Thinking of a cali T....

I have not owned a Porsche. I own a California T and I absolutely love driving it. I test drove: Bentley, Aston Martin DB9 and Maserati GT. The Ferrari was hands down more exciting to drive.

 

I've owned three Porsche 928's. My wife currently has a Porsche Cayenne Turbo. I have owned a 2010 Cali, a 2012 Cali, and now have a 2016 Cali T. The T is by far the best. I've had others drive it and we all agree there is basically zero turbo delay! The red line is only 7,500 rpm taking a bit of time to get used to as it is much lower then the previous Cali's and my FF. It is an amazing car! Be prepared to be noticed , my huge ego loves that part, the Ferrari Experience is miles above whatever you get driving a Porsche, that coming from a guy that has been a PCA member over 30 years. And I drive my T and my FF all year, even through NW Ohio's snowiest days.

Go for it!

 

Go for it. Since my factory warranty is about to run out, and it's $$$ to extend it, I looked pretty seriously recently at a couple of very low mileage preowned 991 Turbo S cabriolets -- I am a longtime 911 guy myself. I have owned and daily driven everything from a 911SC to an 87 930 turbo to a 993 to a 991 cabriolet over the last 26 years.

The speed and the power of the new Turbo S is extremely impressive but the car seems very polite and vanilla compared to my California 30. It's so competent and precise that there is very little adventure in it. It is very quiet in the cabin and very quiet with the roof down. You can change the exhaust for something louder, I suppose. But it will never sound like the Ferrari.

The California T will come even closer to the performance of the Turbo S. But even still, the California 30 is more engaging.

I can tell you that the overall driving experience is so much more special in the Ferrari. Every time you sit in the car to start it your pulse will quicken. I find myself making excuses to drive mine every day. The sound on startup, the rifle shot backfires on the shifts, the triple blip on the downshifts, the aroma of the leather, the overall look and profile of the car.

Ultimately, I couldn't walk away from the Ferrari. In fact, I still can't walk away from the Ferrari without turning around at least once to look back at it : )

 

You might be disappointed. I recommend test driving one. I found the Cali T to be ok in terms of power, but definitely not astonishing. Handling is...well poor. To me it felt like navigating a boat. It has scary amounts of bodyroll and doesn't stick too well. I'd take a 991.2 Turbo S over a Cali T any day. If the Turbo S doesn't give you enough excitement, why not try a 458?

 

I've never driven a Porsche 991.2 Turbo but the other day a friend of mine who's a Porsche man asked me to take him for a ride on my 2010 Cali with the Capristo exhaust. For him was the first time inside a Ferrari but he has owned and driven almost everything Porsche has produced so I was quite curious to hear what he had to say. The weather was great and we left with the top open with the Capristo exhaust valves in auto and as soon as I accelerated my friend's first comment was "this sound is really something, Porsches don't have nothing even closer to that". In the meantime we reached a coastal road with a a long straight and I opened the Capristo valves, put the manetino in Sport and pressed down the accelerator and left it there. On upshifting each gear to around 8.000 revs the sound the Capristo makes when the gear changes is like a Big Bertha canon firing it's ammunition and with the top open that's an unique sensation. We stopped and while having a drink after digesting the experience of the Cali ride my friend told me "Mario this exhaust sound with the top open while accelerating was one of the best experiences I had inside a car it's just unbelievable"

 

My experience is N.A. 911 and Cali, not turbo, but I echo what Mario said. I have stock exhausts on both my Cali and 997.2S, and while I'd argue there are some aspects of the driving experience that are better on the Porsche than the Ferrari, and vice versa, there is no contest on sound! The Cali is in a different class. If you want drama, a symphony, a feast for the ears, get the Cali. You won't regret it...T

 

I actually went in the other direction. I bought an '11 Cali thinking I would drive it somewhat like an almost daily driver. Yolo thinking. And while it's not bad in that role, it seemed big, and not as tidy as I wanted. The gearing and torque curve were such that it wasn't as exciting to drive as I wanted. I drove the Cali T when it was released, and it was lots better but I still felt it was too GT and not sporty enough. It was an elegant car, but also something I felt was inappropriate to drive at times, sort of like appearing at a sporting event over-dressed in a tux.

I then drove a '15 Turbo. Not the S, but just the Turbo. It wasn't that much smaller than the Cali, but it felt more intimate. The cornering was flatter and the power and torque were eye-popping. The steering had better weight to it. The PDK was better sorted and even worked well in auto mode, though I don't use that very often. I felt it was the better driving of the two cars, and the perceived lack of attention factor sealed the deal. I got the Turbo, sold the Cali, and have no regrets. I was a bit wrong about the attention factor, though. Even in Northern California, the Sapphire Blue Turbo still gets looks and I find others photographing it. But I still don't think it has the attention grabbing factor of the Cali, and to me that's a good thing. I can drive it anywhere, any time, and its all wheel drive is a plus in wet weather.



I suggest you find a Cali to drive before you trade in your Porsche.

 

I suggest you test drive Calis equipped with the HS Pack.

Truth be told when I ordered my '13 Cali30, the majority of journalists' verdict was that the HS Pack was unnecessary, too twitchy and detracted from the friendly nature of the Cali. So I didn't order it. I drove my non-HS Pack Cali30 for 3 years and enjoyed the ride, the sound and some aspects of the handling, mostly when in Sport mode under normal street driving, but it lacked some handling refinements.

What bothered me was when I tried to set up my non-HS Pack Cali30 to brake hard and take a hard corner. The standard springs rates were too soft, caused too much lean, unbalancing the suspension. The same springs also cause the suspension to bottom too easily and creates a tendency to feel crashy on poor roads. Steering-wise, the standard rack felt OK for speed but it was a bit too light.

This Spring I upgraded my Cali30 to the HS Pack. It cost more than twice the price of the original option for new cars so it was a bit of a risk but I really wanted to fix the soft springs problem. Well, the journalists were completely wrong (as usual) - the HS Pack does not ruin the friendly nature of the Cali at all.

Yeah, the faster rack did feel twitchy... for the initial 15 minutes or so and then it felt better than the slower rack and felt just perfect after that. The steering feel also improved because it now feels heavier with more feedback. The HS springs are a lot stiffer and the suspension is now more compliant because the stiffer springs don't need the shocks to control suspension travel. Even though the car sits lower because of a slightly lowered HS suspension it now surprisingly has a much lower tendency to scrape or bottom out even after flying over humps on my regular country route. Despite the higher spring rates and faster Magneride response the car is actually more civilized and comfortable to ride in than it was on the standard suspension. The car also sets up for corners in a more controllable manner because I can load up the springs without the car leaning and disrupting the balance. The car is particularly poised and feels electric to drive at high speeds, It really comes alive when you get the car 7/10ths and beyond.

I and the journalists were wrong about the HS Pack. The factory should have shipped the standard car with the HS Pack settings. To be frank, I think the factory could make the suspension even stiffer but the Cali is still a convertible and my shop manager reminds me that a stiffer suspension might redistribute stresses elsewhere in the car and accentuate the limitations of a retractable hardtop.

I've about 1,000 kms in a 991 C4 Cab. I didn't care for the boring interior design or the materials as they felt a step or two below the Ferrari's but it's a nice handling car, noticeably slower of course in non-turbo guise. What is a let-down is the 911 feels limited in character. There's not much to explore because the car responds very consistently, very smoothly. You get in, drive it as hard as you are comfortable and the car responds commendably and... that's it. There's nothing more to owning the car.

OTOH, my Cali30 feels very complicated in character, it's a bit crazy. It feels different almost every time I drive it and it routinely surprises me positively in the way it behaves and responds. It's like it has some sort of independent emotion. I'm always wondering how it will feel the next time I drive it. With the 911 it was never like that. I just expected a very competent fast smooth drive, like the last time. With my Cali30 it's like when I see my GF and I'm wondering if she's cooked up another crazy surprise. I suspect the factory has worked hard to retain the crazy nature of the older Calis in the CaliT that they currently ship.

My advice is: don't trust the opinions of journalists and make sure you drive a proper test car that has the features that you want to assess.

 

If it's any help I have a Macan Turbo for the wet, cold days and went on Porsche Silverstone experience and got a drive in 16 Turbo S great car and most amazing launch control. If I was using every day for launch control or track would pick 911. For DD Ferrari wins heads up after all it is a Ferrari. Other drives too love the Ferrari except Seat drivers lol. Always let out at junctions. Other day in Cal T driving home 911 in front a group of kids walking by ignore 911 and start pointing at Cal T saying nice car. Next a guy in truck pulls up winds down window and gives thumbs up just driving straight past 911. BTW love the Macan Turbo for the wet days

 

Great write up. I had the "regular" Cali, and it's too bad it didn't have HS package.

 

If you want to fly under the radar,,, if you want to zip in & out,,, if it's about the destination as opposed to the drive, then I say Porsche,,, otherwise...

I wish I could have both

 

THIS !!!!

 

OK, thank you, I thought I was going to be the only one saying this but... The Cali T is very fast in a straight line but it does not handle as well as a Porsche Turbo or Turbo S. I have driven both my Cali T and a new Turbo(not S) around the track and the Cali T is a boat. I was bottoming out coming down crests, now I do not have the handling package, mine is a 2016 Cali T base model. For me, I still prefer the Cali, my wife likes driving it, its an awesome convertible its quick enough for playing around on the streets(I have a seperate track car) and its a Ferrari, but coming from a Turbo S prepare to be disappointed if you are expecting the same or better performance.

 

You know my two cents

I love the Cali T! I would daily it 100% - and absolutely regret getting rid of it!

 

I owned 3 Porsche's and loved every one of them.. When I sold my last Carrera S Cab I looked at the TurboS and GT3 and realized that other than the performance it was still just like the car I just sold and was looking for something different since it is my toy.
I bought a 2013 Cali 30 and loved it. The sound the reactions everywhere I drove it.
Now I just sold that and am looking for a 458 to up the adrenaline.

You can't beat a California if you are looking for a somewhat practical exotic car with trunk space and the ability to put a person and golf clubs in it......

I don't regret for a second not going the Turbo S route based on the Ferrari owning experience.

 

I've had 2 turbos 997.1 and 997.2 and am looking at adding a Cali T for my DD. My .1 TT was a cab so the Cali may fit the bill. I hope so?