W210

Owned the E55 for 2 years picked up the 997TT two days ago. Never owned a Porsche before. The 997TT was bought for city driving, an effortless A to B car as I do not track.

The 997TT obviously handles much better, the difference between the 997TT vs. the E55 is similar to the E55 vs. a Honda Odyssey.

Brakes very well with little dive, makes the car a joy to drive in the city. Excellent steering input and traction.

Steering is far better than I expected, it tracks nice and straight even on imperfect roads.

Agree with RC it takes a little while to get used to the power delivery. I would say the E55 is more responsive than the 997TT the first second you press on the throttle. At 3k rpm, the turbo completely goes nuts and I don't think I have the opportunity to see if my over-boost lasts more than 10 seconds.

I like to leave the sports mode on with the softer suspension setting.

In the E55, you press on the gas and the car immediately goes (provided the available traction, or power will cut off thanks to traction control), the Porsche, there is a slight lag but it really picks up. It's best if you keep the car at 2,500 rpm.

The engine is still tight. I am curious what kind of 0-60 numbers if I do not use the 4k rpm launch control. Only launched it once and it was pretty amazing. If I need to pass cars at intersections with absolute confidence, I would brake torque at around 2,500 rpm to eliminate the initial lag.

After hearing all the complaints about the lack of decent sound from the turbo, I actually find the car way too loud. Perhaps it's the unrealistic expectation as I truly hoped the car would be almost as quiet as the E55.

It is much louder of course. It also feels far safer to drive quickly as the E55 felt extremely unsettled in comparison, especially when one has to brake and turn.

Interior wise, I didn't realize my dealer ordered the aluminium multi-function steering wheel (instead of just leather multi-function) which looks very nice with the tip. I'm happy as I would not have ordered otherwise. The aluminium really blends in well with the rest of the pieces.

Didn't realize Porsche's radio is so advanced - it beats all other makes I have tried, MB, BMW, Honda, Audi, etc. Was shocked to see the FM song titles! Stereo sound is decent, more bass than E55's HK, but the BMW Pro-logic in the 7 is better I think. Need to play with the settings.

PCM Phone module is ok, not as smart as the MB or BMW. Navigation screen beats BMW and MB hands down (brightness and clarity).

I miss stupid things like ventilated seats, auto trunk and keyless go, but as an overall package, the Porsche is hard to beat for North America street use.

It's extremely enjoyable to drive compared to an AMG even within the speed limit as it brakes and turns so much more effortlessly. Power delivery can be smoother but that's expected, given a flat 6 vs. a large displacement V8.

Ask away if you have any questions.

I should add that if I could only keep one car, it would have been the E55 or E63. As of now, I'll see how the BMW 750Li and 977TT work as a team.

vraa

Great review, fantastic pictures.
I hope to see more pictures

BTW: FM song titles function is called RDS. On the Lexus it is great, on BMW there is a horrible lag as you switch between stations.

W210

Thanks for the clarification on RDS Ricky! Well, I can take more pictures but it's just another silver 997TT similar to all the others!

Carl Lassiter

Congratulations, you have the best car on the road, in my opinion. Great write up too.

How does 0-60 in 3.5secs feel?!

You did ask for Qs so here goes...

Did you go for ceramic brakes, or stick with the steel ones? (i had steel on mine and never felt them lacking)
How do you find the auto shifts compared with the 55? Do you use the buttons or let it self shift?

Did you drive the 996TT and if so how does it compare? I haven't had chance to drive a 997 yet and preferred the 996 right until the new Turbo was released.

Finally what color did you get and when can we expect some exterior pics?

vraa

I still haven't seen one in the flesh

BTW
Do you think you could post a picture of the navigation screen on?

L8Apex

Congrats on getting the turbo. I have heard nothing but great reviews from the owners. I am suprised that the turbo goes "nuts" (assuming you mean this is when the boost hits) at 3k rpm. With the new turbos you should have almost zero lag. By comparison, my old turbo had serious lag until 3k and that was on a 3.6l single turbo. However when the boost hit (over 205hp and 250 ft/lbs hit within 500 rpms) it made the 55 feel tame. As far as the sound is concerned, I think Porsche did a great job on the exhaust note of the 997tt. Remember it's a sports car and it should sound like one. Here is what my turbo sounded like without the wastegate opening (when it did open it sound like an old 935t going down a LeMans straight) 94 3.6 turbo sound clip now this is what I would consider "loud".

My advice, go to a driving school (if you havn't already) and get that thing on a track where it belongs. Enjoy the new ride. Let the mods begin!

W210

Sure love to share my excitement. 0-60 in 3.5 second felt special but I was overwhelmed by the engine/exhaust noise more than the speed for that very first time I tried it.

With the E55, when I step on it, my concern is always the traction. How much power can I get on the road this time, when and how much is the computer going to cut me off, and when will my tires hook and and my speed pick up again?

With the 997TT, it's the noise from the back, how quickly I have to let go of the gas, and how much noise it still makes as it slows down. Being a relatively experienced spirited driver on the road, I know as a fact if I drive the 997TT as quickly as I drove the E55, I would have attracted much more attention and tickets.

I didn't think the ceramic brakes are worth it after reading those race drivers saying how the standard brakes are fine. In addition, occasionally I read a comment or two about the ceramic brakes causing some grinding noise so I skipped with no regrets. I'm a sick man and for me, the biggest benefit from ceramics would actually be the lack of brake dust, and I'm too cheap to go for it.

In the two years of owning the E55, I have had a few occasions where the excellent transmission got fooled and I hear a fairly loud bang. Hasn't happened in the 997TT yet, probably because of the loud engine noise covering everything. Shift speed is about the same I would say. I believe Porsche actually bought the MB AMG 5-speed for the 997TT.

I shift more in the Porsche than the E55 as it's fun slowing down with the downshift, the car is extremely stable as I downshift with no dive.

Have only been a passenger in the 996TT and it felt slower. Have you seen the interior of the 997? It's quite an upgrade.

Picked the simple arctic silver with black leather. The car was already much more expensive than I budgeted (was going to stay within the M5/E63 range) and so I skipped most cosmetic options.

Ok, will wash and take lots of pictures tomorrow, thanks for sharing.

20C4S

the turbo is all about grip grip grip. btw, the lag is always gonna be there but have u noticed the car starts at 2nd gear instead of 1st? too bad that's default & the main reason i don't like auto for Porsche. anyways, it's a awesome car.

enjoy!

stevebez

My dream car right there .... one day....

Already specced one online - but need to buy a bigger house first !!!

Congrats and enjoy!

W210

Yes I read about it and also discovered how it always starts off in 2nd instead of 1st. However, pressing the sport button will force the car to always start in 1st gear. In addition, since the tiptronic buttons on the steering wheel are always hot (similar to 2004+ E55), one can quite easily downshift to 1st.

Honestly, with the little lag in the 997TT, the difference between starting off in 1st vs. 2nd is not as dramatic as in the E55 (comfort vs. standard/sports mode).

What I'm not very used to, is the crazy engine and exhaust roar. I feel like I'm at war with every car out there having a shouting contest with motorcycles.

Despite what they may say how the turbo is becoming more of a civilized grand touring car, it's still pretty raw compared to the AMG.

W210

Thanks. Smart move on having the priorities straight.

And as you know, they always have better models down the road, let's see, the turbo S next year, the DSG dual clutch transmission following, then the 998 facelift. Then the E63TT perhaps?

W210

Thank you, and good choice on the Mac.

Yes, the turbo definitely does pick up quite dramatically from around 3k rpm onwards. I didn't expect this from reading on all the VTG technology either. In fact, the dramatic acceleration reminded me of that F40 ride I had in a friend's car a few years back.

Unfortunately, I have little prior experience with other Porsche turbos to compare.

I would say before 3k rpm, the E55 is faster but after 3k rpm, the turbo is significantly more lethal.

I wish I could drive better and have time for driving schools and track days to perfect that late apex!

Carl Lassiter

You're excited and so you should be.

No doubt it is significantly quicker then its predecessor. I badly miss mine which was a seal grey/black non-X50 414bhp version. It was the quickest and best car i've ever driven so can only imagine how your one feels.

Are you U.S. or based in England?

Re. the sqealing ceramics, I've read the same thing so think you made a good decision to steer clear. They are v expensive and need to reach optimum temperature too so only make a sound investment for committed track-goers.

Nice classic color choice btw, and it'll ensure that the extra outlay you splashed on the TT wil be retained rather more soundly than a yellow/red!

I bet you can't stop looking out your window and checking it out. Look forward to some updates when you've taken it out and unleashed it on some Lambos/Ferraris. Enjoy.

2MANYCARS

Very nice, I wanted to get one but the wife said no exotics til we move to Long Island, damn!!!

sly55

L8Apex, nice sound clip! the old aircooled motors sound pretty gruff at idle but get some revs into em and awesome! must hav been nuts under load with the w/gate open!

w210 ditto about the 996 el cheapo interior vs 997! That was one of the main things that pointed me in e55 direction. The other main thing was the lack of steering wheel adjustment!! (if i recall could you even move it at all?! i just remember sitting in it with the wheel really high, and thinking, nah i dont like this. what is with that?!) Hows the adjustment like on the 997's?

great review! think we'd all like to see some exterior pics too! throw in the 750 even!

nendo

nice car < your old car sounds nice>>> wait a minute i have your old car < hah!!

if i were to get an upgrade sports car i would get the exact one in a diff color in triptronic. great choice and have fun.

i just got the renntech ecu and pulley and also lowering module for the e55 and im havin some fun , maybe we should line em up at ubc !

W210

Hey nendo I swear I'm still looking for that 2nd key for you! Not all hopes are gone I'm quite positive I still have it.

The E55 has mad acceleration, glad to hear you're putting more goodies on it. Renntech ecu and pulley sound amazing! We should definitely hook up one of these days..

WishforE55

awesome car love the pics enjoy.....

2K6E55

Congrats on your new SLED.

Efivefive

Congratulations!

What a great review, very detailed and informative!

....the acceleration must be awesome!!

LilFazzl

im a noob for porshes. but what is a 997tt? ive heard of only 911s. thankss

vraa

997 is the chassis code I think.
996 was before, had the different headlamps.
Before that I think was 993.
TT = twin turbo.
Is the 997Turbo two turbos?
I thought it was 1 variable sized?

W210

Yes, even with VTG, there are still two turbos, according to the Masterwerk booklet.

BenzoBoi

Congrats!~!

cte430

You do realize that one of the biggest complaints of the porsche guys is the LACK of sound?! LOL. Different perspectives, huh?

I would have to agree with them. Spent an hour with a gorgeous white TT and my 997S sounds better. Hopefully I'll be ordering one this time next year.