I have not driven a 981 back to back with a 986, but in my short time in the car, I thought the steering felt fine. Maybe after 7 years in a 987, my recollections of how great the steering response was in a 986 has dimmed, but i felt the steering in new the car allowed the driver to put the car where they wanted and still allow the driving experience to be fun.
Without a doubt, HP losses, MPG numbers and the like are driving just about everything these days on new cars. I'm sure the Germans still want to get that "one with the car" feeling if possible, but with the above issues and ever widening tires, the steering response priority will suffer.
The only way to get back to the "holy grail" is to buy a used 986 or another true sports car with unassisted steering--all depends on where the priorities are for the buyer. Porsche is betting on--and I agree with them--that the improvements in the new car will widen the appeal to those that want a more civilized car, with additional creature comforts--while still having the performance capabilities that traditional Porsche customers expect in a car.
Having said that, I could have done without the Panamera's console; it may work in a Panamera but looks out of place in both the 991 and 981.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfectlap
losing feedback is a mortal sin for THIS type of car. Fine for bloated GT or GT-lite or GT styled convertible. Engineering should revolve on avoiding that as much as possible. In fact they should engineer new ways to have MORE feedback.
How? Who knows that's why they rake in millions. It's not very imaginative to simply turn a sports car into a cushy, insulated plush yuppy mover. People are quick to point out that it's lighter, more powerful but it's pretty obvious that these things are driven by arriving at the lowest lap time (N-ring specifically) and not maximizing the driver's role.
But those are two incongruent objectives. Faster N-ring times mean the car must do more and the driver less -- certainly with more and more power that can put the average inexperienced , deep-pocketed driver up a tree with one errant move. So feedback becomes a secondary goal and you get less and less with each new generation. They are slowly destroying the key element of the roadster experience. It's like playing a video game on the easiet level because that's the one where you drive fastest and your mistakes never slow you down.
|