Quote:
Originally Posted by m34m
I realize they aren't even anywhere near the same league but I'd be interested to hear a compare and contrast between your old CS and current 911 Turbo.
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Very different machines in terms of driving experience. My M4cs will keep a treasured place in my heart as one the most enjoyable cars I’ve owned and was a fantastic dual use car. I love the concept of one car that does it all, and the M4cs fit that bill very well. I also loved the looks of my M4cs, I never got tired of looking at it. It is one great looking car.
The 911 has the advantage of being built as a sports car from the ground up, as opposed to the more humble foundations of the M4, so it offers more purity in terms of driving and connection. The handling is super precise, responses to inputs almost seem telepathic. While the M4 was still quite amenable to throttle steer, the 911 is on another level in that respect where just a slight lift promptly tucks the nose in. So one can position the car much more easily. The rear axle steer surely contributes to that nimbleness. The AWD on the turbo is also superbly tuned and mainly feels like a RWD car, where you can get nice power on rotation on corner exit. You only feel the AWD when the rear steps out a little too far, stay on the throttle and the front axle will pull you out of the slide. The M4cs was still a very precise track machine, particularly when compared to its direct competitors like the the C63 or RS5, but when compared to the 911 it needed a bit more muscle and anticipation to hustle on track. I’ve always liked the alcantara steering wheel in my M4cs and the feedback it provided, but driving my buddies M4cs on track after having driven my turbo, the steering wheel seemed fat, heavy and stuck in molasses in contrast. The M4cs was obviously more practical with full rear seats and a much larger cargo area that allowed me to carry my track tires. With the 911 I need to compromise with dual use street/track tires and the PSC2 (I use the 991.2 GT2/3RS spec) do a very decent job. Now that I’ve got the setup properly dialled in in terms of pressures and alignment, I am getting 8+ track days out if the tires plus the daily drive. Which is twice what I got out of the track only NT01 on the M4cs. The PSC2 is not as grippy as the NT01 (~1.5sec/lap slower than the NT01 on my M4cs), but offers a very decent compromise. Despite the less sticky tires, I am still 3 sec/lap faster in the turbo compared to the M4cs, and I am convinced there is still plenty of improvement room left as I get more familiar with the platform (going from 20 years of front engine RWD to rear engine AWD does require some level of adaptation). Acceleration on the turbo is also on another level, which is expected from 120 additional hp for about the same weight. Launch control is total bonkers, with repeatable back-to-back 2.4~2.5sec 0-60mph stints. And the brakes are just superb. The completely stock brakes (even the pads) perform flawlessly on track with zero signs of fade.
For the daily use, the 911 still offers very decent practicality. On a few occasions, I took the whole family (wife and two kids 8 and 11) on road trips. We made the 2~3 hour drive to the cottage in relative comfort with 3 carry-0n sized suitcases (two in the frunk and one on the shelf behind the rear seats), fishing gear and a dozen bottles of wine. Quite impressive. My Sport-PASM equipped 911turbo rides quite more firmly than my M4cs, but the damping in the 911 is much better controlled, even though I found the CS damping to be top tier. For winter driving, the turbo beats the M4cs hands down with the AWD being a key ally, but also the active aero that retracts the front splitter for improved ground clearance. In contrast, the CF front splitter was barely an inch off the ground on my lowered cs, but it was still a blast to drive in the white stuff.
For sure the turbo is 2x the initial investment over the M4cs. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the running costs so far. Track days consumables are practically on par with the M4cs despite being significantly faster. Depreciation will be the big question mark which I’ll find out about in three years when I sell the 911, but I suspect it might not be that bad. All in all, quite pleased with 911 experience so far and I do not regret having made the jump
PS: sorry for the long winded post, got up early as I couldn’t sleep and just typed away waiting for the family to wake up
