I have been given a 991.2 standard base 3.0 Carrera as a loan car, whilst my own 991.1 C2S is at the OPC having a Service and some other work done. I have been driving the .2 on & off for the past week, and wanted to spend some "quality time" with the car before sharing my thoughts on it.
Staring with the Manual Gearbox:
I wasn't too sure if I was going to enjoy the Manual transmission. My current 911 is a PDK as was my previous 997.2. Plus, living in London where the avg. speed is 10mph(!), I was concerned the Manual box might be a bit of chore. I needn't have worried - the .2 Manual Transmission is simply wonderful. It was very interesting to find the bite-point was exactly the same as my old 997.1; yet the physical gear-change feels shorter and more rapid when it engages. Even in traffic, I didn't feel it was heavy / laborious. Obviously it's not as comfortable as a PDK, as the left leg is constantly required to do some work. BUT that work is satisfying and - although this may sound cliche - it does offer a more driver-involved experience. I'm no racing driver, so a Manual gear-change for me will never be as smooth and quick as a dual-clutch PDK: BUT the PDK will never offer the satisfaction of that >Manual > clutch-down > engage control.
If I didn't live in London, I would strongly consider getting a Manual; the linear power-delivery feels smooth and offers great feedback and overall control. I have no idea how I will feel when I get my own car back though; I guess the PDK in Sports-Mode is the ideal balance, but watch this space...
Speaking of power delivery, the BHP from the standard Carrera was more than enough. The engine feels lighter and more free-revving. The S models are always the ones that people want, but I now understand why the Base Carrera is often a favourite amongst some fans. I might feel different on a track or more open roads, but for time I spent with the car, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.
There are some other items on this car which mine does not have. I love the 14-way adjustable seats and often found myself using the lumbar support, a sign of age, clearly! The memory seats also automatically go back and the steering wheel lifts when the door is opened, giving the driver that little bit more room when leaving the car. I do, however, prefer the Sports hard-back seats as they are more comfortable and tiny bit wider.
Vented Seats - these are super cold!!! I used them for 10seconds before quickly turning them off. If the UK was as hot as the Middle East or the US West Coast, these would be a must-have. However, as we are only blessed with 4 days of summer, these will be rarely used.
Red interior - as bold as I am, this just wasn't for me, even on a white car. If it was half red & half black, I think I could live with that. But, as every single panel is covered in red, it got a bit too-much after a while. I massively prefer the more classy, two-tone interior in my own car over the 'red sea'.
Entry & Drive - I wasn't sold on this, it's more of a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. The pre-inserted key should really be a button IMO.
Reverse camera - a must-have. It just made life that little bit easier when reversing in tight and awkward spaces, which was put to the test in my under-ground office car park in Central London. The camera proved to be an absolute god-send!
PSE - I really like the symmetry of the two centre exhausts. The note sounds great, but it's not quite as throaty and as deep-bass'd as the naturally aspirated cars. I would certainly want one on a 991.2, as without it, the engine sounded a little too vanilla.
PCM - this is hugely improved over the .1. The Google Maps and the touch-screen feels far more up to date and intuitive than the PCM in the earlier generations. My previous cars had a tendency to tell me to turn Left / Right a little bit too late sometimes. This Sat-Nav on this version is definitely clearer when it comes to Junctions and Exits, and the on-board displays are easier to read. The screen auto senses when the hand is near, and displays the relevant controls - this is superb.
Steering Wheel - the car has the steering wheel with the Audio controls on the thumb stalks. I liked this a lot, but I found myself constantly changing and playing with the buttons! As the car is a manual, I cannot comment on the paddle-change, but I do like the little toggle-control dial thingy on the wheel to select Sports / Sports Plus mode. Nice touch, I still prefer the simplicity of the Sport Design SW though.
In Summary - I think the 991.2 in manual, is a superb car and would not fault anyone for buying one. However, for me personally, I do not think the cost-to-change up, makes for a good value proposition. Despite the little improvement touches, it's not dramatically better than the 991.1.
Enough of my waffling now, this is what you lot really want to see....! Enjoy.
Staring with the Manual Gearbox:
I wasn't too sure if I was going to enjoy the Manual transmission. My current 911 is a PDK as was my previous 997.2. Plus, living in London where the avg. speed is 10mph(!), I was concerned the Manual box might be a bit of chore. I needn't have worried - the .2 Manual Transmission is simply wonderful. It was very interesting to find the bite-point was exactly the same as my old 997.1; yet the physical gear-change feels shorter and more rapid when it engages. Even in traffic, I didn't feel it was heavy / laborious. Obviously it's not as comfortable as a PDK, as the left leg is constantly required to do some work. BUT that work is satisfying and - although this may sound cliche - it does offer a more driver-involved experience. I'm no racing driver, so a Manual gear-change for me will never be as smooth and quick as a dual-clutch PDK: BUT the PDK will never offer the satisfaction of that >Manual > clutch-down > engage control.
If I didn't live in London, I would strongly consider getting a Manual; the linear power-delivery feels smooth and offers great feedback and overall control. I have no idea how I will feel when I get my own car back though; I guess the PDK in Sports-Mode is the ideal balance, but watch this space...
Speaking of power delivery, the BHP from the standard Carrera was more than enough. The engine feels lighter and more free-revving. The S models are always the ones that people want, but I now understand why the Base Carrera is often a favourite amongst some fans. I might feel different on a track or more open roads, but for time I spent with the car, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.
There are some other items on this car which mine does not have. I love the 14-way adjustable seats and often found myself using the lumbar support, a sign of age, clearly! The memory seats also automatically go back and the steering wheel lifts when the door is opened, giving the driver that little bit more room when leaving the car. I do, however, prefer the Sports hard-back seats as they are more comfortable and tiny bit wider.
Vented Seats - these are super cold!!! I used them for 10seconds before quickly turning them off. If the UK was as hot as the Middle East or the US West Coast, these would be a must-have. However, as we are only blessed with 4 days of summer, these will be rarely used.
Red interior - as bold as I am, this just wasn't for me, even on a white car. If it was half red & half black, I think I could live with that. But, as every single panel is covered in red, it got a bit too-much after a while. I massively prefer the more classy, two-tone interior in my own car over the 'red sea'.
Entry & Drive - I wasn't sold on this, it's more of a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. The pre-inserted key should really be a button IMO.
Reverse camera - a must-have. It just made life that little bit easier when reversing in tight and awkward spaces, which was put to the test in my under-ground office car park in Central London. The camera proved to be an absolute god-send!
PSE - I really like the symmetry of the two centre exhausts. The note sounds great, but it's not quite as throaty and as deep-bass'd as the naturally aspirated cars. I would certainly want one on a 991.2, as without it, the engine sounded a little too vanilla.
PCM - this is hugely improved over the .1. The Google Maps and the touch-screen feels far more up to date and intuitive than the PCM in the earlier generations. My previous cars had a tendency to tell me to turn Left / Right a little bit too late sometimes. This Sat-Nav on this version is definitely clearer when it comes to Junctions and Exits, and the on-board displays are easier to read. The screen auto senses when the hand is near, and displays the relevant controls - this is superb.
Steering Wheel - the car has the steering wheel with the Audio controls on the thumb stalks. I liked this a lot, but I found myself constantly changing and playing with the buttons! As the car is a manual, I cannot comment on the paddle-change, but I do like the little toggle-control dial thingy on the wheel to select Sports / Sports Plus mode. Nice touch, I still prefer the simplicity of the Sport Design SW though.
In Summary - I think the 991.2 in manual, is a superb car and would not fault anyone for buying one. However, for me personally, I do not think the cost-to-change up, makes for a good value proposition. Despite the little improvement touches, it's not dramatically better than the 991.1.
Enough of my waffling now, this is what you lot really want to see....! Enjoy.
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