The invitation to borrow a 997 for a 24-hour extended test drive came in a letter from Porsche GB headquarters in Reading. Well - you're hardly like to say "oh, I don't think I'll bother", are you?! Having never driven a 911 of any flavour before, it was interested to find out what all the fuss was about and how much different it would feel over my 2004 Boxster S.
I visit Porsche Centre Silverstone quite regularly, not just because its where my Boxster came from, but also because its the regular meeting venue for Region 10 of PCGB. A phone call from salesman Mark McLoughlin to arrange a date to borrow a model from the very latest generation of 911 came in late September and by conicidence I'd already booked a day's leave from work to recover from the excellent Boxster Register gathering at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire the day before. What better way to conclude a weekend of Porsche driving than to spend a work day playing with a new 911?
The car Mark arranged for me was a Carrera white C2S Cabriolet, with the PDK gearbox and a set of 19" Carrera Sport wheels in optional Bassault Black finish, nicely offset by the full colour centre crests. I'm not a fan of black wheels myself, but they seem to be getting more popular at the moment.
In comparison to the PDK-equiped Cayman S I borrowed a few months back, Sport Chrono in first-stage "Sport" mode turned out to be a vast improvement on the standard "economy" mode where the gearbox programming is aimed squarely at reducing fuel consumption at the expense of performance. However, even in plain "Sport" I still found the system reluctant to "kick down" to a lower gear - perhaps there is simply so much grunt available from the 3.8 litre DFI engine, it wasn't deemed necessary? I didn't really try Sport Plus as I know it allows the revs to build to a very high level before changing.
As has been mentioned by some other owners, I too experienced a strange hesitation from the PDK system at low speed, in reverse gear as well as in 'D', almost as if the gearbox is questioning your desire to actually move! I even had an incidence of "kangaroo petrol" while accellerating from traffic lights in Towcester - that must have been entertaining for the Audi driver behind me.
Activation of either of the Sports modes that you get as part of the Sport Chrono package also results in the activation of the firmer settings of the active suspension system PASM, a feature I always immediately deactivated since our roads are just too rough to make an acceptable ride. That ride was, I think, a little harsher than a Cayman with 19" wheels, but there was absolutely no impression of flexing in the cabriolet body - it did feel immensely sturdy and balanced on the road.
Despite the fairly chilly weather, I thought I should check what the car was like with the roof down. Wind noise and a distinct chill to the neck were noticeably worse than on the Boxster (no wind deflector) - all the better, I guess, to feel the benefit of the heated seats! Similar to the Boxster, the rearwards view is very extremely limited with the roof up.
You do notice the relative lack of storage space - I quickly found that someone had left an engine in the rear boot, and a good part of the front boot is taken up by - something. I though it was only the 4WD models that had such a reduced space. Folding down the tiny rear seats is an option, though, although I'd be concerned about marking the interior with luggage, etc. Those rear seats should be considered as for kiddies only - getting even a small adult in and out of the back proved a bit of a trial.
Talking of seats, the car had electrically adjustable (memory) version of Standard seats. The memory function threw me because every time the key got near to it, they would adjust to one of the memory positions and I'd have to reset it again - I didn't have time to read the manual to work out how to save my settings. Obviously you would have no need for the memories if you were the only driver, but its a very expensive option at nearly £1000. The seats themselves though are incredibly comfortable, more so than the Sports seats in my 986, and I reckon they would suit you better on long journeys.
I didn't like the multi-speaker Bose audio system. Its response was very boomy and bass-heavy even after resetting the response via the new touch-screen PCM. Admittedly, the audio clarity was improved over Boxster; noticeable at speed with the roof down, I could still hear and understand traffic and news reports. Its an expensive option even on the Boxster and opinions are mixed - its an £800 option I wouldn't buy. As you would probably expect, economy is noticeably poorer than my 3.2 986 and I never managed more than 22mpg as reported by the Trip section of the PCM sytem.
I can understand some owners comments that it makes the drive feel more isolated from the road, less engaging than for example a 993 because of the wonders of modern traction and suspension management systems. My overall impression is that the car is extremely easy and comfortable to drive - most certainly capable of daily use without causing stress or discomfort - providing you keep the PASM's Sport mode for track use. As a long distance cruiser, it would be superb.
Options fitted:
PDK with Sport Chrono Package Plus
Heated and ventilated Memory standard seats
PCM 3 with satellite navigation module and Bluetooth phone prep
Bose surround audio system with Universal audio interface
Multi-function PDK steering wheel
Black-painted 19" Carrera Sport wheels
Park assist
Body-coloured centre console and parts of the dash
The complete package tops out when new at a not inconsiderable £87500.
My thanks to Mark McLoughlin at OPC Silverstone.
I visit Porsche Centre Silverstone quite regularly, not just because its where my Boxster came from, but also because its the regular meeting venue for Region 10 of PCGB. A phone call from salesman Mark McLoughlin to arrange a date to borrow a model from the very latest generation of 911 came in late September and by conicidence I'd already booked a day's leave from work to recover from the excellent Boxster Register gathering at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire the day before. What better way to conclude a weekend of Porsche driving than to spend a work day playing with a new 911?
The car Mark arranged for me was a Carrera white C2S Cabriolet, with the PDK gearbox and a set of 19" Carrera Sport wheels in optional Bassault Black finish, nicely offset by the full colour centre crests. I'm not a fan of black wheels myself, but they seem to be getting more popular at the moment.
In comparison to the PDK-equiped Cayman S I borrowed a few months back, Sport Chrono in first-stage "Sport" mode turned out to be a vast improvement on the standard "economy" mode where the gearbox programming is aimed squarely at reducing fuel consumption at the expense of performance. However, even in plain "Sport" I still found the system reluctant to "kick down" to a lower gear - perhaps there is simply so much grunt available from the 3.8 litre DFI engine, it wasn't deemed necessary? I didn't really try Sport Plus as I know it allows the revs to build to a very high level before changing.
As has been mentioned by some other owners, I too experienced a strange hesitation from the PDK system at low speed, in reverse gear as well as in 'D', almost as if the gearbox is questioning your desire to actually move! I even had an incidence of "kangaroo petrol" while accellerating from traffic lights in Towcester - that must have been entertaining for the Audi driver behind me.
Activation of either of the Sports modes that you get as part of the Sport Chrono package also results in the activation of the firmer settings of the active suspension system PASM, a feature I always immediately deactivated since our roads are just too rough to make an acceptable ride. That ride was, I think, a little harsher than a Cayman with 19" wheels, but there was absolutely no impression of flexing in the cabriolet body - it did feel immensely sturdy and balanced on the road.
Despite the fairly chilly weather, I thought I should check what the car was like with the roof down. Wind noise and a distinct chill to the neck were noticeably worse than on the Boxster (no wind deflector) - all the better, I guess, to feel the benefit of the heated seats! Similar to the Boxster, the rearwards view is very extremely limited with the roof up.
You do notice the relative lack of storage space - I quickly found that someone had left an engine in the rear boot, and a good part of the front boot is taken up by - something. I though it was only the 4WD models that had such a reduced space. Folding down the tiny rear seats is an option, though, although I'd be concerned about marking the interior with luggage, etc. Those rear seats should be considered as for kiddies only - getting even a small adult in and out of the back proved a bit of a trial.
Talking of seats, the car had electrically adjustable (memory) version of Standard seats. The memory function threw me because every time the key got near to it, they would adjust to one of the memory positions and I'd have to reset it again - I didn't have time to read the manual to work out how to save my settings. Obviously you would have no need for the memories if you were the only driver, but its a very expensive option at nearly £1000. The seats themselves though are incredibly comfortable, more so than the Sports seats in my 986, and I reckon they would suit you better on long journeys.
I didn't like the multi-speaker Bose audio system. Its response was very boomy and bass-heavy even after resetting the response via the new touch-screen PCM. Admittedly, the audio clarity was improved over Boxster; noticeable at speed with the roof down, I could still hear and understand traffic and news reports. Its an expensive option even on the Boxster and opinions are mixed - its an £800 option I wouldn't buy. As you would probably expect, economy is noticeably poorer than my 3.2 986 and I never managed more than 22mpg as reported by the Trip section of the PCM sytem.
I can understand some owners comments that it makes the drive feel more isolated from the road, less engaging than for example a 993 because of the wonders of modern traction and suspension management systems. My overall impression is that the car is extremely easy and comfortable to drive - most certainly capable of daily use without causing stress or discomfort - providing you keep the PASM's Sport mode for track use. As a long distance cruiser, it would be superb.
Options fitted:
PDK with Sport Chrono Package Plus
Heated and ventilated Memory standard seats
PCM 3 with satellite navigation module and Bluetooth phone prep
Bose surround audio system with Universal audio interface
Multi-function PDK steering wheel
Black-painted 19" Carrera Sport wheels
Park assist
Body-coloured centre console and parts of the dash
The complete package tops out when new at a not inconsiderable £87500.
My thanks to Mark McLoughlin at OPC Silverstone.
] Thus I have driven it just a little longer than for one whole day! 
