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Now I have had my car for just over 3 months and I have done 6K miles (1500 more than I expected) I thought I would write some pointless email saying how wonderful I think it is.
It is freeing up nicely and is now running rather well.
I love its burble after starting, as do the neighbours and the kids on the way to the local school. I consider it my mission to convert them all to wanting a 911 [
]
I find it both the most relaxing car to drive and one of the best.
If you short shift and take it easy it is so easy to drive and cover long distances in. Motorway cuising is easy since a quick dab of the accelerator or brakes matches your speed to any gap. Likewise most people do not invade your space, tailgate you or flash you, so it is easy on motorways. Some people pull in front, but I just drop back.
When you do brake a bit harder the person behind craps themselves and then keeps a bigger gap afterwards.[] You do need to be careful they do not run into you though.
The sheer grunt is excellent. Now I am used to it, I don't use it all the time, but it is good to use on unsuspecting passengers. It soon shuts them up without really trying - maybe I should try the passenger seat.[] When you do really use it, 3 figure speeds come up very fast and most people keep out of your way.
The cornering is very well balanced. I detect no understeer issue. It will understeer if you brake on turn in, be neutral if you drive through the corner (even at silly speeds) and oversteer if you boot it.
You can spin the rear wheels in 2nd if the surface is not perfect or dry.
When they do spin you feel the power go to the front and everthing is very much under control. It encourages you to be enthusiastic.
Which brings me to tyre wear - my estimate of 10-12K for the rears seems about right.
Fuel economy is normally in the 20-24 mpg range. For short blats it is in the teens (sometimes at the low end).
I can't detect any real difference between Shell optimax, BP ultimate and Esso 97. So mosly it gets Esso, since this requires no detours.
I like the sports seats, sat nav (would not be without it), the phone, the heated seats, the Bose stereo, the air con. None of these are peculiar to the turbo though, and I had them on the C4S (barring the seats).
I don't really use the sunroof, but it came as standard.
Oil consumption is 2 litres so far. It hasn't smoked on start up for quite a while now.
Just like the C4S, when it is 1-2 degrees C and damp, the air con struggles to keep the windows clear, eepecially if there are multiple occupants. The compressor is switched out. With the demist option selected it is ok, but in auto it can't manage.
You can get 3x6 bottle wine boxes in the front plus a least 5 bottle of bubbly, with 2x12 bottle cases in the passenger footwell. Plus more on the back, so as a wine transporter it is not so bad.[]
If it's too big for the luggage compartment then it is too big for hand baggage on the plane.
The rear spoiler sucks dirt up onto the rear of the car. The back is always filthy.
The headlights are very easy to drive by. The rear mirror dimmer should include the nearside mirror as well.
The short shift is rather stiff when cold but perfect when warm. It encourages you to be positive.
The throttle and brake are perfect for heel & toeing, just wish I was better at it.[&:]
It is everything I wanted it to be. It has plenty of torque, good brakes, is well balanced and communicative, and lets you know when you have got it wrong without punishing you too harshly.
It is hard to think of a better road car. I love it.
The only real improvement is to get rid of the gap between the bottom of the dash and the centre console.
Aside from that it is hard to find anything to recommend changing (apart from having a bigger fuel tank).
The 997TT has a tough act to follow. I can't see that a bit more power at the top end and a bit of fancy damping (that adds weight) will do much. I understand the purpose of the car, and it is not to be a hardcore track weapon. It is to use the mid range power to make swift, effective and easy progress on the roads.
It is freeing up nicely and is now running rather well.
I love its burble after starting, as do the neighbours and the kids on the way to the local school. I consider it my mission to convert them all to wanting a 911 [
]I find it both the most relaxing car to drive and one of the best.
If you short shift and take it easy it is so easy to drive and cover long distances in. Motorway cuising is easy since a quick dab of the accelerator or brakes matches your speed to any gap. Likewise most people do not invade your space, tailgate you or flash you, so it is easy on motorways. Some people pull in front, but I just drop back.
When you do brake a bit harder the person behind craps themselves and then keeps a bigger gap afterwards.[
] You do need to be careful they do not run into you though.The sheer grunt is excellent. Now I am used to it, I don't use it all the time, but it is good to use on unsuspecting passengers. It soon shuts them up without really trying - maybe I should try the passenger seat.[
] When you do really use it, 3 figure speeds come up very fast and most people keep out of your way.The cornering is very well balanced. I detect no understeer issue. It will understeer if you brake on turn in, be neutral if you drive through the corner (even at silly speeds) and oversteer if you boot it.
You can spin the rear wheels in 2nd if the surface is not perfect or dry.
When they do spin you feel the power go to the front and everthing is very much under control. It encourages you to be enthusiastic.
Which brings me to tyre wear - my estimate of 10-12K for the rears seems about right.
Fuel economy is normally in the 20-24 mpg range. For short blats it is in the teens (sometimes at the low end).
I can't detect any real difference between Shell optimax, BP ultimate and Esso 97. So mosly it gets Esso, since this requires no detours.
I like the sports seats, sat nav (would not be without it), the phone, the heated seats, the Bose stereo, the air con. None of these are peculiar to the turbo though, and I had them on the C4S (barring the seats).
I don't really use the sunroof, but it came as standard.
Oil consumption is 2 litres so far. It hasn't smoked on start up for quite a while now.
Just like the C4S, when it is 1-2 degrees C and damp, the air con struggles to keep the windows clear, eepecially if there are multiple occupants. The compressor is switched out. With the demist option selected it is ok, but in auto it can't manage.
You can get 3x6 bottle wine boxes in the front plus a least 5 bottle of bubbly, with 2x12 bottle cases in the passenger footwell. Plus more on the back, so as a wine transporter it is not so bad.[
]If it's too big for the luggage compartment then it is too big for hand baggage on the plane.
The rear spoiler sucks dirt up onto the rear of the car. The back is always filthy.
The headlights are very easy to drive by. The rear mirror dimmer should include the nearside mirror as well.
The short shift is rather stiff when cold but perfect when warm. It encourages you to be positive.
The throttle and brake are perfect for heel & toeing, just wish I was better at it.[&:]
It is everything I wanted it to be. It has plenty of torque, good brakes, is well balanced and communicative, and lets you know when you have got it wrong without punishing you too harshly.
It is hard to think of a better road car. I love it.
The only real improvement is to get rid of the gap between the bottom of the dash and the centre console.
Aside from that it is hard to find anything to recommend changing (apart from having a bigger fuel tank).
The 997TT has a tough act to follow. I can't see that a bit more power at the top end and a bit of fancy damping (that adds weight) will do much. I understand the purpose of the car, and it is not to be a hardcore track weapon. It is to use the mid range power to make swift, effective and easy progress on the roads.
