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Message: Quick Impression of the 981 from a current 987 owner and a former 986 owner...
Changed By: AS2003
Change Date: June 24, 2012 05:18PM
Quick Impression of the 981 from a current 987 owner and a former 986 owner...
Change Date: June 24, 2012 05:18PM
Quick Impression of the 981 from a current 987 owner and a former 986 owner...
I drove a 981 briefly this weekend. Here's my quick review for those that are interested:
1. PDK surprised me, but only in sport plus mode while using the paddle-shifters and driving hard. Under those conditions it was very impressive (like a Ferrari California). I'm not ready to abandon the manual yet, but it's nice to know the PDK is getting better and better.
2. It looks even better (and bigger) in person. Definitely more exotic, too.
3. The rear deck is very high, making rear visibility worse than the 987. It surprisingly made me feel a little claustrophobic, but I'm sure I would probably get used to it.
4. The steering... I'm sure this will get better as they develop it, but the steering in my 987.5 felt more exotic and special when I departed in it. Having said that, the 981 steering felt like just about any other nice car on the road. I'm sure people new to the brand will be quite happy with it. For the rest of us, I hope they offer some sort of GT3 sport steering as an option, because this is not the "feel every crevice of the road" hydraulic steering I have come to love.
5. It is much quieter with the top up. That's a big plus in my book.
6. Build quality is on an entirely different level. It felt several generations removed from the 987.5. Everything about the car felt higher quality, especially opening and closing the doors.
7. Trunk Space- I think there is actually more usable front and rear trunk space than the 987. The trunks appear to be deeper. This surprised me, as the photos made them look smaller to me.
8. The power seats are quite nice (I have the base seats in my 987).
9. I did not "feel speed" in this car like I do in the 987. I remember having the same thought when I moved from the 986 to the 987, but that felt evolutionary. This felt revolutionary. You need to watch the speedometer as you'll be going far faster than you probably think.
10. Driving the 981 PDK S made me anxious to drive a manual version of the car and to , as well as hope the Cayman 981 pricing does not get too crazy.
In closing, I think Porsche is going to sell a ton of 981s. While the launch cars at $80K might be tougher to move, base Boxsters optioned smartly in the mid-fifties could almost seem like a "good deal." Finally, the high quality and refinement of the 981 left me thinking it would now be especially easy for Porsche to sell the "baby-boxster" they have been talking about for years...they could just repackage the 986.
Cheers.
1. PDK surprised me, but only in sport plus mode while using the paddle-shifters and driving hard. Under those conditions it was very impressive (like a Ferrari California). I'm not ready to abandon the manual yet, but it's nice to know the PDK is getting better and better.
2. It looks even better (and bigger) in person. Definitely more exotic, too.
3. The rear deck is very high, making rear visibility worse than the 987. It surprisingly made me feel a little claustrophobic, but I'm sure I would probably get used to it.
4. The steering... I'm sure this will get better as they develop it, but the steering in my 987.5 felt more exotic and special when I departed in it. Having said that, the 981 steering felt like just about any other nice car on the road. I'm sure people new to the brand will be quite happy with it. For the rest of us, I hope they offer some sort of GT3 sport steering as an option, because this is not the "feel every crevice of the road" hydraulic steering I have come to love.
5. It is much quieter with the top up. That's a big plus in my book.
6. Build quality is on an entirely different level. It felt several generations removed from the 987.5. Everything about the car felt higher quality, especially opening and closing the doors.
7. Trunk Space- I think there is actually more usable front and rear trunk space than the 987. The trunks appear to be deeper. This surprised me, as the photos made them look smaller to me.
8. The power seats are quite nice (I have the base seats in my 987).
9. I did not "feel speed" in this car like I do in the 987. I remember having the same thought when I moved from the 986 to the 987, but that felt evolutionary. This felt revolutionary. You need to watch the speedometer as you'll be going far faster than you probably think.
10. Driving the 981 PDK S made me anxious to drive a manual version of the car and to , as well as hope the Cayman 981 pricing does not get too crazy.
In closing, I think Porsche is going to sell a ton of 981s. While the launch cars at $80K might be tougher to move, base Boxsters optioned smartly in the mid-fifties could almost seem like a "good deal." Finally, the high quality and refinement of the 981 left me thinking it would now be especially easy for Porsche to sell the "baby-boxster" they have been talking about for years...they could just repackage the 986.
Cheers.
Original Message
Author: AS2003Date: June 24, 2012 05:07PM
Quick Impression of the 981 from a current 987 owner and a former 986 owner...
I drove a 981 briefly this weekend. Here's my quick review for those that are interested:
1. PDK surprised me, but only in sport plus mode while using the paddle-shifters and driving hard. Under those conditions it was very impressive (like a Ferrari California). I'm not ready to abandon the manual yet, but it's nice to know the PDK is getting better and better.
2. It looks even better (and bigger) in person. Definitely more exotic, too.
3. The rear deck is very high, making rear visibility worse than the 987. It surprisingly made me feel a little claustrophobic, but I'm sure I would probably get used to it.
4. The steering... I'm sure this will get better as they develop it, but the steering in my 987.5 felt more exotic and special when I departed in it. Having said that, the 981 steering felt like just about any other nice car on the road. I'm sure people new to the brand will be quite happy with it. For the rest of us, I hope they offer some sort of GT3 sport steering as an option, because this is not the "feel every crevice of the road" hydraulic steering I have come to love.
5. It is much quieter with the top up. That's a big plus in my book.
6. Build quality is on an entirely different level. It felt several generations removed from the 987.5. Everything about the car felt higher quality, especially opening and closing the doors.
7. Trunk Space- I think there is actually more usable front and rear trunk space than the 987. The trunks appear to be deeper. This surprised me, as the photos made them look smaller to me.
8. The power seats are quite nice (I have the base seats in my 987).
9. I did not "feel speed" in this car like I do in the 987. I remember having the same thought when I moved from the 986 to the 987, but that felt evolutionary. This felt revolutionary. You need to watch the speedometer as you'll be going far faster than you probably think.
10. Driving the 981 PDK S me anxious to drive a manual version of the car and to hope the Cayman 981 pricing does not get too crazy.
In closing, I think Porsche is going to sell a ton of 981s. While the launch cars at $80K might be tougher to move, base Boxsters optioned smartly in the mid-fifties could almost seem like a "good deal." Finally, the high quality and refinement of the 981 left me thinking it would now be especially easy for Porsche to sell the "baby-boxster" they have been talking about for years...they could just repackage the 986.
Cheers.
1. PDK surprised me, but only in sport plus mode while using the paddle-shifters and driving hard. Under those conditions it was very impressive (like a Ferrari California). I'm not ready to abandon the manual yet, but it's nice to know the PDK is getting better and better.
2. It looks even better (and bigger) in person. Definitely more exotic, too.
3. The rear deck is very high, making rear visibility worse than the 987. It surprisingly made me feel a little claustrophobic, but I'm sure I would probably get used to it.
4. The steering... I'm sure this will get better as they develop it, but the steering in my 987.5 felt more exotic and special when I departed in it. Having said that, the 981 steering felt like just about any other nice car on the road. I'm sure people new to the brand will be quite happy with it. For the rest of us, I hope they offer some sort of GT3 sport steering as an option, because this is not the "feel every crevice of the road" hydraulic steering I have come to love.
5. It is much quieter with the top up. That's a big plus in my book.
6. Build quality is on an entirely different level. It felt several generations removed from the 987.5. Everything about the car felt higher quality, especially opening and closing the doors.
7. Trunk Space- I think there is actually more usable front and rear trunk space than the 987. The trunks appear to be deeper. This surprised me, as the photos made them look smaller to me.
8. The power seats are quite nice (I have the base seats in my 987).
9. I did not "feel speed" in this car like I do in the 987. I remember having the same thought when I moved from the 986 to the 987, but that felt evolutionary. This felt revolutionary. You need to watch the speedometer as you'll be going far faster than you probably think.
10. Driving the 981 PDK S me anxious to drive a manual version of the car and to hope the Cayman 981 pricing does not get too crazy.
In closing, I think Porsche is going to sell a ton of 981s. While the launch cars at $80K might be tougher to move, base Boxsters optioned smartly in the mid-fifties could almost seem like a "good deal." Finally, the high quality and refinement of the 981 left me thinking it would now be especially easy for Porsche to sell the "baby-boxster" they have been talking about for years...they could just repackage the 986.
Cheers.