and positioning - like a cat poised to pounce on an ever moving board. There are several topline technologies at work here: the Dynamic Engine Mounts can be felt restraining a surplus of momentum at the back, and the combination of Torque Vectoring (PTV) and PDCC significantly enhances the driving experience with the PTM transparently shuffling the traction between the four corners (unlike the non-PTM equipped 7.1 generation viscous 4wd coupling). Surprisingly, the Torque Vectoring (PTV) makes its presence known early: even at slow speed, the TurboS possesses remarkable agility and a sensation the car pivots around you more like a mid-engined car instead of the traditional rear weight 911 bias (it is still there in the TurboS, just less so). In comparison, the GTS4 (benefitting from PTM and a LSD, but lacking the PTV, Dynamic Engine Mounts, and PDCC) has a steering helm that is heavier and perhaps more feelsome. But it feels like a blunt tool bludgeoning the road in comparison to the TurboS that seems to dance across the tarmac.
A 911 - in fact any car - that can hit 60 in less than 3 seconds and 100 in c.6.5, is always going to be remarkable as reported by the likes of EVO or CAR. But make no mistake, the reality of the TurboS hitting those numbers with such ease is simply breathtaking. In gear, other vehicles on the road are mobile chicanes, any gap seems reasonable, and lane changing HGVs virtually an irrelevance. On a litre class superbike, such traffic is dispatched with similar chronological ease, but you are acutely aware of your fragility as crosswinds will tilt your path around larger vehicles. Not so in the TurboS. The surefooted poise and superbike humbling acceleration, with supreme ease of use makes you feel peerless amidst traffic. The TurboS changes direction - or should that be it's angle of attack - with immediacy. Not scalpel precision like in a GT3, but with an immediacy given by the combination of inflight chassis and drivetrain dynamics with relentless turbine power orchestrated together in perfect unison. Plant the right foot, and the car squats and squirms, then just catapults you 10-20 car lengths ahead of everything that was once ahead or alongside you. The TurboS is an awesomely fast car.
One weekend in, and my previous experiences and expectations of the 911 have been rewritten. I adore the precision, rawness, and linearity of the GT3 especially on track. I deeply appreciate the all roundedness of the 997.2 Carrera S - the 3.8 DFI engine is a free revving gem of a motor and probably all the engine/car one could ever need. But the 997.2 TurboS brings another dimension to the 911s repertoire. It has a deftness of touch, a luxurious composure on road and within the cabin (it is quieter and calmer in the cabin than either a GT3 or CarreraS/GTS), and the near instant power-on-demand and ability *to be where you look* is unrivaled by any machine I have previously experienced. It may not be a jack-of-all-trades, as it feels like a master-of-all-trades. It owns the road.
As a slight adrenaline junkie, my sportsbike provides all the visceral rawness and sensory overload you could want when pushing yourself physically at speed. The TurboS, however, provides supreme confidence to scythe through and nullify traffic, combined with undoubted continent crushing ability. It appears to be the ultimate expression of road-going 911 power and efficiency, and it has achieved it with such devastating and remarkable execution that I would be surprised if one could ever grow tired of it. How the 991TT will better this will be interesting. But in the meantime, for all the reasons, I am both very grateful and smitten.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and safe driving everyone.
Cheers,
OC
After driving Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshires' finest roads this weekend, the 997.2 Turbo S is a magnificent car and indomitable force on these Autumn roads. If cars were fighter planes, the TurboS should be the infamous F15E Strike Eagle of road cars. It is renown, familiar in name, proven, multifunctional and superior in intent, devastatingly fast and powerful, and ruthlessly effective.
Approaching the car, the now familiar 997 body enclothes a relatively modest interior with a refined finish evolved through 50 years of the traditional vertical five dial facia. It is supremely comfortable with the dynamic sports seats - beautifully finished with stitched leather everywhere with a smattering of backlit carbon on the door sills. It is well finished and functional - but never lavish. It makes the younger 991 chromed plastic interior appear garish in comparison.
Coming from a 997.2 GTS4, the TurboS is a surprise in several ways. Although they share the same widebody chassis, the overall feeling in the TurboS is one of relative lightness compared to the GTS4. The TurboS steering is significantly lighter, and under power the car feels like it is always adjusting its footprint for maximum grip and positioning - like a cat poised to pounce on an ever moving board. There are several topline technologies at work here: the Dynamic Engine Mounts can be felt restraining a surplus of momentum at the back, and the combination of Torque Vectoring (PTV) and PDCC significantly enhances the driving experience with the PTM transparently shuffling the traction between the four corners (unlike the non-PTM equipped 7.1 generation viscous 4wd coupling). Surprisingly, the Torque Vectoring (PTV) makes its presence known early: even at slow speed, the TurboS possesses remarkable agility and a sensation the car pivots around you more like a mid-engined car instead of the traditional rear weight 911 bias (it is still there in the TurboS, just less so). In comparison, the GTS4 (benefitting from PTM and a LSD, but lacking the PTV, Dynamic Engine Mounts, and PDCC) has a steering helm that is heavier and perhaps more feelsome. But it feels like a blunt tool bludgeoning the road in comparison to the TurboS that seems to dance across the tarmac.
A 911 - in fact any car - that can hit 60 in less than 3 seconds and 100 in c.6.5, is always going to be remarkable as reported by the likes of EVO or CAR. But make no mistake, the reality of the TurboS hitting those numbers with such ease is simply breathtaking. In gear, other vehicles on the road are mobile chicanes, any gap seems reasonable, and lane changing HGVs virtually an irrelevance. On a litre class superbike, such traffic is dispatched with similar chronological ease, but you are acutely aware of your fragility as crosswinds will tilt your path around larger vehicles. Not so in the TurboS. The surefooted poise and superbike humbling acceleration, with supreme ease of use makes you feel peerless amidst traffic. The TurboS changes direction - or should that be it's angle of attack - with immediacy. Not scalpel precision like in a GT3, but with an immediacy given by the combination of inflight chassis and drivetrain dynamics with relentless turbine power orchestrated together in perfect unison. Plant the right foot, and the car squats and squirms, then just catapults you 10-20 car lengths ahead of everything that was once ahead or alongside you. The TurboS is an awesomely fast car.
One weekend in, and my previous experiences and expectations of the 911 have been rewritten. I adore the precision, rawness, and linearity of the GT3 especially on track. I deeply appreciate the all roundedness of the 997.2 Carrera S - the 3.8 DFI engine is a free revving gem of a motor and probably all the engine/car one could ever need. But the 997.2 TurboS brings another dimension to the 911s repertoire. It has a deftness of touch, a luxurious composure on road and within the cabin (it is quieter and calmer in the cabin than either a GT3 or CarreraS/GTS), and the near instant power-on-demand and ability *to be where you look* is unrivaled by any machine I have previously experienced. It may not be a jack-of-all-trades, as it feels like a master-of-all-trades. It owns the road.
As a slight adrenaline junkie, my sportsbike provides all the visceral rawness and sensory overload you could want when pushing yourself physically at speed. The TurboS, however, provides supreme confidence to scythe through and nullify traffic, combined with undoubted continent crushing ability. It appears to be the ultimate expression of road-going 911 power and efficiency, and it has achieved it with such devastating and remarkable execution that I would be surprised if one could ever grow tired of it. How the 991TT will better this will be interesting. But in the meantime, for all the reasons, I am both very grateful and smitten.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and safe driving everyone.
Cheers,
OC
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