Drove 911 carrera s

1cleanm6 · 04-01-2012, 03:50 AM

Hey guys,

I was in the area today and deiced to stop by the Porsche dealer to check out the new 911... Heres my review of it

Looks: Front end looks beautiful, everything is great. Nice and agressive looking just how I like it. The side profile is also very nice. However, I couldn't get my taste buds to accept the rear of the car. Something about it looks very off, however it can possible take some time to get use too.

Interior: Vehicle was nicely eqipped at 118k, and has a bunch of bells and whistes. Overall interior was BEAUTIFUL! Finally the price tag matches the interior, huge huge step over the 997 and 996 models. It seems like leg room was truly increased, interior is definately bigger then my friends 997 turbo.

Braking: I expected the braking to be mind blowing. I mean lets be realistic here, were talking about a 120k vehicle my expectations were very high for this car. However, performance was exactly the same as the M. I got back into my m3 and actually noticed how great our M's braking performance is. I made a very rapid stop from 80mph on an exit and as I said VERY similar feel to our M's. Overall no complaints here, however 120k... I would expect better.

Steering: I read about the new steering system and was very curious to check this out. I couldn't get over how weak the steering wheel felt. NOTHING compared to my m3 with its kw's. This might sound harsh however I barely felt anything on the road. Extremely dissapointed by this in the car, for such a raw vehicle it should have been never touched. Ive driven a 997 convertible and turbo..and the feel is just not there in this model. Big thumbs down here.

Handing: No complaints here... what so ever. Nice , tight handling. I took a couple sharp turns and the vehicle grips GREAT. Literally way better then my m3 with kws and ad08 tires. I couldnt get over this actually, it was really that great. I didnt push it to the limits for obvious reasons but feel very confident saying that it definately had more room. The vehicle would grip grip grip, I would imagine it would be difficult to drive this car to its limits and lose control. However the steering feel way still just not there

. I can imagine that it just doesnt get much better than this for its price range. However twice as good as a modded m3?...no. I can simply say my vehicle with coils and tires wouldnt be far off or even be off on a track compared to it.

Speed/PDK: The vehicle was loud.... you can hear the engine moaning and groaning right behind your ears... which is to die for. No joke the cars exhaust note is BEAUTIFUL. I pushed the car from 0-85... and it just moves and moves and did I mention it moves? However just like any other joe schmoe I know that it would feel slow after a while. These 911's light weight really really helps them out a lot I think. You can just feel its a smaller, lighter, more nimbler of a car in every way. The torque was very similar to our m3's...lacking I would think. PDK was smooth quick and GREAT to drive. I loved it!

Overall: I walked out the dealer got into the m3 and was blow away for what we get for 60-75k. They took the raw car the 911 was and turned it into more of a GT car. I mean dont get me wrong I would buy the car in a heartbeat, I loved almost everything about it. However, I just cant twist the thought of the 120k price tag. It just doesnt jutify a lot of things. I got into my car and started really realizing how the braking, handling, steering feel, and everything else was and kept asking myself is the 911 really worth the 40-50k premium. I was left with a very confident answer..NO. I wouldnt pay the hefty price tag for one. Thanks Porsche for making me realize how great of a car the M3 is.

991GT3 · 04-01-2012, 10:08 AM

That is the problem with all Porsches, they charge a 20% preminum for their name. I love their vehicles but I always hestitate when I get in the mood to buy one because of price.
BTW, nice review. I had a similiar experience.

gblansten · 04-01-2012, 10:40 AM

Time will tell and Porsche isn't stupid. But, getting the 911 S into the $120K range reasonably equipped seems to be a bit much for their market.

Hurricane · 04-01-2012, 10:48 AM

Nice review. I love the new Porsche 911s. However, I couldn't' justify the $118,000 price tag for what some may call an entry level 911. The dealer down the road from me has a 2010 GT3 with 2500 miles and is asking $111,000. I know it's the old body style and is used but I would take a used GT3 over the new Carrera any day.

Darth One · 04-01-2012, 11:23 AM

I appreciate the review...can't agree with the comment on the brakes, though. brake feel is one of the stellar points of the 911, and the weakest point of the M3 IMO. the rest of it is pretty fair

gthal · 04-01-2012, 03:14 PM

My friend just bought a new 911S... one of the first ones here. I don't have a lot of experience with them yet but I can say they feel VERY fast. With PDK, the new 911S subjectively feels as fast or faster than a 481hp C63 and noticeably faster than my M3 with DCT. I would say torque feels in between the M3 and C63 but acceleration is very, very impressive. I also have to say I actually like the interior now... I never did with Porsche and this was always a reason for me to overlook the car. Now, it is on par IMO with the M3 looks wise inside whereas it was always subjectively behind. Also, the 20" wheels look sweet. I can't comment on brakes, etc as I haven't had enough experience with the car to do so.

A fully optioned 911S in Canada will run >$150k and that is a little nuts IMO. It is an amazing car but it is very, very expensive.

Wendall · 04-01-2012, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darth One

I appreciate the review...can't agree with the comment on the brakes, though. brake feel is one of the stellar points of the 911, and the weakest point of the M3 IMO. the rest of it is pretty fair

Agree, I have driven a lot of Porsches and the brakes are much better.

M3 brakes have a strong initial bite but is not linear when you add more brake pressure.

The Porsche have a very linear bite. It may seem slightly weak upon initial pad contact but it wont fade and it will stay linear as you push the pedal to the floor.

DARK_M3 · 04-01-2012, 06:40 PM

A couple crappy cell pics from the Super Car Sunday meet this morning...

LOVE those rear taillights!

Dave07997S · 04-01-2012, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biggynuts01

Agree, I have driven a lot of Porsches and the brakes are much better.

M3 brakes have a strong initial bite but is not linear when you add more brake pressure.

The Porsche have a very linear bite. It may seem slightly weak upon initial pad contact but it wont fade and it will stay linear as you push the pedal to the floor.

This...The M3s initial bite makes the brakes in the M3 seem more powerful, however, in a track enviroment the PCars brakes really are a step above.

Dave

adc · 04-02-2012, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave07997S

This...The M3s initial bite makes the brakes in the M3 seem more powerful, however, in a track enviroment the PCars brakes really are a step above.

What pads are you using on track? I get absolutely superb on limit behavior with Pagid RS19 yellows + DYI cooling ducts. Don't even have SS lines...

I agree that BMW's street pads are non-linear.

klammer · 04-02-2012, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DARK_M3

A couple crappy cell pics from the Super Car Sunday meet this morning...

LOVE those rear taillights!

Car looks nice but seems huge in those pics...

DARK_M3 · 04-02-2012, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klammer

Car looks nice but seems huge in those pics...

lol... I guess it does huh? I was kinda squatting down when taking the pictures. Makes everyone look like munchkins surrounding the car

klammer · 04-02-2012, 10:20 PM

Yeah, thought it was the dopest SUV on the planet

py0413 · 04-04-2012, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gthal

My friend just bought a new 911S... one of the first ones here. I don't have a lot of experience with them yet but I can say they feel VERY fast. With PDK, the new 911S subjectively feels as fast or faster than a 481hp C63 and noticeably faster than my M3 with DCT. I would say torque feels in between the M3 and C63 but acceleration is very, very impressive. I also have to say I actually like the interior now... I never did with Porsche and this was always a reason for me to overlook the car. Now, it is on par IMO with the M3 looks wise inside whereas it was always subjectively behind. Also, the 20" wheels look sweet. I can't comment on brakes, etc as I haven't had enough experience with the car to do so.

A fully optioned 911S in Canada will run >$150k and that is a little nuts IMO. It is an amazing car but it is very, very expensive.

Was there any discount at all on your friend's 991? My local dealer isn't giving penny off.

e92_m3 · 04-04-2012, 04:40 PM

Great review OP!

I also read reviews on the 2012 911 CS on motortrend and road & track. Very nice car overall, poised, agile, etc, but I won't purchase it for the price. For 120K, I would probably get a GTR and still spank a lot of cars on the street and track.

If a brand new fully loaded 2012 911 CS comes out to be $85K ($90K at most), I would trade my m3 for one in a heartbeat.

Dave07997S · 04-04-2012, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adc

What pads are you using on track? I get absolutely superb on limit behavior with Pagid RS19 yellows + DYI cooling ducts. Don't even have SS lines...

I agree that BMW's street pads are non-linear.

ADC I only haven't even taken my E92 M3 to the track. I just have so many friends now that have had both cars and just regurgitating what they said and my own experience with my 997S. However, the PCars brakes on the 997/991 with the red calipers really are almost track ready just a pad swap way they are. I remember when I sold my 997S and got the E92 M3 I was shocked on how sensitive the brakes can be and the initial bite.

E92_M3 you can get a decently loaded 991S for under $100k..still my 997S came in right at $88k. I can't believe though how much of a price jump there was, although you do get a LSD and nav as standard.

Dave

e92_m3 · 04-04-2012, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave07997S

E92_M3 you can get a decently loaded 991S for under $100k..still my 997S came in right at $88k. I can't believe though how much of a price jump there was, although you do get a LSD and nav as standard.

Dave

I was expecting a new fully loaded 2012 911 CS to be somewhere @ $90K, but the price jump is really outrageous! I still have not driven any P-car but my goal is to purchase a used 2012 911 CS in the next year or so.

Since your into American cars as well, have you seen the new SRT viper?? Looks sick except for the bottom grill. The bottom grill looks

, but overall I like the new look. I bet a grill replacement would be the first aftermarket mod for the SRT viper. Performance numbers are crazy too. 640 hp and 600 lb/ft torque.

Here's the link:
http://www.insideline.com/srt/viper/...auto-show.html

I have to create a new thread for the new Viper...

phusion974 · 04-05-2012, 01:13 AM

How you been Roman?? Long time no see.
Great review man, but I think the GT3 is the Porsche for you.

tightie · 04-08-2012, 11:33 PM

i love the rear!

HotIce · 04-09-2012, 10:39 AM

The new 911 looks amazing...

positiveions · 04-09-2012, 04:59 PM

i like the car all the way around, and though I haven't seen in person, I just don't care for the interior. It is different. It is so unPorsche.
I can't wait 'til I test drive one.

M3PO · 04-09-2012, 05:15 PM

That car is $30K too high. I won't even consider it at that price. This thing costs GT3RS money but isn't anywhere near as good.

04-01-2012, 03:50 AM	#1
1cleanm6 Brigadier General 441 Rep 3,668 Posts Drives: M5 comp/Range/i3S Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Earth iTrader: (7)	Drove 911 carrera s Hey guys, I was in the area today and deiced to stop by the Porsche dealer to check out the new 911... Heres my review of it Looks: Front end looks beautiful, everything is great. Nice and agressive looking just how I like it. The side profile is also very nice. However, I couldn't get my taste buds to accept the rear of the car. Something about it looks very off, however it can possible take some time to get use too. Interior: Vehicle was nicely eqipped at 118k, and has a bunch of bells and whistes. Overall interior was BEAUTIFUL! Finally the price tag matches the interior, huge huge step over the 997 and 996 models. It seems like leg room was truly increased, interior is definately bigger then my friends 997 turbo. Braking: I expected the braking to be mind blowing. I mean lets be realistic here, were talking about a 120k vehicle my expectations were very high for this car. However, performance was exactly the same as the M. I got back into my m3 and actually noticed how great our M's braking performance is. I made a very rapid stop from 80mph on an exit and as I said VERY similar feel to our M's. Overall no complaints here, however 120k... I would expect better. Steering: I read about the new steering system and was very curious to check this out. I couldn't get over how weak the steering wheel felt. NOTHING compared to my m3 with its kw's. This might sound harsh however I barely felt anything on the road. Extremely dissapointed by this in the car, for such a raw vehicle it should have been never touched. Ive driven a 997 convertible and turbo..and the feel is just not there in this model. Big thumbs down here. Handing: No complaints here... what so ever. Nice , tight handling. I took a couple sharp turns and the vehicle grips GREAT. Literally way better then my m3 with kws and ad08 tires. I couldnt get over this actually, it was really that great. I didnt push it to the limits for obvious reasons but feel very confident saying that it definately had more room. The vehicle would grip grip grip, I would imagine it would be difficult to drive this car to its limits and lose control. However the steering feel way still just not there. I can imagine that it just doesnt get much better than this for its price range. However twice as good as a modded m3?...no. I can simply say my vehicle with coils and tires wouldnt be far off or even be off on a track compared to it. Speed/PDK: The vehicle was loud.... you can hear the engine moaning and groaning right behind your ears... which is to die for. No joke the cars exhaust note is BEAUTIFUL. I pushed the car from 0-85... and it just moves and moves and did I mention it moves? However just like any other joe schmoe I know that it would feel slow after a while. These 911's light weight really really helps them out a lot I think. You can just feel its a smaller, lighter, more nimbler of a car in every way. The torque was very similar to our m3's...lacking I would think. PDK was smooth quick and GREAT to drive. I loved it! Overall: I walked out the dealer got into the m3 and was blow away for what we get for 60-75k. They took the raw car the 911 was and turned it into more of a GT car. I mean dont get me wrong I would buy the car in a heartbeat, I loved almost everything about it. However, I just cant twist the thought of the 120k price tag. It just doesnt jutify a lot of things. I got into my car and started really realizing how the braking, handling, steering feel, and everything else was and kept asking myself is the 911 really worth the 40-50k premium. I was left with a very confident answer..NO. I wouldnt pay the hefty price tag for one. Thanks Porsche for making me realize how great of a car the M3 is.
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04-01-2012, 10:08 AM	#2
991GT3 Captain 92 Rep 885 Posts Drives: Ford Raptor Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: North Dakota iTrader: (0)	That is the problem with all Porsches, they charge a 20% preminum for their name. I love their vehicles but I always hestitate when I get in the mood to buy one because of price. BTW, nice review. I had a similiar experience.
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04-01-2012, 10:40 AM	#3
gblansten Brigadier General 1977 Rep 4,220 Posts Drives: 23 Tesla S Plaid Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Thick ascending limb iTrader: (0)	Time will tell and Porsche isn't stupid. But, getting the 911 S into the $120K range reasonably equipped seems to be a bit much for their market.
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04-01-2012, 10:48 AM	#4
Hurricane Lieutenant 60 Rep 552 Posts Drives: 2015 C63 507 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: New England iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 E92 M3 [10.00]	Nice review. I love the new Porsche 911s. However, I couldn't' justify the $118,000 price tag for what some may call an entry level 911. The dealer down the road from me has a 2010 GT3 with 2500 miles and is asking $111,000. I know it's the old body style and is used but I would take a used GT3 over the new Carrera any day.
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04-01-2012, 11:23 AM	#5
Darth One drunk poster 6613 Rep 3,649 Posts Drives: M4 GTS \| E46 M3 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	I appreciate the review...can't agree with the comment on the brakes, though. brake feel is one of the stellar points of the 911, and the weakest point of the M3 IMO. the rest of it is pretty fair
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04-01-2012, 03:14 PM	#6
gthal Major General 1904 Rep 5,678 Posts Drives: 2018 340i xDrive Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Canada iTrader: (2)	My friend just bought a new 911S... one of the first ones here. I don't have a lot of experience with them yet but I can say they feel VERY fast. With PDK, the new 911S subjectively feels as fast or faster than a 481hp C63 and noticeably faster than my M3 with DCT. I would say torque feels in between the M3 and C63 but acceleration is very, very impressive. I also have to say I actually like the interior now... I never did with Porsche and this was always a reason for me to overlook the car. Now, it is on par IMO with the M3 looks wise inside whereas it was always subjectively behind. Also, the 20" wheels look sweet. I can't comment on brakes, etc as I haven't had enough experience with the car to do so. A fully optioned 911S in Canada will run >$150k and that is a little nuts IMO. It is an amazing car but it is very, very expensive. __________________ 2020 X3 M40i \| Black \| Current DD 2020 C8 Corvette \| Z51 \| Torch Red ... built and waiting for delivery 2016 M2 \| Long Beach Blue \| 6MT 2015 M4 \| Austin Yellow \| DCT 2012 MB C63AMG \| 2011 E92 M3 \| 2010 E92 M3
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04-01-2012, 06:40 PM	#8
DARK_M3 Banned 105 Rep 1,292 Posts Drives: 08 E90, 89 Grand Wagoneer Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: So Cal iTrader: (3)	A couple crappy cell pics from the Super Car Sunday meet this morning... LOVE those rear taillights!
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04-02-2012, 10:20 PM	#13
klammer Brigadier General 97 Rep 3,246 Posts Drives: 11 spc gry m3 e90, 19 X5 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: chicago iTrader: (0)	Yeah, thought it was the dopest SUV on the planet __________________ mods: track ready stuff
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04-04-2012, 04:40 PM	#15
e92_m3 Lieutenant Colonel 194 Rep 1,680 Posts Drives: 2009 e92 m3 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bay Area, California iTrader: (0)	Great review OP! I also read reviews on the 2012 911 CS on motortrend and road & track. Very nice car overall, poised, agile, etc, but I won't purchase it for the price. For 120K, I would probably get a GTR and still spank a lot of cars on the street and track. If a brand new fully loaded 2012 911 CS comes out to be $85K ($90K at most), I would trade my m3 for one in a heartbeat. __________________ Hellaflush? All I could say is "effyo'flush",*"flushnuff", and Instead of 'illest', I'm calling it "faillest"*. It's just form over function nowadays... -END RANT
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04-05-2012, 01:13 AM	#18
phusion974 Lieutenant 19 Rep 437 Posts Drives: OE Tuned C63 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: L.A. iTrader: (0)	How you been Roman?? Long time no see. Great review man, but I think the GT3 is the Porsche for you.
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04-08-2012, 11:33 PM	#19
tightie JOSH SHOKRI. 524 Rep 5,881 Posts Drives: 991 GT3RS, 964, Raptor Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: los angeles, california. iTrader: (7) Garage List 2008 BMW M3 [7.90]	i love the rear! __________________ Current: 16 991 GT3RS , 91 964 C2, 17 Raptor \| Past: 2015 991 GT3, 2015 i3,15 YMB F80 M3, 13 E92 M3 DCT, 08 E92 M3 6MT, 07 E60 M5, 02 E46 M3 Instagram: @josh_speeddistrict #SpeedDistrict @SpeedDistrict
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04-09-2012, 10:39 AM	#20
HotIce Banned 74 Rep 449 Posts Drives: 2013 BMW M3 Join Date: May 2010 Location: I'm not telling some creeper where I live! iTrader: (0)	The new 911 looks amazing...
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04-09-2012, 04:59 PM	#21
positiveions Lieutenant General 961 Rep 11,722 Posts Drives: 19 Tacoma, 16 Golf wagon Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Upland, CA iTrader: (2) Garage List 2019 Toyota Tacoma [0.00] 2016 VW Golf Sports ... [0.00] 1998 BMW M3 [0.00] 1990 BMW 325is [0.00]	i like the car all the way around, and though I haven't seen in person, I just don't care for the interior. It is different. It is so unPorsche. I can't wait 'til I test drive one.
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04-09-2012, 05:15 PM	#22
M3PO Colonel 84 Rep 2,792 Posts Drives: '08 IB E92 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: OC iTrader: (7)	That car is $30K too high. I won't even consider it at that price. This thing costs GT3RS money but isn't anywhere near as good.
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