Hopes that a new customer car would be somehow quieter and more refined than the demo car were dashed in the first few metres
It's a noisy, whirring thing at low speeds - diff or transmission whine. Immediately better at speed of course. Three other things compared to the demo - throttle pedal has a bit more travel at the top before it kicks in - quite noticeably easier to pull away, and the steering is a bit heavier - also a positive as the demo felt like a rally car - don't know if that's just newer tyres or if one of the software updates toned down the assistance a touch. And the shift action was much nicer compared to the demo.Otherwise impressions are much the same - I tested (and very nearly bought) a Macan S, also an AMG A45S, Audi RS5 and S3, and an i30N. I can go into details if anyone's interested, but briefly the A45S was too rapid and I didn't like the interior, the Audis were a bit inert, the i30N was well sorted but they stopped making the fastback and manuals were few and far between. The Macan was superb and I found a spec I loved - pricing/mid-life crisis/rarity/size/Android auto and more local servicing just swung it to the GR86, but I'm still questioning myself!
In isolation, I agree with several of the above points:
-The power is just about enough - I don't need any more at low revs, but a touch more at higher would be nice.
-The throttle mapping doesn't help - give me more as I get closer to the floor, less at the top - make it easier to modulate and that feeling of always getting more when you press more helps it seem like the car is more powerful
-Stereo is exactly just a minimum quality, any worse and it'd be a no, but it's OK for this kind of car
-Seats.. I'm used to getting them just right and I haven't managed it yet with the GR86 - limited steering wheel adjustment likely makes this worse - I'd like to adjust angle of seat base better - lowest setting is closest to correct, and head rest is not quite in the right place for me, lumbar support should be better IMHO (yes, this is a commuting + long distance car for me)
-Storage is pretty good though - pooch fits on the rear seats, boot is OK (bit short)
-Not a fan of digital dials, but for digital these are the clearest I've seen
-Infotainment is easy to navigate/connect via Android Auto - Porsche take heed...
-Clutch is a bit short of travel (2mm less on RHD cars
) and short of feel - quite springy around the bite point. But it's better than a tractor.-It's a bit bouncy at slow speeds, but it feels like that's due to lightness and the ride quality on bigger bumps/higher speeds is pretty amazing - better than everything else I tested bar the Macan
-Dealer still won't disable active sound.. so I'll see how I do in a year - I quite like the tone actually, it's just the volume
-Fuel injection doesn't cut off when coasting.. I've not driven a car like that for decades, together with lack of stop/start means I'm not expecting to be able to do much behind the wheel to save fuel (I've got to amuse myself somehow on the commute..). Maybe that'll change with miles - anyone know? (Should see instantaneous MPG go >127.0 which seems to be idle with injection). Currently my average is... 14
-Climate controls are fantastic, and the aircon works great - needed as the car gets very toasty - partly grey paint, partly the engine seems to get pretty hot!
-The rotation of the car is mega, feels like a go kart. Slight side effect is it's hard to judge how much the tyres are loaded up
And as a side note, I waved/thumbed up at all manner of porsche sports cars and caterhams this sunny afternoon. Not a single one even nodded back. Must be jealous
