Is Porsche overhyped?

I had a 996TT and I absolutely hated the clutch. Totally soft and with almost no feel at take-up. As you described, I would either bog it, or have to over-rev to keep from bogging. I haven't had that problem with the 2 boxsters I have owned.

I honestly don't have enough breadth of experience to compare them to that many other car marques, but huge acceleration has never been their goal (with the exception of the turbo models). For me it is about the balance of the cars, and the way you can run the crap out of them at the track, and then drive them home. The racing history of the brand doesn't hurt, either.

Motor feel and sound is very subjective. I prefer the smooth revving and the current, understated exhaust notes, which really only come alive at higher RPMs. Heck, boxsters have hardly any exhaust note, but the intake howl in the driver's ear is equally enthralling music. I used to have a cobra kit car (428 FE with side pipes, etc), and quickly became cured of the desire for loud exhausts.

If nothing else, I would assume the hundreds of glowing reviews of Porsche models over the years has to indicate they are doing something right. The hundreds of racing victories. Heck, the guys at TTAC practically busted a nut in their jeans talking about the Boxster. And I have to admit, storming around the track with the top down, feeling how amazingly balanced and controllable the Boxster is...(and the Cayman is supposed to be even better)...Porsche knows how to build a sports car. If nothing else, if the cars sucked, people wouldn't buy them, especially at the prices they command.

Finally...Porsche folks (the drivers, not the poseurs) are car nuts. And there are tons of them. Very smart car nuts. Many of whom either club race or participate in some form of performance driving. And in the car nut category, there is hardly a snob in the bunch (very much unlike the rep). If Porsche wasn't making something special, these legions of people would be driving and racing something else.

If you want rumble and oh-**** acceleration, buy a Z06 (which is not meant as a criticism, by any means). It will give you a real durm-und-strang experience.

 

I think you mean fall somewhat short of YOUR actual experience. Non-turbo models have never been about lots of torque. That is obviously high on your list, so I would say a (non-turbo) Porsche is not the right car for you. But before you make that final decision...go find a nice deserted twisty road and drive the snot out of the car. Go hard and deep into corners. Wind the engine out. String together some S curves. Then decide if the car is over-hyped.

That is why there are lots of cars from lots of manufacturers. That being said, obviously the Porsche "formula" does work for lots of people. Different strokes.

Perceived acceleration is often a function of torque peakiness, too. A flatter torque curve will feel less impressive than a spiky one that hits you in the back all of a sudden. None of the Porsche models are acceleration slouches, though; all non-SUV models hit 60 in under 6 seconds, I am pretty sure. S models hit it in the low 5's or high 4's. That ain't slow.

Any fool can floor the accelerator and go fast in a high torque car. Stirring the gears takes a bit more involvement, and is actually preferred by some. I got rid of my turbo for exactly that reason. It was stoopid fast, but was too easy to drive fast, and got to WAY TOO FAST too quickly for any real enjoyment.

 

I was beginning to think I was the only one who thought the new Boxsters/Caymans were dull. I wouldn't really call them slow, but I think that Porsche should put much more power in all of their cars for the prices they charge. My specific experience has been with the new Boxster S. I couldn't stand the low-speed engine noise, and the suspension was very harsh during normal driving. I figured that would be made up by its cornering ability, but no. I was amazed at how boring it was on winding roads. Perfectly competent, but completely uninvolving. Everyone has differents tastes, though.

 

Have you jumped behind the wheel of a 993 or 928?

totally different feel than the newer models.
You will be pleasantly suprised

 

I don't know I have never driven one. But all the magazines seem to love every single Porsche model they test. They often make it onto their top ten lists, All Stars, etc. Most of the articles I've read they really love the Cayman. And in motor sport racing, especially the endurance racing, Porsche always does very well and is very competitive.

 

Ive had little experience with boxsters and none with the cayman BUT

A couple months ago I did get get spend considerable time in a new Carrera S and I thought it was fantastic. It felt light and quick..not brutally fast light my viper but also not high strung like the 355. Truthfully I felt it was an almost perfect combination.

I hate to say it but it was more fun to drive than either of my cars. But at the end of the day I just cant stand the looks of them.

 

The new cars have nothing on the old cars. Sure they're more comfy and high tech but they're just not as fun. I don't really care for the way they look either. About half of the porsches I see around are older models. The original turbo-now there is a fun car to drive

 

over hyped...get in a 930 turbo and tell me you thoughts then! make sure you change your undies after the ride!!

 

Ain't that the truth. Love those cars. Doesn't get much more "pure" than that.




Darrell.

 

ive had past porsche and yes it was 'boring' compared to my ferrari. didnt look or sound anywhere close. however, it was much more practical and easy to use.

having said that, im waiting for 997 gt3 to come late spring so hopefully that will equal excitement of ferrari with ease of porsche. we'll see.

 

I have a 996 C4 as my daily driver. I can see how after awhile it seems like a boring driver, but it is not. Your just very use to how the car drives.

I drove a friend’s car the other day and could not wait to get back into my car. I keep thinking how could anyone put up with these cars. I was once again reminded just how nice my car drives. It’s sort of like horsepower no matter how much you have you always want more.

 

Porsche is very boring unless your talking about the 911, 917 and Carrera GT.

Thats where life begins.

 

I've had the same experience. Twice now I have headed to the Porsche dealership with the intent of buying a car. Twice I have declined, as the cars just didn't grab me. I agree that Porsche fanatics are car guys through and through. I like the way they look, but the test drive has never sealed the deal. I wonder if they are an acquired taste--meaning you grow to like them more and more the longer you spend driving them--perhaps I need to find a way to try a one month lease.

 

Yawn. lol Such a tired, old-school answer. Must be why so many of the old guard 911 drivers in our club I now see driving Boxsters...

Scotty, when I test drove my first Boxster S back in 2000, I wasn't that impressed with the acceleration either. I also test drove an S4, etc, and the BoxS just didn't seem that great. But everything I read and everyone I talked to loved them, so I went that route and have never looked back or regretted it. A Porsche's special value isn't related to driving around in the city. Only certain high-gloss, high-torque models will make that very entertaining.

 

Ditto that! I'd qualify the 928 by saying it must be a properly running example (have tried quite a few that were quite short on power for various reasons).

Otherwise - try an earlier 930 or Ruf car

 

EVO Cayman vs. BMW Z4 vs supercharged 350Z.
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/203152/bmw_z4_m_coupe_v_porsche_cayman_s_v_nissan_350z_gts_concept.html

Video of the three
http://www.evo.co.uk/videos/planetevovideos/202955/cayman_s_v_m_coupe_v_350z.html

Car & Driver Z4M Cayman
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/11265/2006-bmw-z4-m-coupe-vs-2006-porsche-cayman-s.htmlyman

Motortrend Z4M vs Cayman
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sports/112_0608_2006_bmw_z4m_coupe_vs_2006_porsche_cayman_s/

Road & Track Z4M vs Cayman
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=31&article_id=3823

I'll agree the Cayman needs more power, but 300hp is nothing to sneeze at. I haven't driven one but most reviews say that it's lacking at low RPM. Even with that though it'll still flog your BMW 130 if it only has 265hp. I think the problem with the cayman is its chassis is sooo good that it handles the power too well and you don't "feel" like you're going that fast. I used to have a friend that had a Datsun B210 and I could swear I was going a heck of a lot faster than I was whenever I drove it.


*Spoiler below*


In incase anyone was wondering the Cayman came out on top of all for comparisons.

 

I have never owned a P before, but have always wanted them. I've had a few limited drives in a few models, most of which I liked. I just recently purchased a 3.6 Turbo. I haven't really had a chance to drive it yet(I need new tires,as in cords showing), but when the boost kicks in, it does seem to move along pretty good. I'll hopefully get to experience more seat time soon.

 

I am not a huge fan of the newer models---a bit too refined for my tastes. The new cars have too much of a Japanese feel to them; the GT-3 is an animal though---love that car.

I own a 964 Euro Cup car and a 964 Turbo 3.6. I plan on keeping these 2 cars as long as possible---they bring a smile to my face every time I drive them. Both cars are plenty quick and wicked reliable, especially key as the Cup sees about 40 track days a year. Can't say that about many other so called exotics.

I contemplated a 360 for a while but lack of a local Ferrari mechanic and the potential for ridiculous maintenance soured me on any possible deals. A 360 could be in the cards someday, but no other F car even remotely interests me.

 

One number

917

 

I don't think the Porsche brand itself is over-hyped, just one model in particular.

My dad sold his Vette for a Boxster S and I've always felt like it was the worst car decision he's ever made. The Vette had great looks and kick in the pants acceleration, while the Boxster is very bland looking and seems underpowered. Not only that, it doesn't even have a good exhaust note (one of the most important aspects too me). It just doesn't feel like a sports car.

The only other experience I've had in a Porsche was a ride in a 911 Turbo which was fantastic. The power was awesome, but what impressed me the most was how well it stuck to the road in the bends. At the speeds we were going, I would have been wrapped around a tree in my car.

Granted, a Boxster to a 911 is apples and oranges, but I always expected more from the Boxster given the badge on the front.

Don't mind me though--I'm really picky and stubborn with cars!

 

I have driven a 'few' newer porsches. I don't think anything newer than a 964 is in 'my taste'. Everything after that was just too 'squishy'.

 

Arg!

The Carrera GT is mid-engined.

The Holy Grail GT1 was mid-engined.

RUF's Italian designed uber-cars are Boxster and Cayman derived.

When will the madness end and the badge snobs admit the mid-engined Porsches are as good, if not better than, their rear-engined stable-mates?

If the 911 is such an inherently superior platform then why is Porsche forced to keep the HP down on the Cayman and the Boxster in order to keep it from out-performing the 911? Why does every trade rag praise both as the best handling Porsches (outside the uber-foused 911 GT models)?

The only thing keeping people from shoving GT3 or turbo motors in the Boxster/Cayman is the size of the engine bay. If that happened...a lot of eyebrows would get raised. RUF has a 400 HP+ (at the wheels) supercharged Cayman setup that the US dealer said was "scary fast". And those guys drive quite a few "scary fast" cars. They know fast.

I am not saying that the 911 isn't an awesome car with very unique and compelling attributes of its own, which has an amazing racing history and an awesome legacy, but saying it is great while the boxster is lame just because it is older and gets a bigger engine is silly. Even the racing editors in Panorama say Porsche needs a Cayman-derived GT2 car to stay competitive with the Panoz and Ferrari challengers. Sebring was the first taste this year. Is more to come?

The Porsche pantheon is big enough for more than one legendary car. The only thing preventing that are Porsche's very own 911-obsessed customers and the Porsche corporate bean-counters who feel compelled to cater to them.

 

I have a 997 C4S. And i must say, after 7000 miles im still not sure i love it.

It looks great, is well finished ( nothing amazing though ) but :

The sound with the sport button off is pathetic. And even with the button on, i really need to rev it past 3k to have some music.

About the speed..under 3k, there is none. I have yet to drive it on the track to really find out how it handles as i have only driven it on a S road around and , without the PSM on, it was great fun and sometimes scary ( which i love ).Weird thing, i feel its faster under the rain than on the dry ! The acceleration/grip on the wet with the PSM off is incredible.

All in all , its a great car for daily driving and a good car to have some fun. But id never buy one as my week end toy..I have to try a GT3 though..and the 997 turbo, my dad just picked one ..i ll see but i feel its going to be the same as my car with more oomph..