Three Month Review and thoughts on 2011 911 Turbo S

April 8, 2011

Now that I have had my new car for a little over three months, I have had time to form some opinions and make some observations.

Warnings

First things first, this car is fast.  Dispel whatever notions of what you thought fast was, this car will redefine you thinking and meaning of fast.

With great power comes great responsibility!!!!   This car needs to be treated and handled with the same respect as a firearm.  I am not kidding.  Every time I handle a firearm I still get some butterflies in my belly.  I never take one for granted and I never assume one is empty.

That same kind of care, respect and caution is needed when you drive this car.  Just like you never put your finger on the trigger of a firearm unless you mean to shoot and you know what is not only on your intended line but well behind your target too, never go WOT with this car unless you know what is in front of you and you have anticipated all contingencies.

This car will close all distances faster and seemingly distort the laws of time and space beyond the paradigm that currently exists in your brain.  Not only must you understand how this car shortens distances but you must keep in mind that others on the road will not know this and thus make decisions based on “normal” cars not accounting for the rocket ship you are piloting.

With the warnings out of the way, let me give some real world observations.

PDK

PDK is not an automatic transmission!  It does not feel like an automatic and doesn’t drive like one either.  People who are unaccustomed to driving a traditional manual will think that PDK feels weird and not smooth especially at slower speeds.  To me PDK feels like driving a manual without the ability to ride the clutch at slow speeds or low rpm’s or free wheel when cruising to a stop.  While undoubtedly better for the life of the transmission, it makes low speed and low rpm situations feel much less smooth then you are used in a traditional manual or automatic.

I definitely don’t feel as connected to the car thru PDK as I do thru a gearbox.  Clicking on a paddle doesn’t give me the same feeling of oneness with the car as working the gearbox and clutch pedal.  I also miss shifting from 5^th to 3^rd.  Yes, you can just double click on the paddle but it is not the same.  However, when caught in heavy traffic I don’t miss having a clutch pedal at all.

While everyone thinks that the PDK paddles are a huge improvement from the original PDK buttons, Porsche still has it wrong.  The paddles are mounted on the wheel, so the position change as you steer.  The paddles should be mounted on the column and remained in a fixed position not an ever changing position.  I promise you under hard steering conditions there will be times that you want to change gears and will not be able to do so.

Normal Mode

The car will learn how you are driving and will adjust.  If you are granny driving and preserving gas mileage you will find normal mode kicking you into 7^th around 45 – 50MPH.  If you start driving more aggressively the car will learn and adapt.  If you are granny driving and then go to WOT, there will be a momentary lag and then holy sh%t as you are thrown back into your seat and the car may then feel like it is going to get away from you.  This is easily avoided if you downshift while simultaneously flooring the gas.  Then the lag is eliminated and the power delivery is much smoother.

I never find my self having to upshift in this mode but very often, maybe too often find myself downshifting, frequently as many as two or three gears.

Even in this mode, the ride is firm and since I am usually driving by myself, I prefer to keep my cold tire psi at 34/40 for the fronts and backs respectively.

Sport Mode

In Sport Mode the transmission is much more aggressive and will hold gear a lot longer.  The ride is significantly firmer and beyond what I would recommend for “normal” city driving.  I prefer how the tranny works in this mode to normal but often I still use normal mode even when on the highway if I am caught in rush hour traffic.

Between the firmer ride and the more aggressive gearing, Sport Mode is at its best when cruising down an open highway.

Sport Plus Mode

The ride becomes real firm even firmer than in Sport Mode, at least to me.  I read a review before I bought the car that said this mode is best left for use on a perfectly smooth track.  Now I usually like a firm ride, but I think that review was spot on.  I use this mode very selectively.  In Sport Plus, the transmission will hold gear right up to redline.

Of course, you must engage Sport Plus if you wish use the best Easter Egg hidden in this car.

Launch Control and Off the Line performance

Let’s go back to the beginning.  This car is fast, very fast!  I am sure that just by flooring the gas from a standing start that this car will blow just about every other car off the line including the ZR-1.  I am not sure that even the newest version of Godzilla will match it even when the GT-R uses launch control.  Despite what our rice burning friends may think, the GT-R while a great car is not even close to the “S” in objective real world dragstrip numbers.  The only place where the GT-R keeps up and or beats the “S” in dragstrip numbers is the modest as always reported numbers from Porsche versus the optimistic numbers report by Nissan.

When you see what is reported by all the leading mags and websites, the “S” is up to 4 ticks faster to 60MPH and is a solid ½ second faster thru a quarter mile.  This is not a knock on the GT-R, it is a great car and I recently enjoyed driving one but it is not the same for me.  I am just trying to give you a perspective on how fast the “S” is off the line without any monkeying around.

Using Launch Control takes the off the line performance into another realm.  At a full stop, engage Sport Plus Mode, jam on the brake with your left foot and then floor the accelerator.  The engine should jump up to 4500 RPM’s and a little light will appear above the wheel letting you know that Launch Control is now engaged.  Make sure that you path is clear and that you have double checked for anything that might cross your path down the road.  When you feel safe that you have taken all proper precautions, hold on tightly to the wheel with both hands jump off the brake while still flooring the gas, cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.

If Animal (Joe Laurinaitis) from LOD/Road Warrior fame was screaming at the top of his lungs directly in front of you, I don’t think you would experience a greater RUSH!  At this point, the digital speedo is useless.  You are accelerating faster than it can keep up.  It will register your fastest speed after you have already hit the brakes and started to slow down.  This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase turbo lag.  I know it is only my imagination but it does appear as though objects are Blue Shifting as you accelerate towards them out of Launch Control.

PCCB Brakes

They are big and bright and yellow.  Everybody will comment on them.  There is nothing really more to say.  All kidding aside, they are bullet proof.  In fact you might have to get used to how sensitive they are when your first start driving but boy can they get this vehicle back under lightspeed in a hurry.  I have also notice a lot less brake dust on my wheels so that is another good thing.  Are they worth $10,000?  If they weren’t part of the “value proposition” in buying an “S”, I don’t think that I would have ordered them but they are great.

Porsche Torque Vectoring

Haven’t had the time or inclination to track the car yet and given the amount of traffic around CFL this time of the year I haven’t had the opportunity to explore this car’s potential at anything close to the levels where PTV would have made a substantial difference.  Still, it is nice to know that you have it if you need it.

Adaptive Seats

These are great.  I was concerned that I might be a little to rotund for them at 6’ and 265, but I fit great in these seats.  Of course I would fit better still at 215,  Nevertheless, I don’t regret staying with them over the Sports Seats which living in CFL I would have gotten with the ventilation option.  Of course we haven’t hit the dog days of July and August yet. I wish Porsche wouldn’t be obtuse with their thoughts on certain options.  You can love the support and bolstering the adaptive seats provide for spirited driving while living in a climate in which ventilated seats are a great idea.

Navi, Entertainment System, Bluetooth & etc.

If these are primary concerns when you buy car, do yourself a favor and get a BMW or MB.  Not that there is anything wrong with these in my “S”.  Most of this equipment is just a slight upgrade from my 2005 Boxster S.  They all work well and are intuitive.  The Bluetooth in particular works very well with my Droid X.  It was nice to see that Porsche fixed the design flaw in the radio and climate control buttons from my 2005 which were made from too soft a material and thus became like mush in the Florida heat.  Hell, they even improved the drink holders from 2005 which were already better than I needed.

I buy and drive Porsches for one reason, PERMAGRIN.  The only food allowed in my cars is gum which must be properly disposed of and the only drink allowed in my cars is bottled water.  I am a driving enthusiast.  Unfortunately, the demands of the real world encroach thus I can testify to the reliability of the Bluetooth interface.  When I can eliminate business distractions I often drive with the radio on low or even off.  I enjoy concentrating on driving and listening to the car and the road, the turbine whine of the turbos spooling up are a symphony to me.

Fit, Finish, Styling and other Subjective Observations

Overall, the fit and finish of this car is outstanding and what I have come to expect from Porsche.  However, I will nitpick a couple of things.  First, at this price point, there should be less wind noise in the 60 - 80 MPH range.  I understand that when travelling at triple digit speeds there will be some wind noise unless you want to adversely affect the performance of the car with thicker glass and more sound dampening material but there is too much wind noise in this car at 60 – 80 MPH.

Otherwise, I am very happy with how everything works.  Yes, MB and BMW have better speed sensitive wipers.  Yes, other cars have more and better operating convenience features.  This car has everything I need in a “driver’s car” and all of the features work like they should.  As I mentioned earlier, I wish Porsche would provide the ventilation option with the adaptive seats but I am sure that I will survive without it.

I love the styling of this car.  Both the exterior and the interior to me strike the right balance of sportiness and practicality without being overdone and overstated.  I prefer refined understatement to overstatement.  For example, if I had ordered the car from the factory, I would have ordered it without the model designation.  Porsche cognoscenti would have known it was a Turbo S and non cognoscenti would not have known and I would prefer it that way.

That does mean I don’t appreciate more flashy designs.  To me Ferrari has always made the most “beautiful” automobiles in the world.  Nevertheless, the styling of the 911 is much more suited to my personality for daily driving.  But I have to admit, I never quite realized how much “back” the Turbo has till I got mine.

I am pretty sure that Sir Mix-A-Lot works in the design department in Zuffenhausen and that if my car had a name, it would be Kim Car DaSShian.

Of course another fitting name would be Mjöllnir.  Just put your right foot hard on the accelerator and feel the power of Thor’s hammer come swinging down.

RS Spyder Wheels and Tires

I don’t know how practical or PIA these wheels will be in the future if or when I get a flat, but they do look cool and they are easy to keep clean.  The tires (Michelin PS2’s) have been great but are extremely stiff and sensitive (I know, that’s what she said).  I prefer to keep my cold psi at 34 in front and 40 in back to make the ride a little less jarring.  This is at the lower end of the recommended range but is suitable since my fat @ss is usually the only load.  As these tires have virtually no air, the slightest temperature change affects the tire pressure.  I think that if you were to fart on them the psi would go up one or two pounds.  I am not kidding at 70˚ I have seen the tires psi climb 2 pounds in just about 1 mile of driving.  So, I intend to keep the psi on the low side.

General driving Impressions, Final Thoughts and Conclusions

Overall, I have loved driving this car.  Its overall power, acceleration, handling etc. have been unbelievable.  It is very complaint when just cruising along the highway and it instills a certain confidence knowing that you can shake down the thunder anytime you want by just getting on the gas.

The physical sensations you encounter while driving this car is simply amazing.  It is the closest thing to piloting a jet fighter that most of us will ever be able to experience.  The engine and turbo sounds are great too.

Just like in styling, the engine sounds are really no competition to that of Ferrari but the Porsche sounds have elegance and charm all their own.  Frankly, IMHO if you want the richest base guttural rumbling engine around, then get a SL63 AMG.   I swear I can smell fire and brimstone when one of these bad boys pulls up next to me.  The Porsche’s turbos whine as they spool up and then the whine turns into a loud harmonic WHOOSH as you approach lightspeed.  Again, this may not be as melodic and beautiful as a Ferrari or as intimidating as the AMG but it is pretty cool.

I find Normal Mode too wimpy for most driving situations and Sport Mode too aggressive for normal city street driving.  I often leave the car in Sport Mode but return PASM to normal as a compromise.  Still, I miss freewheeling and the ability to ride the clutch if I so choose.  At the end of the day, I can say that most times I would prefer a traditional manual but I do like the extra performance that PDK provides and it sure is great in heavy rush hour traffic although it is no way near as smooth in this environment as a automatic.

In addition to all the equipment that came with the car, I had a Passport 9500ci system installed.  This is a state of the art Rader & Laser Detection Systems with Laser Shifters.  The system has AI in that it will learn and eliminate false positives.  Additionally, it comes with an upgradeable national database of Red Light and Speeding Cameras.

If you are a serious driving enthusiast and can afford it, I highly recommend this system.  It has already saved me several times in just a few months.

After three months, the final chapter of this experience has been far from written.  I must say I had serious reservations going into it and they have yet to be dispelled.

While I love this car, does it simply have more power than I will ever use?  Another words, could I have gotten 90 – 99% of the experience and fun at 2/3rds the price with a 911 GTS?  The winter months in CFL are very crowded and open roads are a precious commodity.  In the very near future that will change but will I ever really have enough room except on a track to safely explore the potential of this car and my capabilities as a driver?

I am very glad that I bought this car and scratched this itch.  I have always wanted a 911 Turbo and to be able to get this iteration which is the highest form in which it has ever been produced is certainly a dream come true.  But there is a real possibility that in 2.7 years that I will “downgrade” to a “lesser” model Porsche, because the more I drive them, the more I become convinced that there is no such thing as a “lesser” Porsche.