Had the opportunity to drive one of these at the weekend on some great roads (a809 out of Glasgow off to Killearn then up to Aberfoyle and a jaunt over the Dukes Pass).
It was quite good but not amazing. It wasn't brutally quick despite the fact i've been stuck driving a diesel Xsara Picasso for almost a year now. With the PSE activated it sounds awesome outside but from inside it's not THAT loud and almost drony rather than the lovely high pitched rasp that can be heard outside. At constant motorway speeds the noise got quite annoying and the lovely crackles and pops on the over run that you hear on the videos just sound like worn bushes in the rear when you're actually in the car. For an NA engine the spread of power is very even. PDK obviously helps and it's a system that is difficult to fool. If I had one criticism of PDK it is that it can be slightly to eager to kick down and therefor often encourages you to add points to your licence.
Would I buy one? It would depend on the cost of ownership equation (basically how much comes out your pocket to own and maintain the thing). I suspect it would be more than an M235i or any of the comparable hyper hatches that are about these days and I felt the car wasn't massively better than any of those that i've experienced. In fact, I felt the GTS suffered from many of the same failings in terms of lifeless steering and an almost limited character due to an unshakeable chassis. I dare say the last 10/10ths is where the Porsche shines compared to those cheaper alternatives.
Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures as the only possible time to do this was while my friend was driving. He drives like a nutter and I was too terrified to take my eyes off the road.
It was quite good but not amazing. It wasn't brutally quick despite the fact i've been stuck driving a diesel Xsara Picasso for almost a year now. With the PSE activated it sounds awesome outside but from inside it's not THAT loud and almost drony rather than the lovely high pitched rasp that can be heard outside. At constant motorway speeds the noise got quite annoying and the lovely crackles and pops on the over run that you hear on the videos just sound like worn bushes in the rear when you're actually in the car. For an NA engine the spread of power is very even. PDK obviously helps and it's a system that is difficult to fool. If I had one criticism of PDK it is that it can be slightly to eager to kick down and therefor often encourages you to add points to your licence.
Would I buy one? It would depend on the cost of ownership equation (basically how much comes out your pocket to own and maintain the thing). I suspect it would be more than an M235i or any of the comparable hyper hatches that are about these days and I felt the car wasn't massively better than any of those that i've experienced. In fact, I felt the GTS suffered from many of the same failings in terms of lifeless steering and an almost limited character due to an unshakeable chassis. I dare say the last 10/10ths is where the Porsche shines compared to those cheaper alternatives.
Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures as the only possible time to do this was while my friend was driving. He drives like a nutter and I was too terrified to take my eyes off the road.
