jeremy

Just read Mark Waltons drive of the 911C4S in Scotland. He heaps all the compliments on the 4S as any reveiwer could. And indeed these days so many 4WD's do handle so damn well, so his commentary is really nothing surprising. There is really only one question I have and that is about his harping on and on about how confident he was in the car- to place it exactly where he wanted time and again, as well as the ability to drive it through 80 mph winds and lashing rain hour after hour. He kept on about its supiorior steering feel allowing the car to allow for even 140mph spurts. Is this just a romantic longing to drive/own what is more expensive and finly crafted more than truth? Might not an Impreza or Evo done the same job?

What do you all think about this, does the tactile Porsche driving experience make it a better drive than the japanese?

JohnMcC

I dont know about the C4S but my dad has a C4 Cab which I went in for the first time in ages today.

Even in the sh$tty weather it was fan-bloody-tastic!! IMO, of course!!

JohnMcC

Just to add - cant really compare to the Jap 4wd cars as I have driven them enough (or at all) to compare.

But IMO, if you are a fan of the marque, there is something special about being in a Porsche (especially a 'proper' one ie 911 and not Boxster ) - even if it is the lady's version 996!

RB5#295

Well, my ultimate would be a 993 Turbo (although I haven't driven one) rathe than a 996. I still like Gastro's 3.2 Carrera enough to have one over a 996 tho...

Fen

jeremy

Again what I really wonder about is wether or not "steering feel" actually makes any difference. Can the Porsche steering really inform its driver of the the conditions below any better than a Impreza? Would not a Impreza driver when driving over a wet patch or slippery gravel etc, also feel a slight loss of grip throught he steering?

jeremy

Fen,
I'm with you on this. Its just that so few drivers, including most of the scoobyneters on here don't seem to care a whit about steering feel. In fact most don't even request that subaru improve it.

My guess is that if indeed one was to take a long drive on challenging roads, steering feel actually WOULD make a difference.After all look at how many high performance cars are crashed around the world. I'm sure a good deal of these crashes might have been prevented if the driver felt something from their steering.

Unfortunately Fen I believe that we are in the minority on this one. Too bad for us.

teepee

Last year I changed from my car from a humble WRX MY95 to an old (1982) 911 turbo (930 for those in the know). The change in the driving experience is incredible - sensitive steering?, pah Fen, I can feel the aphids on the leaves I run over. Dry grip is truely astonishing, far in exess of anything the WRX could generate before the dreaded understeer appeared - I've 'just' got oversteer to keep me focused. Acceleration is phenonemal (once it comes on boost), the brakes work, it looks good, & a big plus, it's cheaper to insure (£370 fully comp cf £850!!!). In summary, the Porsche driving experience is all it's cracked up to be, especially if you come from an Impreza (flame suit on now) which you guys think is fast - it's not......except in the wet, perhaps

RB5#295

MarkCSC

Really? I've always heard that the brakes are total crap on the 930. Lots of feel but not enough stopping power.

RB5#295

Me too TBH. maybe they were better by the eighties? Of course people upgrade crap brakes and have done for long enough that it could have been sorted by now...

Fen

teepee

Brakes working!! - I was really only comparing them to the useless items on the scooby. True, you do have to give them a good squeeze, but at least they work after the third hard application...Unfortunately drivers of modern cars are now pampered with unecessary toys e.g. power steering, mega assisted brakes, traction control, anti yaw control etc - they all work excellently at isolating the racer, sorry driver, from the feed back from the car. So if you need to brake hard, then what's so bad/wrong with having to press the pedal hard?

RB5#295

Well, If you're asking 'is a 911C4S a better car to drive than an Impreza or Evo?' then yes, of course it is.

I've only driven a classic Scooby, but it feels like a reasonably quick cheap Jap tin box. I've also driven a 996 C4 round Thruxton. While I'd have the C2 in preference they both feel like fairly quick sports cars. Build quality, steering feel, driving position etc. are all way ahead.

Edited to add that I drove the C2 as well, so I say I'd have it in preference from experience. I also drove a C4 cab (tiptronic) and Boxsters in 2.7 and S flavours. The 996 C2 coupe with manual transmission was my favourite.

[Edited by RB5#295 - 2/11/2003 8:30:16 PM]

Gastro

I have to say as a drivers car my Carrera 3.2 beats my P1 hands down. The P1 is ruthlessly quick (much quicker than the 3.2) - but to drive fast the 3.2 challenges and feeds back like no other car I have owned. Including a 964 Carrera 4....and 993's are better still !

Gastro


[Edited by Gastro - 2/11/2003 9:27:46 PM]

RB5#295

Jeremy,

No offence, but if you think an Impreza has informative steering then you have never driven anything with even half decent steering feel. I almost didn't buy a Scooby because the steering is so crap.

I've heard of people take unassised 911's (like Gastro's) back because they thought there was something wrong with the steering, because they could feel the road for the first time in their driving lives. You can drive a 911 by touch, you can feel the momenrary loss of grip running over a single wet leaf. It is just awesome.

Fen

[Edited by RB5#295 - 2/11/2003 10:10:50 PM]