Hi there
OK its taken me a lot longer than usual to give an indepth review and feedback from owning a 911. Its taken so long as the car has taken a lot of time to play into, its not like the EVO X where you can just get in and drive it fast and on the limit, it takes a lot more learning and I am still finding limits. So now I shall try and write a review on the car giving as much detail as possible and answering any possible questions. Expect to see a lot of references to the EVO X in particular as it shall be compared to that a lot with it been the last car I owned and the fact I owned by at the same time for a while.
I shall split my review into the following:-
The Specification of the car & couple of pics:-
2006 Model 911 C2S (997.1)
2005 - 55 Porsche 911 C2S Manual
3.8l N/A Flat 6 Engine with an 7300rpm redline
355BHP @ 7200rpm
295lb/ft @ 4500rpm
0-60mph = 3.9-4.6s (dependent on where you read)
0-100mph = 9.3s-10.5s (dependent on where you read)
Top Speed = 190ish mph
Weight = 1390kg
Modifications = X51 manifolds, X51 radiators.
Engine / Gearbox / Performance / Sound
The engine is super-responsive and sharp with always plenty of go and grunt even from low revs, though the car does benefit best from stirring the box and oh what a joy it is to stir that box. The gear change and ease is amongst the best of all the cars I've owned, its practically on par with the S2000, but is easier to rev match and makes a much better noise when doing so.
Due to the engines super smooth nature, the EVO felt more urgent in the mid-range due to the turbo and have a lot more torque coming in at just 3500rpm, nearly 400lb/ft compared to 300lb/ft plus delivered earlier. Plus the EVO's had much shorter gearing, for example 3rd in the EVO was good for 85ish, wheras the 911 can hit 100mph in 3rd gear. So the EVO felt quicker in mid-range to both myself and passengers, yet the Porsche is certainly the quicker car as I've seen considerably higher speeds by certain land marks and the acceleration in the 911 never seems to drop off, its very easy to see 150mph and imagine the car would pull quite well towards 180ish with ease.
So the engine is rather impressive, yes you miss the torque/turbo rush a little but once your past 6000rpm and heading past 7000rpm you forget those memories as beyond 4500rpm the car pulls incredibly well and its relentless in any gear.
The noise the car makes with the PSE fitted is intoxicating, with the windows up the car has a real mechanical/shrill sound to it, I love it and when you push past 5500rpm the shrill and resonance in the cabin from the engine is superb and is very bad for MPG as you just want to drive the car in the higher upper-RPM bands all the time, so on a road where you could be in 5th, you tend to find yourself in 3rd. With the windows down and sunroof open the bouncing of walls, trees and buildings is simply sounds awsome, makes me feel a hooligan doing so. Obviously the mods I've done have effected the soundtrack in a very positive way.
The cars performance is staggering, off the mark is easy, it takes practically no revs just let the clutch out right and boot it and the car bolts off with zero wheel spin, this is clutch friendly, though you can dial in some revs and still have no wheelspin, unless you dial too many in. But the engine in the rear is superb for traction, off the mark is easy meaning traffic light grand prix is very easy in the car, which is quite rare in a manual. Mid-range is good and top-end is superb, overall its easily the fastest sub 400BHP car I've had, which no doubt the fact its quite lightweight in comparison to other cars I've had been around just 1400kg. Overall the sound, performance and gearbox experience are pretty much spot on, all are superb making it a real enjoyment to drive.
All in all its the second fastest of all the cars I've owned, I'd even say to 60mph the Porsche is quicker as the Mustang struggled to put its power down, but the Mustang once into 2nd gear was supreme, still the Mustang did have a 200BHP edge.
Steering / Handling / Grip / Brakes
Lets talk about the most impressive thing off all, the brakes. I am fortunate the car is fitted with ceramics all round and to put it bluntly they are absolutely outrageously good. No matter the speed, hot or cold you get the same incredible braking performance every time. Also the pedal progression and feel are also the best too, the communication and feel from the brakes are simply in a league of their own. Whats even more due to having ceramics the wheels never get dirty as they are zero dust, plus fingers crossed should last upto 100,000 miles. They also weigh just 1/3 of the traditional brake disc so help considerably to reduce unsprung weight. Needless to say the brakes are better than anything I've ever driven both braking wise and feel wise, so never follow a 911 close, they can stop very quick. Now to the myth of 911's been evil creatures that bite if you ever brake in anything but a straight line. I've found this to be completely untrue, if anything the car is incredibly stable when braking, admittedly I've not driven with PSM off, but at the same time I've not witnessed it kick in, but I always drive the car with Sport ON.
Steering wise its excellent, my only complaints are it could be quicker on the steering as the EVO had very quick steering and it could also be heavier at lower less engaging speeds. However apart from these minor grips the steering is very precise and is full of feel, the car communicates very well via its steering and from seat of your pants. It has more feel than any other car I've driven giving it a true sports car feeling. So it is indeed very feelsome and is overall the best steering from a car I've ever owned, at speed it gives great confidence and you know where the grip is on the front-end.
Now the mechanical grip on offer is simply ludricous, now don't forget the car is running on Pirelli Pzero Rosso's which other Porsche owners comment on been one of the poorer performing tyres to fit as the Michelin PS2 offers better grip levels and the Super Sport even more so. Still even with this in consideration the grips levels are simply supreme, it has far higher grip levels than the EVO did, but think about it the Porsche has 235 section rubber on the front and 295 section rubber on the rear. In comparison the EVO had 245 section sticky rubber all round, but weighed in around 1550kg with the engine in the front. So with the 911's engine in the back it does not need wide section tyres on the front as the front-end is very light and the heavier rear has 295 section tyres to keep it in check. There I find the car has higher overall grip levels both front and rear compared to the EVO. I have had the GEO setup on the Porsche to dial out some of the understeer to make it handle more neutral. The result is the car still wants to understeer but it happens later and at higher speed due to have more front camber, resulting in higher corner speeds and better front-end bite. Before the car came into understeer quite easy and it took a lot of throttle to push the backend out. Wheras now its had the GEO when you come to understeer you only have to add a little more speed/gas to get the rear out, resulting in a more neutral handling car with higher cornering speed and even more confident inspiring.
The other unique sensation of the 911 is how you tend to steer the car from the rear a lot, this might sound quite odd but when your cornering at high speeds and your not getting the front end dug in or its washing a little wide the car greatly benefits from you using the throttle and somewhat steering from the rear sensation. In comparison to the EVO its certainly the better handling car on nearly all roads bar those which are very bumpy which upset the light front-end a little. Infact if anything driving the 911 reminds me the most of the Mustang and CSL, its extremely capable but you do have to respect it. In tight corners you can push it gently to oversteer and then gently ease off to pull it back in and as soon as you spot the apex and reduce steering lock you can really get on the power early and the rear-end just pushes it out the corner.
I've not really found the cars limits, apart from getting the rear-end to step out and the odd little slide as I sense even though its a superb handling car it could also easily bite if driven at the ragged edge and require a lot of talent to keep it in line. Wheras the EVO X loved been driven at the ragged edge and it was what made the EVO X fun is that you could drive a car so easily when pushed beyond its limits of grip due to its excellent chassis, differentials. All in all the Porsche has huge amounts of grip, especially out back and handles superbly and I suspect there is more to come and this is with the Pirelli tyres, one can only imagine how good it will be on sticky rubber. So all in all its the best handling and most engaging car I've owned to drive, it even beats the CSL, though the CSL was easier to drive fast at first.
In the wet its also very impressive, again due to where the weight is really helps its wet/greasy traction, its surprisingly good, again better grip levels than the EVO, but its no where near as forgiving or as controllable as the EVO was in such conditions, so I'd still say the EVO was winner in wet conditions, but in the damp the 911 still has it.
Everyday practicality
The 911 is very good here as its no bigger than your average car so can fit pretty much anywhere and with the parking sensors makes parking quite easy. However my 911 has the Aerokit fitted which makes the cars front-end very low which means one has to be very careful with car parks and curbs as it can easily catch, its already seen a few scrapes and several other 911 owners seem to rip them off on a regular basis, so this in my view does reduce practicality quite a lot. Apart from that the car has a usable luggage area which is enough to hold shopping and driver and passenger travel in comfort, though the rear seats are only ideal for children or using again for luggage/shopping.
Build quality
Build quality, well its German and there is no let downs here, everything feels solid and works well and is easy to use. Yes I guess one could argue the design is a bit dated but I guess thats Porsche keeping the 911 tradition, as there is no fancy touchscreens or graphical displays, just the crucial info you need. The bose sound system is superb and the satnav works well, though a more graphical screen here would be welcomed. Overall the build quality is very good and again the best of any car I've owned. No real complaints again, though I feel the front seats could be more supportive as like GT3 or Recaro's but they do a good job and the bum warmers are excellent.
Running cost
This is good and bad.
The good is services are every 20,000 miles or 2 years and will average £500 a time, so quite cheap there.
MPG levels on a whole are good, cruising on the motorway it easy to return just over 30MPG even as the speed increases. Its weak point is in the city as its not that great and when your on it because your revving the engine upto its limiter again your using more fuel. On a whole I am averaging 16-18MPG, so similar to the EVO, but the EVO was better here when just driving around town gently, but the Porsche is better at higher motorway speeds due to a 6th gear and longer gearing.
So all in all your thinking so where is the expense then, well since ownership I've spent the following:-
£1500 on Porsche PSE
£1000 on X51 manifolds, X51 radiators, X51 undertray and airbox mods/filter
£1000 in work to get warrany, so new side radiators, new coil packs plus I changed the plugs and oil early.
End of this month I be spending circa £2000 on 2yr OPC warranty.
So thats quite a bit, yes you could remove £2500 of that, but the mods I've done I do not regret and once the warranty is on the car well in theory there shall be no more cost as the only thing I can do to the car now is fit some Michelin Super Sports, but the Pirelli's still have a lot of tread left so for now I am gonna get my use from them and then maybe by the time I change NSPEC Super Sports will finally be out.
So the cost of running are not that bad, I've spent the money as I not only wanted the car perfect but have done what I wanted to do with the car.
The effect on passengers and feedback from the public
Passengers when it comes to performance tend to find its too smooth to really feel as quick as it is, its when they see the speed and how quickly the speedo goes round they knows its quick. Though some passengers at the same time think it feels very quick, so its quite a mixed bag. With the Mustang it scared and churned peoples stomachs, some even found the same with the EVO with the turbo spooling up.
What I do notice though is passengers tend to be rather amazed by the way it stops and goes rounds corners, to the extend some get scared or are holding on and the other thing everyone finds impressive is how easy it gets of the mark and the soundtrack on offer.
Other road users I find either literally go out of there way to let you pass, especially other Porsche drivers and yet other drivers seem to try their best to cut you up. The fact its bright yellow and with aerokit I find has removed a bit of the 911's classy image I'd say but its still a very good looking car and all who see it in the flesh quickly forget its bright yellow colour just as I did. I took a friend out in it a little while ago and she loved the interior more so over anything and everyone comments on the yellow custom stitching in the car.
Generally most take the car well and those who don't I suspect its more of a jealousy thing that some people seem to have if you own a Porsche, Ferrari etc. which is a shame because I suspect many Porsche drivers like myself buy them for the driving sensation and not a case of look at me, I've got money, which is a shame but thats just how some people are. I've had a few encounters and so far the car has surprised me by how quickly it can leave what would be considered quick cars too.
Summary
Not much to say really, I'd say it was one of the most sorted cars I've owned as an overall package. Yes certain cars beat it in certain areas like Mustang on in-gear acceleration. The EVO on ability to drive at/beyond the limits with relative ease and the CSL for its awsome gearbox. But even then its only slight, the 911 is just a sheer joy to drive. I find myself going out for random drives, hunting down country roads as I simply just enjoy driving the car, hearing the mechanic shrill/howl of the engine and been in the know of what the car is doing due to the cars excellent communication. Overall its awsome and am very glad I purchased the car.
A little video clip of the noise from outside
OK its taken me a lot longer than usual to give an indepth review and feedback from owning a 911. Its taken so long as the car has taken a lot of time to play into, its not like the EVO X where you can just get in and drive it fast and on the limit, it takes a lot more learning and I am still finding limits. So now I shall try and write a review on the car giving as much detail as possible and answering any possible questions. Expect to see a lot of references to the EVO X in particular as it shall be compared to that a lot with it been the last car I owned and the fact I owned by at the same time for a while.
I shall split my review into the following:-
- Engine / Gearbox / Performance / Sound
- Steering / Handling / Grip
- Everyday practicality
- Build quality
- Running cost
- The effect on passengers and feedback from the public
The Specification of the car & couple of pics:-
2006 Model 911 C2S (997.1)
2005 - 55 Porsche 911 C2S Manual
3.8l N/A Flat 6 Engine with an 7300rpm redline
355BHP @ 7200rpm
295lb/ft @ 4500rpm
0-60mph = 3.9-4.6s (dependent on where you read)
0-100mph = 9.3s-10.5s (dependent on where you read)
Top Speed = 190ish mph
Weight = 1390kg
Modifications = X51 manifolds, X51 radiators.
Engine / Gearbox / Performance / Sound
The engine is super-responsive and sharp with always plenty of go and grunt even from low revs, though the car does benefit best from stirring the box and oh what a joy it is to stir that box. The gear change and ease is amongst the best of all the cars I've owned, its practically on par with the S2000, but is easier to rev match and makes a much better noise when doing so.
Due to the engines super smooth nature, the EVO felt more urgent in the mid-range due to the turbo and have a lot more torque coming in at just 3500rpm, nearly 400lb/ft compared to 300lb/ft plus delivered earlier. Plus the EVO's had much shorter gearing, for example 3rd in the EVO was good for 85ish, wheras the 911 can hit 100mph in 3rd gear. So the EVO felt quicker in mid-range to both myself and passengers, yet the Porsche is certainly the quicker car as I've seen considerably higher speeds by certain land marks and the acceleration in the 911 never seems to drop off, its very easy to see 150mph and imagine the car would pull quite well towards 180ish with ease.
So the engine is rather impressive, yes you miss the torque/turbo rush a little but once your past 6000rpm and heading past 7000rpm you forget those memories as beyond 4500rpm the car pulls incredibly well and its relentless in any gear.
The noise the car makes with the PSE fitted is intoxicating, with the windows up the car has a real mechanical/shrill sound to it, I love it and when you push past 5500rpm the shrill and resonance in the cabin from the engine is superb and is very bad for MPG as you just want to drive the car in the higher upper-RPM bands all the time, so on a road where you could be in 5th, you tend to find yourself in 3rd. With the windows down and sunroof open the bouncing of walls, trees and buildings is simply sounds awsome, makes me feel a hooligan doing so. Obviously the mods I've done have effected the soundtrack in a very positive way.
The cars performance is staggering, off the mark is easy, it takes practically no revs just let the clutch out right and boot it and the car bolts off with zero wheel spin, this is clutch friendly, though you can dial in some revs and still have no wheelspin, unless you dial too many in. But the engine in the rear is superb for traction, off the mark is easy meaning traffic light grand prix is very easy in the car, which is quite rare in a manual. Mid-range is good and top-end is superb, overall its easily the fastest sub 400BHP car I've had, which no doubt the fact its quite lightweight in comparison to other cars I've had been around just 1400kg. Overall the sound, performance and gearbox experience are pretty much spot on, all are superb making it a real enjoyment to drive.
All in all its the second fastest of all the cars I've owned, I'd even say to 60mph the Porsche is quicker as the Mustang struggled to put its power down, but the Mustang once into 2nd gear was supreme, still the Mustang did have a 200BHP edge.
Steering / Handling / Grip / Brakes
Lets talk about the most impressive thing off all, the brakes. I am fortunate the car is fitted with ceramics all round and to put it bluntly they are absolutely outrageously good. No matter the speed, hot or cold you get the same incredible braking performance every time. Also the pedal progression and feel are also the best too, the communication and feel from the brakes are simply in a league of their own. Whats even more due to having ceramics the wheels never get dirty as they are zero dust, plus fingers crossed should last upto 100,000 miles. They also weigh just 1/3 of the traditional brake disc so help considerably to reduce unsprung weight. Needless to say the brakes are better than anything I've ever driven both braking wise and feel wise, so never follow a 911 close, they can stop very quick. Now to the myth of 911's been evil creatures that bite if you ever brake in anything but a straight line. I've found this to be completely untrue, if anything the car is incredibly stable when braking, admittedly I've not driven with PSM off, but at the same time I've not witnessed it kick in, but I always drive the car with Sport ON.
Steering wise its excellent, my only complaints are it could be quicker on the steering as the EVO had very quick steering and it could also be heavier at lower less engaging speeds. However apart from these minor grips the steering is very precise and is full of feel, the car communicates very well via its steering and from seat of your pants. It has more feel than any other car I've driven giving it a true sports car feeling. So it is indeed very feelsome and is overall the best steering from a car I've ever owned, at speed it gives great confidence and you know where the grip is on the front-end.
Now the mechanical grip on offer is simply ludricous, now don't forget the car is running on Pirelli Pzero Rosso's which other Porsche owners comment on been one of the poorer performing tyres to fit as the Michelin PS2 offers better grip levels and the Super Sport even more so. Still even with this in consideration the grips levels are simply supreme, it has far higher grip levels than the EVO did, but think about it the Porsche has 235 section rubber on the front and 295 section rubber on the rear. In comparison the EVO had 245 section sticky rubber all round, but weighed in around 1550kg with the engine in the front. So with the 911's engine in the back it does not need wide section tyres on the front as the front-end is very light and the heavier rear has 295 section tyres to keep it in check. There I find the car has higher overall grip levels both front and rear compared to the EVO. I have had the GEO setup on the Porsche to dial out some of the understeer to make it handle more neutral. The result is the car still wants to understeer but it happens later and at higher speed due to have more front camber, resulting in higher corner speeds and better front-end bite. Before the car came into understeer quite easy and it took a lot of throttle to push the backend out. Wheras now its had the GEO when you come to understeer you only have to add a little more speed/gas to get the rear out, resulting in a more neutral handling car with higher cornering speed and even more confident inspiring.
The other unique sensation of the 911 is how you tend to steer the car from the rear a lot, this might sound quite odd but when your cornering at high speeds and your not getting the front end dug in or its washing a little wide the car greatly benefits from you using the throttle and somewhat steering from the rear sensation. In comparison to the EVO its certainly the better handling car on nearly all roads bar those which are very bumpy which upset the light front-end a little. Infact if anything driving the 911 reminds me the most of the Mustang and CSL, its extremely capable but you do have to respect it. In tight corners you can push it gently to oversteer and then gently ease off to pull it back in and as soon as you spot the apex and reduce steering lock you can really get on the power early and the rear-end just pushes it out the corner.
I've not really found the cars limits, apart from getting the rear-end to step out and the odd little slide as I sense even though its a superb handling car it could also easily bite if driven at the ragged edge and require a lot of talent to keep it in line. Wheras the EVO X loved been driven at the ragged edge and it was what made the EVO X fun is that you could drive a car so easily when pushed beyond its limits of grip due to its excellent chassis, differentials. All in all the Porsche has huge amounts of grip, especially out back and handles superbly and I suspect there is more to come and this is with the Pirelli tyres, one can only imagine how good it will be on sticky rubber. So all in all its the best handling and most engaging car I've owned to drive, it even beats the CSL, though the CSL was easier to drive fast at first.
In the wet its also very impressive, again due to where the weight is really helps its wet/greasy traction, its surprisingly good, again better grip levels than the EVO, but its no where near as forgiving or as controllable as the EVO was in such conditions, so I'd still say the EVO was winner in wet conditions, but in the damp the 911 still has it.
Everyday practicality
The 911 is very good here as its no bigger than your average car so can fit pretty much anywhere and with the parking sensors makes parking quite easy. However my 911 has the Aerokit fitted which makes the cars front-end very low which means one has to be very careful with car parks and curbs as it can easily catch, its already seen a few scrapes and several other 911 owners seem to rip them off on a regular basis, so this in my view does reduce practicality quite a lot. Apart from that the car has a usable luggage area which is enough to hold shopping and driver and passenger travel in comfort, though the rear seats are only ideal for children or using again for luggage/shopping.
Build quality
Build quality, well its German and there is no let downs here, everything feels solid and works well and is easy to use. Yes I guess one could argue the design is a bit dated but I guess thats Porsche keeping the 911 tradition, as there is no fancy touchscreens or graphical displays, just the crucial info you need. The bose sound system is superb and the satnav works well, though a more graphical screen here would be welcomed. Overall the build quality is very good and again the best of any car I've owned. No real complaints again, though I feel the front seats could be more supportive as like GT3 or Recaro's but they do a good job and the bum warmers are excellent.
Running cost
This is good and bad.
The good is services are every 20,000 miles or 2 years and will average £500 a time, so quite cheap there.
MPG levels on a whole are good, cruising on the motorway it easy to return just over 30MPG even as the speed increases. Its weak point is in the city as its not that great and when your on it because your revving the engine upto its limiter again your using more fuel. On a whole I am averaging 16-18MPG, so similar to the EVO, but the EVO was better here when just driving around town gently, but the Porsche is better at higher motorway speeds due to a 6th gear and longer gearing.
So all in all your thinking so where is the expense then, well since ownership I've spent the following:-
£1500 on Porsche PSE
£1000 on X51 manifolds, X51 radiators, X51 undertray and airbox mods/filter
£1000 in work to get warrany, so new side radiators, new coil packs plus I changed the plugs and oil early.
End of this month I be spending circa £2000 on 2yr OPC warranty.
So thats quite a bit, yes you could remove £2500 of that, but the mods I've done I do not regret and once the warranty is on the car well in theory there shall be no more cost as the only thing I can do to the car now is fit some Michelin Super Sports, but the Pirelli's still have a lot of tread left so for now I am gonna get my use from them and then maybe by the time I change NSPEC Super Sports will finally be out.
So the cost of running are not that bad, I've spent the money as I not only wanted the car perfect but have done what I wanted to do with the car.
The effect on passengers and feedback from the public
Passengers when it comes to performance tend to find its too smooth to really feel as quick as it is, its when they see the speed and how quickly the speedo goes round they knows its quick. Though some passengers at the same time think it feels very quick, so its quite a mixed bag. With the Mustang it scared and churned peoples stomachs, some even found the same with the EVO with the turbo spooling up.
What I do notice though is passengers tend to be rather amazed by the way it stops and goes rounds corners, to the extend some get scared or are holding on and the other thing everyone finds impressive is how easy it gets of the mark and the soundtrack on offer.
Other road users I find either literally go out of there way to let you pass, especially other Porsche drivers and yet other drivers seem to try their best to cut you up. The fact its bright yellow and with aerokit I find has removed a bit of the 911's classy image I'd say but its still a very good looking car and all who see it in the flesh quickly forget its bright yellow colour just as I did. I took a friend out in it a little while ago and she loved the interior more so over anything and everyone comments on the yellow custom stitching in the car.
Generally most take the car well and those who don't I suspect its more of a jealousy thing that some people seem to have if you own a Porsche, Ferrari etc. which is a shame because I suspect many Porsche drivers like myself buy them for the driving sensation and not a case of look at me, I've got money, which is a shame but thats just how some people are. I've had a few encounters and so far the car has surprised me by how quickly it can leave what would be considered quick cars too.
Summary
Not much to say really, I'd say it was one of the most sorted cars I've owned as an overall package. Yes certain cars beat it in certain areas like Mustang on in-gear acceleration. The EVO on ability to drive at/beyond the limits with relative ease and the CSL for its awsome gearbox. But even then its only slight, the 911 is just a sheer joy to drive. I find myself going out for random drives, hunting down country roads as I simply just enjoy driving the car, hearing the mechanic shrill/howl of the engine and been in the know of what the car is doing due to the cars excellent communication. Overall its awsome and am very glad I purchased the car.
A little video clip of the noise from outside
