I had an opportunity to test drive a friends GT-4 yesterday!
First and foremost, let me say that this is an impressive car and there is a lot to like!
First, the car looks bad ass. I've never been a big fan of 20" wheels so to my eye they look a bit LARGE in proportion to the rest of the car, but those wheels do a great job of showing off the enormous PCCB carbon brakes (which did squeal a bit). The ride height is perfect for a sporty look without looking like the car is slammed to the pavement.
The carbon fiber framed sports seats were some of the best Porsche seats that I have ever experienced finding a perfect middle ground between a racing seat and a stock seat. And I could see out the rear reasonably well even with the rear wing.
The handling was simply outstanding, well beyond that of a stock 986 and probably on a par with a Spec Boxster though there was no way to test to that limit on the street.
The fit and finish was superb. The entire car gave a feeling of being solid, high quality, and expensive.
On the downside, I found the cockpit to be extremely busy with far too many displays, knobs, switches, and controls. This is probably more of a criticism of all new Porsche's (and new cars in general) than a critique of the GT-4 itself but, IMHO, a sports-minded car should seek to minimize the distractions so the driver can focus on the driving experience.
The engine felt strong but not as strong as I was expecting. The GT-4's 385hp didn't feel that much faster than a 300hp 3.4 996. This was confirmed later when I checked the spec's and found that both cars are in the 4 sec range to 60mph (with the 996 near the upper end and the GT-4 near the lower end.)
With that being said, 350hp is about all I find to be of real use on the street, so the GT-4 has all of the power needed to end up in jail in 3rd gear.
Last, I disliked the auto-blip function since it forced me to learn to move/act in synch with the computer rather than having the car work with me. Not a big deal and I'm sure that I could adjust with a little more time in the car.
In terms of price, that old rule applies: If you have to ask...
Though GT-4's have a starting price of $85K, it was not surprising that this car's sticker was >$100,000. The problem is at $100k, there are a surprising number of alternatives - especially if you consider used cars. At $100K, you could be driving a (used) supercar or exotic.
Your thoughts?
(file photo - owner didn't want pics on the internet)
