My 997 Turbo drive impression

[Kreso]

Drive the beast today for little bit over one hour...

Impressions:

-the best Porsche yet in my experience
-engine-very powerfull, still with(small) turbo lag
-new PTM AWD vorks very nice and car is pretty prone to oversteer in Sport mode, but easy to control. IMHO LSD is a must on manual 997 Turbo since it is not possible to get in TIP version(TIP gearbox too big)
-PASM works also pretty good, but Sport mode in to hard for everyday driving
-acceleration-this is the fastest car that I drive. It is faster then both F430 and Gallardo. Trust me on this. My friend was behinde me in his RS4. He could not keep me with me in any speed. Difference till 160km/h was huge to my suprise(more then 40m!!).
-PCCB(Ceramic Brakes) are amazing! Yes, they are little bit more noisy then standard brakes, but stoping power and pedal feel are the best that I experienced so far...
-engine sound... Yes, it is pretty strange for true sportscar, but I like it.
-seats... Adaptive sportseats are truly excellent and driving position is nice as well
-gearbox... Best manual so far. Better then RS4 gearbox in that regard-gearchanges are fast, precise and crisp. This car was without Short shifter(too stiff IMO).

So, do I like it? You bet! It is excellent car and I am sorry, but I must say that R8 will not be a match for it in its current edition.
V10 version maybe, but keep in mind that 997 Turbo is faster then current 520hp Gallardo.
So, what to do? Order it, of course! I am speaking here for myself...
My plan is to have both R8 and 997 Turbo.

Last thing-based on my new experience I am form now strong advocate for Ceramic Brakes. In fact, I want my R8 only with them! If that means October 2007 delivery-let it be!
They are that good!

[Lemme]

There's no doubt in my mind that it is, as you said, a great car but isn't way more expensive than a R8? So the R8 is not meant to be a rival for this car. Or am I wrong here?

[Kreso]

Regarding Europe you are absolutely right!

But, in USA price difference will not be that big I am affaraid...

For me-both! R8 and 997 Turbo!

[dctwtaurus]

Kreso, please test the 997GT3 / GT3RS before you commit a Turbo, if you can, please.

[sticky]

The more I think about it the more I think the 997 turbo is the car for me. I can't have both the R8 and the turbo, one or the other.

I mean, the comments about the acceleration sound great no to mention much more hp is just a chip away. At this point it just sounds like the 997 turbo is the car for me as the power is just too difficult to ignore.

Tell me more about the acceleration

[Kreso]

Sticky,
997 Turbo is indeed excellent car!
Acceleration... Even average driver can do 0-100km/h in 4s!! Official time is 3.9s and most magazines measured 3.7s(!!). This car can do 0-300km/h in 40.7s!! It is around 15s faster in 0-300km/h then R8...

Yes, for me this is ultimate 997 model. I drove 997GT3 and although very fast it is not for me. Why? First, no PSM(ESP) in it. Just simple TC that works fine, but it is not PSM. Second, while engine is excellent NA boxer, it is not as smooth in its matters.
You only need to get used to biturbo engine in 997 Turbo. Its power delivery is not as linear as in amazing NA engine like R8s!
Also regarding driving you need to accomodate yourself to rear engine layout. Despite very good AWD(PTM) car is pretty prone to oversteer on limit and short wheel base in not helping either... Weight balance is 39% front and 61% rear and you can feel it!
Simply said 997 Turbo needs different driving style then R8(or Gallardo).
997 Turbo steering is very precise and fast, but it also makes car little bit nervous... High speed stability is not that good as on R8 or Gallardo(they are amazingly stable in high speed) and you need to correct with steering more oftenly in 997 Turbo.

But, all in all 997 Turbo is a masterpiece IMHO. It is the fastest sportscar currently on the market that can be used everyday... Not a small price indeed IMO.

[sticky]

How did you feel about the throttle response? All my motors have always been naturally aspirated and I definitely like quick throttle response. That is the one worry I have with the 911 turbo but I hear this motor is much better than the past models in that respect.

[Kreso]

It is very good for turbo engine, but far from something like F430, Gallardo, R8 or RS4! You simply receive a kick around 3000rpm and then 997 turbo puls very hard indeed till around 6300rpm. After that power increase in small...

IMHO you can like this kind of turbo engine or not. I like it, but my favorite is high reving NA engine like the one in R8 or RS4.

Also, throttle response in 997 turbo is even not the best in turbo engines. That prise goes to new BMW 335i! Now, that's really excellent throttle response for turbo engine...

[wolfie]

I cannot disagree with anything Kreso has said and in fact feel the same way having recently driven a 997 TT on both the road and track. Although I have not take delivery of my R8 yet and have not had an opportunity to drive one and therefore have no basis to compare, if what I read is true the R8 is a better track car and will handle more speed in the twisties, even though it is underpowered relatively speaking. Recent comparison showed that the R8 carried more speed in certain twisties than the GTR which as we have all read is a bit faster than the 997 TT in every category.

I also had to choose between the R8 and the 997 TT and my decision for the R8 was based on 2 reasons. First, I test drove a 2008 997TT with 3,000 miles that had a sticker price of $144,000 (lots of carbon, turbo boost, etc..) and the dealer was trying to push it on me for $115,000 a 20% devaluation in only 4 months. The second reason and the more important one is that I see at least 3-5 997 TT every day - there are at least 6 in within 3 blocks of my home. In contrast the only R8 I have seen on the road is a V10 test mule as Audi has a testing facility here.

In short having a car that is unique and special was a greater priority to me then being able to accelerate 0.5 seconds faster to 100. Don't get me wrong I love the speed and ofter partake in some funs runs when available but it is hardly clutch popping acceleration runs and much more likely driving that will test my car's handling and balance.

With those objectives in mind the only car better than an R8, at least for me, would be an R8 and a 997 TT so I guess Kreso wins the debate notwithstanding my logic!

Enjoy Kreso and keep posting, I know we all enjoy your insights and advance information on the R8.

[Jas667]

I agree with Wolfie, the R8 is a much more emotional car, a car to fall in love with and def my choice. I love it. Although as for speed I have driven the Turbo numerous times and the R8 does not come anywhere near it. The Turbo is way faster but it does it so easily it just isnt involving enough IMO. I like to get out with a smile on my face, not just shaking all over :-)