Driving Impressions: New 911 S vs. Z

bigdog1250

Was driving by my local Porsche dealership this weekend and decided it would be a good day to test drive a Cayman, as I've always wanted to and have some interest in the new model once it's released early next year (to be announced at LA Autoshow in November). The dealer didn't have any Cayman S' nor were any of the base Caymans stick, so I decided that the test drive wouldn't really be helpful for a comparison to the Z.

However, the sales guy insisted that the new 911 drives a lot like the cayman does with it's different weight distribution and longer, wider, wheel base. We took out a Carrera S that was spec'd out pretty heavily ($120k sticker!) with Sport suspension, sport exhaust, etc.

I live in SF but went to the dealership in Marin which is very hilly and has some great mountain roads. The sales guy drove first and ripped this thing up the mountain. It was a car with 1000+ miles on it so it was already broken in pretty well and they weren't selling it to the general public so he drove it like he stole it.

Car was hugely impressive. 400hp from a 3.8L NA 6 cyclinder... that's sexy. And Porsche offers (for 2013) a tuned spec with 430hp - that's crazy NA power! The power came on heavy after 2500 rpm all the way up to redline (but we only went up to about 6500 as there wasn't enough road for us). The car is so planted in the corners and the brakes are so reassuring, even from the passenger seat. I've never driven a 997 (only a 996 turbo) so I wasn't able to make a comparison, but he said it's MUCH more surefooted in the corners now than the previous generation and wow was it ever. The other amazing factor about this car is that the hood drops off so suddenly that your forward vision is amazing. Unlike the long hood of the Z which feel's very muscle car like, the 911 drops low so you can see very close in front of the car and the fenders bulge at the side of the car so you know exactly where the wheels are. Plus the A-pillar is very thin so forward vision is further enhanced. I was curious how the factory sport exhaust would sound, and it was sexy and mean - definitely delivered. Power compared to my car (with simple bolt-ons) didn't feel drastically different, but the power delivery in the 911 was much smoother. But I wouldn't buy a Porsche for all out power, it's the road feel and precision where you really get some value.

Once we got back down the other side of the hill it was my turn, so I took the car back up the hill and to the dealer (about 5 miles). It was mind blowing how different my car felt once I got into it immediately afterwards. The road feel in the 911 is 2x our car, it's that good. The electronic steering is fantastic and doesn't feel digital at all. Very responsive and VERY precise. My god this car is good. I still dont' think it warrants a price tag that large (I'd probably opt for an R8 if I was dropping that much cash) but this car offers something so special. I think the Cayman S will be amazing as it will offer very similar performance and feedback for $70-80k.

For $30k our car offers a very unique experience, but Porsche's really are at a whole other level. The Z truly is a baby Porsche and I love that I can get 75% of the experience for a fraction of the price. I plan on looking at other cars next year once I've been promoted, and the new Cayman will definitely be on the list along with the C7.

It's no surprise that the new 911 won the driver's car of the year award for 2012.

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350z / 40th 370z / C6 Z06 / BMW M4 / V10 R8 / C7 Grand Spot / 997.1 GT3 / S2K / Camaro ZL1 / 718 GTS / 991.2 GT3