I have travelled +2,000km, or 61 hours of driving time, so far since taking delivery at the end of March. Mix of daily driving and weekend blasting.
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In addition to my comments earlier on in this thread, here are some other observations:
981 vs 991.1 comfort and NVH:
The car is definitely more comfortable and less frenetic (could be due to the better sound insulation and there being no sports exhaust) than my Cayman S. Also, having a larger, torquier engine does mean the 911 feels marginally more relaxed on the open road when cruising. However, when the mood strikes, a flex of the loud pedal is enough to change character from commuter to racer.
Sport Design bumper:
The Sport Design lower front bumper does touch on steep ramps and SUV-designed speed bumps (which are becoming more common in Sandton these days). The PPF on the lower lip is taking a beating, but it is only visible underneath the bumper. I am not too concerned. Will take on more scuffs before painting and reapplying a strip of PPF (not this year though). Picture below looks worse than it actually is.
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Cabin air filter:
Porsche changed the cabin air filter and disinfected the air con too after I mentioned the smell. I had also tried disinfecting the system myself using a fogger. Anyway, 2 weeks later and the stale smell is gone. I am looking for a nice diffuser in Oud scent just to elevate the interior ambience.
Armrest:
The central armrest developed an annoying squeak when placing your arm on it. After some Googling, I found the solution. The closing clip needs padding wrapped on it to fill in the gap where it flexes into the slot. Problem solved.
Ackerman Effect:
The Ackerman Effect, which is common to all Porsche sports cars (not really their SUVs, sedans) is very noticeable when the tyres are cold. Not an issue with the car, but potential Porsche buyers should be aware that this is normal. The Ackerman Effect results in one hearing and feeling the front wheels skip/shudder when turning the steering, at greater lock, at parking speeds. This goes away when the rubber warms up.
Throttle response in Normal mode:
The throttle response in Normal mode can be a bit delayed at times, especially when in traffic and you want a quick blast to take a gap in the traffic or just overtake. The accelerator has a bit of travel before activating the required forward surge in Normal mode. In Sport mode, that activation point is higher up, so it responds quicker. From what I researched, it appears to be a trait of this car - more a throttle design feature. Solution is to leave it in Sport, or be mindful to press down the pedal with a bit more pressure in Normal mode to reach the activation point quicker (though not too far down for kick down, which will be a bit too aggressive for driving in traffic).
Hot hatch brigade encounters:
Being a red 911 with a ducktail, I am a target for a hot hatches. Most of these cars, especially the hyper hatches, are likely driven by youngsters with more money and pumped up courage than skill. Unless the road is clear and quiet, I do not entertain their challenges and I just move to the left and let them pass. The 991.1 is unlikely to keep up with, say, a new A45S in a straight line, so why bother anyway. On curvy backroads, if quiet, and if I can sense that the driver knows what he is doing, then a friendly run is worth engaging in.
Exhaust thoughts:
After some researching, I learned that the 991.1 Carrera S (even without PSE - Porsche Sports Exhaust - fitted) has an upgraded active muffler over the base Carerra. In Sport or Sports Plus mode (with Sports Chrono fitted), there is a distinct change in tone - a nice gruff sound. The PSE tweaks this further and adds gurgles and pops at the push of the PSE button. Having owned a 981 Cayman S with PSE, I know that it sounds great, but it can become very tiring if left on for extended periods. The issue I had with my 981 is that I felt I needed to always leave the PSE on because I paid for it (it was factory fitted but I paid for it implicitly as part of the car's purchase price) and if I was not using it, I was wasting it. By not having PSE in the 991, I don't think about that opportunity cost of having it and not using it and I can live in peace without going deaf - weird logic, I know
Fuel consumption:
In mixed urban traffic and highway driving to work, I am getting 13-14 litres per 100km. Long term average, with daily driving and weekend blasts, is a very respectable 12 litres per 100km. As context, this is a 3.8 litre motor that is shared with the 981 GT4, though the 991 has slightly more power.
Audio system:
The car has PCM with Nav. 235w, 9 speaker system is okay (similar to my 981 Cayman S) but not as good as the Macan S Diesel PCM in terms of sound quality. No Android Auto and no retrofit possible, unless one goes the aftermarket route. I decided to keep it stock for now. My phone does the streaming and nav job and Bluetooth works fine. An upgrade may be on the cards at a later stage.
Front grille mesh:
Very happy with the performance of the front grille mesh. Note that non GT3 911s have exposed front radiators/condensers (much like the latest M2). The dealer added these meshes as part of my deal at no cost. They do an excellent job of keeping leaves, bugs and stones out. Highly recommended this if you have a sports car that is being daily driven.
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That's all the updates for now.
Thanks for reading.