2007 Porsche 911 Review

Specifications

It’s Saturday morning, the sun is poking through a weathered sky attempting to shed some light on a soul that just doesn’t want to commit to the day. That soul would be me, and in a very short half hour I willhave to be on my way up the ski hill in order to get my son to his class. Jennifer, my wife calls over to me and asks, “Which car are you taking?” I respond, “The Porsche.” And without delay I hear the emphatic release of joy that only a seasoned six-year old with the expectation of a thrilling ride in one of his favorite cars could make, “Awesome, Dad!” Hmmm… I suppose I can crawl out of bed and face the day after all.

It’s been a challenging week. I’m just getting over the flu (at least I thought I was but my head and congestion want me to believe otherwise). It’s good to see Jennifer up and around, as she was hit even harder than I was, but earlier on so she’s now a little healthier. Kaden, the one that brought it home from school is about as energetic and full of life as he’s ever been, talking a mile a minute and oh so loud. My head! A quick bite to eat and we’re out the door, heading to the car with my briefcase, camera bag and a good book just in case the muse doesn’t strike me when up the mountain. I chagrin, as today I was going to strap some skis to my boots and hit the mountain myself, but being that I’m hardly feeling my physical best, not to mention behind the eight ball with work, I can’t pass up the opportunity to sit inside the 911 and get my thoughts out, especially after a spirited blast up the side of a mountain.

The road is my usual testing haunt, so those who read my scribble often will know what I’m talking about. For those who don’t, right in front of my house is a mountain, and a few streets away is the start of a spectacular three lane twisting roadway (two lanes up and one down) that ends at a popular local ski hill. It’s in good enough repair for high-speed runs but not so pristine as to pamper the suspension. I accelerate out of the first corner and when safely executedtake a quick glance back to Kaden grinning with overwhelmed joy… the first time he’s been silent all morning. If you haven’t yet driven a 911, and especially one of the later varieties, you owe yourself the experience. An assertive dab at the throttle releases most of the car’s 325 horsepower, pressing us both back into our seats and rocketing the car forward, past a guy in an older 535i that thought he was pushing the envelope. Everything’s relative, I suppose, thinking to myself about a number of 5-Series I’ve owned in my past and now, ridiculously spoiled with some of the best cars in the world at my regular disposal, many of which I’ve worked over on this particular road.

How I’ve been disappointed with some, such as the most recent Corvette that felt so edgy at speed that I wouldn’t comfortably get it anywhere near the velocity I was managing at this very moment, and that with hardly any dedicated concentration. Memory slips back to when I was abit older than Kaden and my love affair with cars was mostly kept alive through magazines. It was all about horsepower and Gs back then, because I couldn’t have known that speed has a lot more to do with harnessing the horsepower with a chassis that can handle the speed. The 911 can, and rewards with absolute control all the time.

Much of that has to do with Porsche’s PSM stability control system, one of the best in the business. Getting the tail out on the wet roads before me is nary impossible, although I’m not pushing it so hard that I’m about to find out. Still, the Corvette would have been slipping out sideways with its traction control engaged, which while a lot of fun in many respects, doesn’t help you to go faster.The 911, on the other hand, manages to combine just enough slip as to keep forward progression unhampered, while almost constantly engaging the tires to the task at hand. It’s absolutely thrilling, like a roller coaster. You feel like you’re going to flying off into space, but somehow the car makes its turn and sets you up for whatever comes next. Of course, Porsche does allow you to turn it off via a switch on the console… so I do.

A tap on the big vented and cross drilled discs sets up a bit more weight bias towards the sticky front tires, readying the car for another corner and making sure that the front tires are the ones carrying most of the load. Entering, a little more pressure on the brake pedal scoots the rear end around in what can only be described as an absolutely predictable manner, and just when things could otherwise get interesting I give the wheel a little opposite lock tug and get quick on the throttle, pointing me in the direction I want to go and leaving Kaden and me giggling.The only car that I enjoy practicing that maneuver in more than a C2 (other than a C2S) is a Lotus Elise or Exige S… and really, as much as I like the little Lotus, the 911 is a much more appealing everyday car (a much more expensive one too, I might add).

Now I’m sitting in one of the little-used parking lots having just dropped off Kaden and then having photographed the car, looking around inside. Compared to the Lotus it’s a ruddy Rolls-Royce, but it’s also pretty drab in its all-gray motif. Aluminum highlights the steering wheel spokes, door handles, shift knob accents and other bits and pieces throughout the cabin, and there’s nicely stitched leather covering the seats, doors’ armrests, steering wheel, parking brake lever and shifter boot. The switchgear is so much better than that in the old 996 that it feels like a different car, and the plastics are yet a greater improvement than the switchgear. Again, the Bose audio system not only sounds better but is now easy for anyone to operate, and the automatic HVAC system is also quite user friendly. All-round, Porsche has finally created an interior that comes close to matching the car’s performance, not to mention its price point.

Earlier this week I drove up beside a BMW M3 on my way downtown, and the guy inside looked like he wanted to take me on. My racing days are over, at least off the track, so I wasn’t hooked into the temptation, but I couldn’t help but think that he would have had a pretty good chance of taking me if I’d nipped at the bait. Considering that the M3 sells for about $30K less similarly equipped, and is every bit as nicely made a car, the 911 almost seems difficult to justify. Then again, I’d pay the extra $30K in a second if money was no object. I just feel more comfortable at speed in the Porsche, which is why the argument for the less expensive Corvette or for that matter the Shelby GT500 doesn’t hold water.These are all great cars that might be coaxed down the same road just as quickly or even more so than the 911, in the hands of the right driver, but for me, an advanced driver with racetrack experience, but hardly as capable as even the least talented racing school instructor I’ve come across in my career (and I’ve met many), the Porsche is the most controllable car at high speed I’ve driven. I just feel so comfortable driving it fast that I don’t even think I’d opt for the Turbo if, once again, money was out of the equation (but maybe the C2S).

But being that money is rarely out of the equation, let’s talk numbers. First the good news: since the completely redesigned 997 launched in 2005 the base price has only increased by $300, to $100,700. And factoring in its superiority over almost any rival, it’s a pretty decent deal in base trim. Also good, there isn’t a car company on the planet that offers as many options or opportunities to customize your ride from the factory. Just check out the “Build Your Porsche” button at www.porsche.ca and you’ll see what I mean. When I’m pricing out the top end of any car, needed for the specs at the end of this story, I always choose the most expensive options and accessories so that I can get a fully-loaded price. Doing so with the 911 yields $87,935 of additional options on top of the $70+K base price, for a total list price of $131,590. Most people just wouldn’t add on every last extra, however, especially when considering that the price of a loaded 911 eclipses that of a Turbo. So really, the bad news isn’t really bad at all. Personally, while I’d probably go for a full leather interior, the hedonist that I am, I’d probably keep most everything else stock. It’s just that good off the rack.

So, do yourself a very big favor and drive a 911 before you regret never doing so. I don’t care if you don’t have the $70,000+ to buy one. Find a way to get behind the wheel so that you can experience what a truly good car is like, and you never know, with the new reality indelibly stamped into your soul you might just find a way to get one. After all, we need the dream in order to set the goal, and we need goals in order to get up in the morning and make our dreams come true. I, for one, can see a 911 in my driveway.