carcounsel.com |HID|

it’s hard to think of a car that’s so easy to exploit so fully so soon after taking the wheel. And that, depending on what you’re looking for from your convertible, could be the [Audi] TTS’s downfall. With no subtleties to explore and learn over time, you have to wonder how long it would hold your interest, and, ultimately, whether you would be better off sacrificing a little of that pace and choosing a Boxster instead. – evo

You’ve heard by now of the many changes (e.g. direct injection, dual clutch sequential manual gearbox, a revised suspension and rear tires…) made to the 911 (no doubt to counter the astonishing R8). What you probably hadn’t heard is this…

DFI isn’t the only new system incorporated into the classic flat-six layout. In fact, not one component is carried over from the previous boxer, and, amazingly, the new sixes are built with 40-percent-fewer parts, which reduces overall weight by 12 lb and rotational mass by 7 percent. Other advantages of the new design are a 50mm shorter height and mounting points lower in the chassis for a ground-hugging center of gravity. – Motor Trend

I’m slackjawed…

The 2nd generation of the 997 will get some external changes (new LED lights, bigger mirrors, new wheel designs) but the real news is DFI and PDK (Direct Fuel Injection and Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe – or Double Clutch Gearbox).

Expect more power and efficiency from the direct injection motors, and 7 gears from the DSG style box. Interestingly Porsche’s claiming their motorsport department developed it 25 years ago. Shift times are about 60 percent quicker than the automatic’s.

The Sport Chrono Package Plus features launch control, claimed to take 0.2 seconds off the 911’s 0-62mph time, which normally stands at 4.7 seconds for the Carrera and 4.5 seconds for the S. No word on how much time it takes off the service life of the various driveline bits.

A new touchscreen display system with iPod and Bluetooth connectivity rounds out the changes.

It’s very obvious the Cayman is built for drivers. There aren’t any buttons on the steering wheel (save for the typical horn effect if you push on the middle). These days manufacturers seem to be in a race to complicate the most basic of controls in vehicles. The bare steering wheel and hidden cup holders remind you the car is built for driving, not commuting or running errands. – Automobile

Not to beat a dead horse, but the modern car has so much grip that there’s little opportunity to savor the sensation of just a whiff of opposite lock (one of the reasons the original MX-5 Miata was lauded in its time and is a legend today – even the tires were chosen to be more drifty).

Even the best and purest driver’s cars of today commit this mortal sin:

the Boxster is just too good. Even with the power boost, the Porsche feels like it could handle 500 hp. There is just so much grip that the near 300 hp engine is swallowed by the chassis. Sure, you can get it to understeer if you’re rude to the car but there is too much rear stick and not enough power to balance it with the throttle, at least on the street. And this is on the standard 18” wheels. The 19” setup should add even more grip. I kept hoping for a bit of rain just so I could have some fun. I remember that our long-term Boxster was far more enjoyable on winter tires than the summer tires. The loss in grip allowed you to exploit the full extent of the car on your local highway on-ramp. I guess my overall point is that I still love the Boxster but I wish it was not so good of a car. I like something that slides around a bit, likes to dance, and has lower limits on the street. – Marc Noordeloos, Automobile

(Even the engineers that get it right eventually succumb to market pressure for lower profile tires on larger wheels – look at what happened to the Elise and the aforementioned Miata…)

One of my earliest posts some 5 or so years ago pointed out how differently the same car (in that case a Ferrari) drove depending on which option box you happened to tick. In one case it was miserable, in the other what a Ferrari should be.

Here’s another example – keep in mind that these are just two of the dozen examples I’ve experienced or encountered in the last decade alone; always try every possible permutation before you buy…

Unfortunately the steel-sprung Cayenne simply can’t match the road. It’s not giving any confidence as the front end wallows and fails to feel like it’s keying into the corners. It copes badly with compressions too, feeling all at sea and frankly rather unpleasant. Cover the Porsche badge and try to imagine what a big, heavy SUV would feel like if driven quickly and you’ll get the idea. Fortunately it’s a major failing that’s easily rectified by spending an additional on air suspension with PDCC (Porcshe Dynamic Chassis Control), Porsche’s clever active anti-roll bar system. Now the Cayenne stays miraculously flat when you turn-in and inspires confidence instead of mild panic. Instead of having to be manhandled through corners it reacts cleanly and allows you to really feel and subtly exploit the 38:62 front:rear power split. It defies your expectations of what over two tons of 4×4 should be able to do and deserves its Porsche badge. It’s genuinely fun.—evo

In this piece on the new TT (worth a read in its own right) one of my favorite new journalists explains the differences between three kinds of cars. So next time someone says one car is ‘better’ than another, ask them to clarify which kind of car they gravitate towards…

The Driver’s Car – It’s hard to explain unless you’ve driven one, but there are cars in this world that are just as fun to drive at 15 mph through a school zone as they are to blast down back roads. They are cars like the first-generation Mazda Miata, the original VW GTI, and the BMW E30 M3. They are cars that read the road surface to your fingertips with all the subtlety of a megaphone, that demand all of your attention all of the time. They don’t necessarily need to be that capable (and by modern standards, those that I’ve mentioned aren’t); they just need to be communicative and involving.

The Atari Car – Cars to which I refer as “Atari Cars” are a modern phenomenon. They are cars that feel like a video game. Atari Cars are immensely capable – they can often out-perform supercars without even breaking a sweat. And that lack of sweat defines them – they shrug off insane speeds and laugh at corners. Nothing unsettles their suspension. They’re so good that the driver has no idea how fast he’s actually driving. These are cars like Audi’s very own RS4, a Mercedes E63 AMG, Bentley Continental GT, and, to a lesser extent, cars like the Subaru WRX STi.

The Sports Car – A sports car (in the World According to Me) is that rare car that combines the communication of a Driver’s Car with the capability of an Atari Car. The quintessential sports car that comes to mind is the Porsche 911. It, like other sports cars (the Ferrari F430 and Lotus Elise come to mind), is among the world’s most capable machines, and yet remains so communicative and interactive that its owners take the long way to the grocery store.