What's your opinion of the Boxster/987 Instrument Cluster?

[Guest]

OK, probably many of you out there have little/no opinion about this essential piece of hardware "" but either way all of you will drive with at least one eye on it"¦ those still with a license anyway!


From a professional perspective, and really on its technical aspects/functionality only "" not styling - I'm interested to get opinions on the 987 instrument pack, the bits of it you like, the bits of it you don't, the bits of it that may not always work as they should"¦ if you have noticed you can't see the speedometer with the sun overhead & top down, or if you find the LCD display doesn't work so well when the car is cold, I'm interested.


I've been an owner/anorak for years, work in the auto industry and am genuinely interested to hear your thoughts.


Happy motoring,
Peter

 

[Helen Goff]

would love to help but i haven't got a 987.

sat in one at the OPC and found because the steering wheel is a lot more ajustable than on my 986. the dials where a lot easier for me (im short) to see.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

I'm stunned they moved the sat-nav in the 987 waaaaaaayyyyyy down to the bottom of the centre console. This seems really dangerous to me as it is impossible to glance down at it and keep an eye on the road in front. I use a PDA satnav that is at the same level as the instrument pack, and if I bought a 987 I would likely carry on that way for that reason.

I don't have any problem seeing the instruments (other than indicators[&:]) in the 986 in any conditions other than at Autobahn speeds - when you need to be concentrating so much on the road, you haven't got a chance of glancing down to look at the instruments. They seem the same in the 987 so I would expect similar results.
Glad to see they made the indicator audible in the 987 though - as with the top down in the 986 you can't hear the relay or see the green indicator instrument lights.

 

[Guest]

Radio display is almost impossible to read if its not totally dark (even when the brightness control is adjusted to max) but the instrument cluster is spot on, bit hit and miss judging speed from the analogue speedo but the digital makes up for that, why do you get two?

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: Peter Comiskey

if you have noticed you can't see the speedometer with the sun overhead & top down, or if you find the LCD display doesn't work so well when the car is cold, I'm interested.

Happy motoring,
Peter

Glad to report that I have no problems with the new dash, top down and sun shinning it all works really well. Pleased that Porsche put the digi speedo back where it belonged and originally was []

 

[Guest]

Cars fitted with PCM have a graphic + text 'repeater' in the Instrument Cluster central LCD display - which works well on 997 cars.

Let me know your thoughts.

Peter.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Cars fitted with PCM have a graphic + text 'repeater' in the Instrument Cluster central LCD display

Assuming you mean the Sat-Nav reference I made, I understand that - and it is a great feature. However from personal experience you often need confirmation of the layout of the junction in order to make a successful manouver (the "third exit" is not always the third exit!) The only way to be sure is to see the map. Of course if the map is not needed why not just go with the old single-slot radio with sat-nav and graphics built in, and do away with the big screen anyway?

 

[Guest]

Here are my (unprofessional & not design related) impressions after using a 987S as daily driver for 3 months. I'm including the PCM; hope that's ok.

Good:

• The digital speedo is positioned very well. Clustered with revs, it is just exactly what you look at most of the time.
• The PCM screen is large, which improves legibility under good light conditions

Bad:

• Sometimes the instrument illumination level at night is too low. My guess is that the auto-sensor tunes the lighting down if it has something like a streetlight shining on it while you start the car. Would like to find a setting that fixes the instrument lighting at always MAX light, regardless of ambient conditions.
• When driving open in the sun, the digital speedo and the PCM can be very hard to read due to glare effects.
• The buttons around the PCM are in part hard to find and reach (PASM/sports chrono button are blocked by the gear shifter in 1st/3rd/5th gear). I always feel I have to take my eyes off the street for too long to find and press a button e.g. for changing CD tracks / radio station or switching PASM modes.
• The manual speedo is so compressed it's hard to set and determine an exact city speed to drive at. May need a bigger circle to display instead of just a 180+ degree area as it is? Luckily it's only needed when the digital display is impacted by sunshine.
• Sports chrono watch is useless for me. I like the throttle response but the manual stop watch on top of the in-dash display seems obsolete.
• Volume settings are a constant annoyance for me. It could be the autopilot related, but in general I fiddle constantly to get the various volumes back to where I want to have them. Example: Adjusting NAV voice volume also affects CD sound for some reason, so when I try to adjust the NAV voice to a fitting level, my radio or CD volume is off afterwards.

Note: Relevant options are PASM, PCM(nav), Bose, sports chrono, heated seats, manual gear shift

Cheers,
Ente

 

[Guest]

Is it specifically the upper portion of the LCD (radio/speed) that is difficult to read or all over this display? Is the back-lighting consistent across the display?

Wrt - Dual speed diaply. Main reason is that the digital readout can be switched between KPH and MPH very easily even with a 'fixed' MPH only analogue readout. Other reason is styling of the gauge readout and as a result 30mph per cm pointer.

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Sorry, I don't remember whether the legibility issues caused by sun glare extended to all of the display, but I know that at least the digital speed display was affected since I tried to use the manual gauge instead and had to cope with the spaced out numbers (trying to keep the needle where I THOUGHT would have been the 40 mph mark ).

 

[Dapster]

The analogue speedo is a waste of time - I haven't used it in this one, I never used it in the last one either - in fact I can not understand why they don't use the space for an oil temp/voltmeter which you get tacked on the sides on a 996/7. A mate of mine who's an ergonomist said that there are plenty of people (in a slightly, ahem, greying demographic) who can not focus in the distance, then look down and immediately focus on detail in close range, and then agian in the distance quickly, and hence they would need the analogue display as well - that's why the Porsche has 2. However, Honda has just digits on the S2000, and I can't think of any other car with a digital dash that has analogue as well so maybe there is another reason?

On the S you get grey faced dials, and I find that if you use your lights in the daylight (ie reduced light conditions, but still daylight) the contrast between the illuminated digits and the grey faces is very poor and you can hardly ready the digits. In darkness, it is almost perfect.

I like the fact that certain messages come up in red such as the seat belt warning and the handbrake "on", while everything else is in the normal grey/white script.

On the subject of ergonomics in general, other improvements on the 987 vs the 986 I would suggest are:

- leccy window switches on the door
- lid opening button position and graphics on the key (but why oh why is there no "flick knife" key al la Audi or bladeless key like the Merc?
- external door handles
- indicator stalk, warning light and sound
- buttons on stereo (without PCM unit)
- seat hight adjuster
- centre console release (I used to open the 986 one with my elbow when changing gear)

If only they'd make the interior door handles out of aluminium rather than bits of painted plastic that must have cost all of €0.002 each, the thing would be pretty near perfect.....

 

[Guest]

This is one of my pet subjects. I think the layout is OK but should be much better.

First of all, the clock display has no place in the instrument cluster. The clock is a general item and should be centrally mounted so that driver and passanger can use it. Also, preferably analogue or at least displayed all the time. BMW have good instrument layout and their clock display can be put on the radio read out. A good idea.

I personally like the idea of digital readout for accuracy and analogue for easy following and reading without concentrating.

The speedo and rev counter needles should be in the same plane or angle when in top gear.

I like the speedo and rev counter to be the same size with the smaller ancilliary readouts low on either side. I can however understand that the large centre instrument with smaller ones at the sides, makes good use of the viewing space through the steering wheel. However, I think much dial space is wasted due to the scales only being a segment of a circle. The longer the scale with larger divisions, the more accurate the reading.

The dials should be black in all models for maximum contrast and legibility. Silver or white dials are a trendy compromise. Porsche are performance cars, the instruments are vital and functional. We will have square wheels next cos they look better.

The light switch is very good. Well placed on the drivers side.

Its easy really, just work out what the driver only needs. Place that where he can see and use it. Likewise, the passenger, then what both or all will use. Its hard to believe how wrong some companies get it.

Electric window switches are a good example. Porsche have gone backwards. Its not inconceivable that the driver will want to open the passenger window, as the passenger could want to open the drivers window. What was wrong with both switches centrally mounted. Simple and accessible with the minimum equipment. Put them on the door and you need two switches for the driver. Meanwhile the passanger is stuck.

I do like the ignition switch sequence, with the ancilliary equipment staying on with the key in. Having said that, I too think we could be a bit more adveturous and have a folding key or keyless system with start button.

I will leave it at that for now.

Paul.

 

[Rob Edwards]

Hi
Just got back from a week long blast to the sun in France and in an attempt to carefully 'run in' my 12 day old 987S.
I personally like the new finer dot matrix display on the 987, although there wasn't much wrong with my old 986S in that respect.
I do prefer the colouring of the new dials and agree that at night it particularly impressive and (IMO) easier on my eyes.
The Sat-nav repeater is a boon, and I do agree that the main screen is set a little too low on the dash.
Pet hates in a week? Well, the incessant chiming of the seatbelt warning (can this be disabled or does it require careful adjustment with a lump hammer?) was a pain, especially when parking in hotel garages, onto/off ferries etc.
I do find that that trying to flick between CD selection / Bose audio and the Sat/Nav audio is too difficult to safely carry out on the move - what would be a real pro would be a CD/Radio 'mute' button in case you need to follow Sat-Nav instructions more closely (i.e in urban criving or where you have several junctions/roundabouts that arrive on top of each other and you get a 'flurry' of instructions, as we had on several occasions).
Another plus would be the ability to exchange functions on the two rotary knobs at the base of the PCM, so that the passenger can easily enter new directions etc without having to tangle arms while I change gear.
Love the new ability to up/down the roof on the fly - very useful in town traffic and rain.
The computer is pretty easy to use from the stalk, and the cruise control a doddle too. Nice to see the controls are more positively weighted, with a more substantial and premium feel to them.
A 'delete ashtray'option would also be nice, as I would rather a little more space for storage, as the PCM eats that up.
I appreciate the mobile phone charging point in the central armrest strorage box, as well as the one in the passenger footwell.
A 'cargo net' on the side of the passenger footwell would also be a welcome addition, for maps etc, as that would be easier to get to than the seat back pockets.
This concludes my penneth'worth - hope it is of use!
Rob[]

 

[Mark_Bennett]

I asked about disabling the seat-belt warning, as I too would find it more than annoying (and I always wear it!)
I was told by the dealer that they would "not be allowed" to turn it off.
My reply? I'd certainly find a way then if I bought one... (the lump hammer being one option[])

You can buy a handy little footwell net from BMW - it is intended for the Z3 I believe.

 

[KPNut]

See!!! The Z3 wasn't totally useless!!!![]

KP

PS Great tip Mark.!

 

[Rob Edwards]

Thanks for the tip Mark - I'll have a peek at one next time in in the the BMW garage with our 330i and ask about the price etc.
You truly are a mine of inspiration.....
All together now - We are not worthy, we are not worthy etc......
Chortle!
Rob[]

 

[Mark_Bennett]

I had a drive in a 987 whilst my car was being serviced last week - I did notice as I drove from the dealers, with the sun low and behind me, that the digital readouts were completely invisible. I don't recall ever having that problem with the ones on the older car?

The car did not have the PCM stuff, or the PASM/Sport chrono - which was a shame as I really wanted to play around with those...

I found the air-con was almost unreadable, low down in the console. It seems that they have spread a one-slot radio over 2 slots keeping the same functionality. The air-con (sorry, climate control []) seemed to be the same as well, but spread out. Due to the location it was fiddly to use though.

Vertically challenged as I am, I found the new "further away" pedals caused me problems - I had to sit further forward, which meant the gearlever was further back, and I kept catching my arm on the seat side-cushion in moving to 2nd/4th/6th... The harder/squarer centre console design fitted just right to catch in the joint below my kneecap, and I developed a nice bruise over the 2 days![]

So I don't fit the new car []

Performance was good, but the standard suspension was very lurchy going round roundabouts, compared to my car with sports suspension. (You have to test these things [])

My car was in for it's service, and they did the RMS which has dripped very occasionally over the last 2 years whilst it was in.
I noticed the 987 left a large deposit of oil (more than has come out of my car in total in 2 years) on the floor of the garage in 1 night..

 

[Guest]

I'm finding the readout very clear. Massive difference by putting the digital speedo readout back in the centre where it was on my 2.5 Box. I also find that because i use polarised sunglasses, this has a massive effect on the digital readouts. remove and wear normal sun glasses and it improves greatly.

I agree that the aircon is too low to read clearly. So just leave it on 21 []

Mark. PASM is brilliant. I thought it would be a gimick, but i'm impressed how it alters the car completely.