Four Seater Convertible

I highly recommend getting a naturally aspirated 4S before they stop making them. It is to automobiles what vinyl is to audio.
 
Dpod4 said:
I highly recommend getting a naturally aspirated 4S before they stop making them. It is to automobiles what vinyl is to audio.
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Darrin - I preferred the 2S. Handled so natural and had that traditional nimble sports car feel. The 4S felt a bit front heavy to me. I also gave the salesman a good scare in the 2S! [emoji6].
 
Mike said:
Darrin - I preferred the 2S. Handled so natural and had that traditional nimble sports car feel. The 4S felt a bit front heavy to me. I also gave the salesman a good scare in the 2S! [emoji6].
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Living in Portland and loving 4 wheel grip and stability I opted for 4S. I am selling an SL 600 twin turbo v12 (12k miles for $38k) which was rwd and it can get squirrely and fishtail.
 
Mike said:
Darrin - I preferred the 2S. Handled so natural and had that traditional nimble sports car feel. The 4S felt a bit front heavy to me. I also gave the salesman a good scare in the 2S! [emoji6].
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It's all about what kind of driver are you Mike. The AWD definitely doesn't want to rotate as easily as the 2wd. The AWD responds to having all your braking done before turn-in, then use throttle to help it rotate, sort of like what it takes to go fast in a FWD. The 2s is more traditional, and IMO more how a car should be, carry a bit more braking into the corner and use the weight transfer to help it rotate before getting back onto the throttle.

If you like the 2S better don't let some perceived advantage of AWD talk you out of it. You'd likely agree you're not planning on driving 10/10ths in the wet anyway, and AWD does nothing to help with braking or turn-in grip. So if you got into trouble in the wet with the 2S, same corner same speed with the 4S you'd likely be in trouble too.
 
I do believe at least my turbo S has 4 wheel steering that does help cornering
 
And full disclaimer - I have never driven the 2S nor have I spent even 2 minutes on the track so this is like a guy (me) who only listened to Sony Walkmans stating what he likes about the Magico Q7 speakers.
 
Darrin - the Turbo S is awesome and its like you're sitting on a rocket. You NEED AWD. None of us wannabe Indy drivers could even begin to handle the turbo with RWD. No chance. I suspect Porsche likes to keep their turbo customers as repeat customers :).

But with the Naturally Aspirated S/GTS, it's definitely not needed unless you are constantly driving in rain/snow or going around a tight corner at 85 mph is on the regular agenda.

If you get a chance, try the GTS (non-4) for giggles or even a regular 2S. The front feels so nimble and responsive. It definitely has a different feel.

I have to tell you, it was funny to watch the salesman hang on for dear life as I slid the ass end of the 2S to the left. :exciting:
 
KeithR said:
Yes, that's my issue with the M4 as well- it adds 400lbs which takes away the driving dynamics on what is a pretty large vehicle to begin with. The M235i vert might be the perfect idea as the smaller chassis lends itself to better handling. I am looking at trading my S5 coupe for an M235 or upcoming M2...still haven't figured out which one. My car's 3950lbs is just too much for me in the SoCal canyons. Its a great daily driver though.
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http://youtu.be/pnvZLY5RINA

 
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Hey Mike, was thinking about your options a little more. Since I can't afford one myself, might as well live vicariously through someone else :)

I would highly suggest searching out and driving a Jaguar XKR-S. There were only something like 250 of them brought into the states, but a quick look on AutoTrader shows a few for sale. I've driven the hard top XKR-S, and a couple Convertible XKR's, both are just spectacular. They did a fantastic job of keeping all the weight low and between the wheels, so it rotates easy and is very responsive. It doesn't understeer unless you go into a corner really heavy, steering gives nice feedback, and the brakes feel great. I wish it had a true manual transmission, but their flappy paddle sequential is good, better than BMW's IMO. On the list so far it's probably the closest feeling to a 911, but with a whole lot more fury coming out the tailpipes. Honestly the sound alone is reason to buy one!

They're also quite a bit faster than advertised. One locally was pulling 11.2-11.4 @ 125mph 1/4 mile times all day long on street tires. Supposedly the same guy did a 10.8 on drag radials, bone stock otherwise.

Jaguar-XKR-S-convertible-4.jpg
 
Yes the new NSX looks impressive, so what happened to the convertible requirement?

The NSX looks impressive only on paper too, since it's non-existent in the real World. And there's NO WAY I would want the first model year of a car that complex, that's just asking for a nightmare.
 
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