The C4S rolled 39,000 miles today!
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| Almost there... |
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| ...39,000! |
It happened on a grey an overcast day, about 55 degrees, right as I was looping around campus and pulling up to the stop sign at the corner of Holy Cross Drive and Dorr Road:
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| X marks the spot! |
Nothing was out of the ordinary on this trip home. I was enjoying some music on the stereo, had the roof cranked open, seat heater cranked up, and was savoring the feeling of being seated in this magnificent machine.
Life is good.
My only experience with formal therapy was after my Dad died. Mom thought it would be a good idea for me to see someone. For whatever reason, it didn't make sense to me. The guy asked me how I was feeling, and I'm like, "Pretty sad because my Dad just died." I didn't end up going back.
35 years later, I've certainly had my share of ups and downs. I have a long list of therapists, but none of them are professionally licensed. My brother. My wife. My Italian fratelli. My kids. And more recently, my gym friends.
There's one guy who has taken about a year to warm up. Now, the conversation flows easily. Every day, he comments on how beautiful today is, which is a perspective I share.
This morning, I'm not sure how we got there, but I overheard him talking to another friend about how it's taken him 20 years to get over the fact that he's killed men, women, and children. He has valor commendations and a presidential unit citation, and recalls being behind President Bush when the citation was being delivered.
He grew up in a world of violence. "The first time I was shot, I was six years old." Think about that phrase for a second. The first time? Six? For me, that's unimaginable. My kids know nothing of that world, and I'm so thankful for that. He said when he had his own children, he couldn't stop thinking about the children he had killed, how he was snuffing out someone else's dreams and love.
"I've always been around violence. Then, it's what I was trained to do. And I'm good at it. I came in as the lowest private and left as a captain, if that tells you anything about my violence level." Wow. I'm just not around people with that kind of back story.
Now, he lives as a man of peace. "I'm happy with my mental state now, so I don't want to think too much about the past." That's why every day is beautiful for him. It's a perspective I share, not borne of violence, but from a place of understanding that our time here is so fleeting, and we need to savor the time we have and be present to the people around us.
It's really the most important thing. Sometimes, when I go to the gym, I get a great workout. Sometimes I talk about eldercare with my gym friends. Sometimes I spend an hour talking about loss with a friend whose dog died, and who has never really experienced personal loss before. And sometimes I learn a lot about people whose experiences are far outside my frame of reference.
Taking care of each other - it's the most important thing. And I'd argue that finding a way to get the therapy you need is crucial, formal or informal, it doesn't really matter. I feel lucky that I have informal therapists by my side, and the decades of shared experiences that enrich and deepen the palette of our relationship.
So I have about 600 miles on the C4S and want to get down some initial impressions. I have quite a few thoughts to get out, so I'll take a crack at organizing them a bit.
Aesthetically, I think the 991.2 is an incredibly pretty interpretation of the 911 shape. To my eyes it looks sleek, smooth, and elegant. I also happen to think all 911s are incredibly good-looking, and I realize that aesthetics are mostly subjective. I'm a big believer that the best car out there is the one you have the keys to!But just as I prefer the prominent fenders of a 964 to the more aerodynamic shape of a 993, I prefer the shape of a 991.2 to a 991.1. It has a very tidy face, with lovely, thin turn signals:
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| Sleek and modern |
Compared to the Boxster, the signals on the C4S are even thinner. I think they look great. The folks over at Elferspot have a great piece comparing the 991.1 and 991.2. Their visual comparing the front view is really well done:
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| 991.2 and 991.1 |
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| Fender evolution |
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| The flyline is simply beautiful |
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| The rear lights on the 964 are so much lower than the 991 |
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| A lot to like about those curves! |
I also love how the rear of the C4S is body-colored except for the thin horizontal plastic piece surrounding the center-mounted exhaust pipes.
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| Beautiful from behind |
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| I love the hips! |
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| 992 |
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| 991 |
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| Cool rear lights |
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| I love the light signature |
It kind of gives me 993 C4S vibes, though that was mounted along the roofline:
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| The 993 C4S looks great! |
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| There's just something about the water droplets on that shape |
The chassis in this car is really incredible. My car has the sport PASM, so the car is lowered 20 mm. In a word, the car is "comfortable." In It soaks up bumps, expansion joints, and the roads of daily life without ever feeling rough. My favorite local "bumpy road" makes the 964 feel "lively." You can really feel it moving around underneath you. The C4S simply hoovers up the road without disturbing the occupants. Even with the sport chassis turned on, the ride is firm but compliant. On "my" bumpy road, the sport chassis transmit more of the road imperfections, but the car doesn't move around anything like the 964.
On the long drive back from Pittsburgh, the car was supremely comfortable. Only once over a particularly nasty bridge section did it launch Enzo towards the roof. The rest of the time, the car was just ready to go, all day long.
The car also has loads of mechanical grip. Roundabouts and 90-degree bends are super fun. The car stays flat, composed, and capable. The steering is also super sharp. I drive around with the comfortable suspension more often than not, and yet, if I need to swerve to avoid a pothole, the car responds immediately.
Speaking of steering, this car also has rear axle steering. I thought it was a "nice to have" feature, and wasn't including it as a must-have option. A friend of mine, who has a '19 GTS, did say:
"Try and find rear wheel steer. Makes such a big difference! I love it."
After living with it for a couple of weeks, I have to say, I'm super impressed. Again, on roundabouts and 90-degree bends, the car dives for the apex like no 911 should. It turns in right now. On higher speed curves, the car feels stable and planted. Super impressive. It's a feature I would now prioritize if I was on the hunt.
The other thing I'll lump in here is the AWD system. The car is so easy to set in a corner, then digs its way out the way no RWD car can hope to do. It just puts the power down and off you go. Impressive.
I was a bit worried about the sport suspension that is 20 mm lower than stock. I was a little worried about scraping the nose, but figured I've been driving a lowered 964 for 25+ years. Fortunately, the C4S passes the driveway test without touching:
It gets pretty close, but doesn't touch!
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| There's just enough clearance! |
Thank goodness. I can also drive over the speedbumps on campus without touching, so really, I think the lowered suspension is just fine. And it does make the car's stance look really good.
The car is powerful, and it's really the torque that is the differentiator. When I think about the other cars (the 2 vans, the GLI, the 964 and the Boxster), I find myself at some point flooring the throttle pretty much every time I drive. The C4S has sufficient power that you have to think carefully before pushing the throttle to the floor. I'd say in day-to-day driving over the past week, I rarely find myself flooring the C4S.
As an example of it's power, I was taking the Long Way Home on Sunday and noticed a guy on a Yamaha sport bike who was following me around. So, I decided to take the even longer way home and let the C4S rip a bit. After our second turn, it was clear he was caning that bike trying to keep up. The third turn was the left at a stop light. I was in pole position and he was right behind me. As the light turned green, I accelerated through the turn and dropped the hammer on him. I saw his front wheel come off the ground as he tried to keep up. He really wasn't shrinking the distance between us.
We caught up to traffic, so I opened the sunroof and gave him a giant thumbs up. He caught me at a roundabout and pulled up alongside, I rolled the window down, and he said, “Man, that thing is proper fast!”
Yes, yes, it is. The C4S is a stealthy monster. According to Car and Driver, it's a 3.2 0-60 car that does the quarter in 11.5 at 121 mph. That's definitely fast. It's certainly fast enough that it will never feel slow.
I've done launch control in the car a couple of times. Embarrassingly, the first time I had the transmission in manual mode. I released the brake, we took off like a shot, and promptly ran into the rev limiter in first. Whoops. That was my fault. The second time, I left the drive mode in Sport+ and the transmission in automatic mode. This time, I released the brakes, the car shot forward, snapped off redline shifts, and the thrust didn't relent even as we went into triple digits. Yes, the car is plenty fast.
That said, it's fun to think there are another 100 horsepower and 160+ lb-ft of torque lurking if I ever want to do a tune.
I'l admit that during the search, I had some uncertainty about the PDK. I know it's an outstanding transmission from my experiences with Allison's Boxster and Faris' Spyder RS. I mean, it's a super impressive transmission. But I've been daily-driving a manual since forever, and was a little worried that I would miss the feeling of shifting on my own.
After living with the car for a couple of weeks, I'm no longer worried. The 964 is manual, and the PDK is a very engaging transmission. When I want to be engaged, I can simply put the car into manual mode and shift the way I want to shift. I'd say that most of the time, I drive around in manual mode, mostly because I just enjoy shifting. It's not the same kind of engagement as I get in the 964, but I certainly don't feel like I'm driving my old Ford Taurus.
I'd say that the PDK is part of the car's Jekyll and Hyde character. Last week, I was bombing around by myself. In the afternoon, I took Enzo to his French horn lesson, followed by his drawing lesson. When we came out, it was raining and Enzo was filled with stories. I wanted a more passive drive so I could focus more energy on him, so I just left the car in normal, with its quiet exhaust setting, put the PDK into drive and let the car shift itself. We dialed up some music and chatted all the way home. It was great.
On the other end of things, I was experimenting with Sport+ on my favorite bit of twisty road. It's been written that the transmission in this setting is "telepathic." I don't think that's possible with an inanimate object, but the shifting is freaky good. It happily held gears, upshifted at redline, and when I was braking somewhat heavily for a a 90-degree left, it downshifted precisely when I would have downshifted. It's an incredibly smart transmission.
I've configured the individual drive mode setting to be comfy chassis, sport throttle and exhaust, and I slide it into manual mode. In that configuration, the car is supremely comfortable, fun to drive, and engaging. I certainly don't feel bored.
Basically, I think the PDK is magic. When I shift myself, I'm definitely engaged, and then when I switch cars, I transparently time-warp back 24 years and I'm shifting manually and not even thinking about it. It's really pretty amazing. I feel so lucky to have access to two such diverse and lovely transmissions.
So, aesthetically and dynamically, the car is amazing. That said, there are a couple of other features that really enhance its usability. While it's a bit of an "old man" specification, I think it's great for how I use the car. It would be my first choice if I had to be in Denver for dinner tomorrow.
The 18-way heated and ventilated seats are supremely comfortable. I feel like you sit "in" these seats instead of "on" the seats in the 964. Being tall, I really appreciate the increased thigh support. The ability to adjust the bolsters on the bottom and the back of the seat let me tailor how tight I want to be squeezed by the seat. My preferred way to get in the car is to put in one leg, place my left hand on the door sill, then swing myself over the bolsters and into position. Once seated, I'm just super comfortable, and don't really want to get out of the car. The seats in this car would make for phenomenal office furniture:
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| Comfy seats |
It's also interesting to compare the seats to the standard seats in the 964. It's 33 years old this year, the seats have never been redone, and I'm amazed at how comfortable they are. You have to give it to Porsche, they make really good seats.
One thought I had was to set the first memory position to be my more "supportive" driving position and the second position as my "highway" position, but so far, I like my "supportive" position all the time. It was fine on the way back from Pittsburgh, and I have to be down in Indianapolis on Friday, so I'll know more by the weekend.
I've always liked glass sunroofs. In the winter, even when the temperature was in the single digits, I'd open up the sunroof on the GLI and enjoy the crisp cold air while cranking up the seat heaters and heat in the car. In the rain, I like being able to look up, and I like being able to look through the roof at the stars when I'm on the interstate.
The glass roof in the C4S just makes me happy. I know it's "heavy and adds weight in the worst place, at the top of the car," but frankly, I just don't care. This car will never see a race track. The sunroof doesn't open very far, but certainly far enough to let the outside air swirl around the cabin:
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| Big glass, smallish opening |
When it's closed and the sunshade is open, it makes the cabin feel bright and airy. When the sun is at a bad angle and in my eyes, I can just push the sunshade closed. It doesn't have the cool feature the GLI has where the roof can be open and the sunshade can be closed, but I'm not sure if there's another car out there that does that.
I take Enzo to school pretty much every day, and I love rolling along with him, enjoying the fresh morning breezes:
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| I love an open roof! |
Either way, it's glass, it's heavy, it's at the top of the car, and it makes me happy.
It's kind of ridiculous, but I really like CarPlay in a car. It lets me use navigation that is always updated, stream music from my phone, make calls, and listen to and reply to text messages. It's a really nice feature that was new in the 991.2. As odd as it seems, it was one of the "must have" features when I was searching, knocking the 991.1 out of contention.
The port for CarPlay is in the center armrest. That said, for my relatively short commute, plugging and unplugging the phone is a bit of a hassle. A wireless option would be nice, which is the standard on newer cars.
I was texting about this with a friend, and thoughtful man that he is, he dropped off an adaptor at The Exchange where the 964 is in for service. My brother, also remarkably thoughtful, didn't want me to wait and sent it to me. Ridiculous people, these people. So thoughtful.
I installed the adaptor this afternoon:
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| Tiny wireless CarPlay dongle |
It was simple to configure and worked as advertised:
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| Wireless CarPlay is really convenient |
I look forward to seeing how it works as time goes by. Is it glitchy? Are there delays? Or does it just...work? I'm hoping for "just work."
The Bose stereo in the car is really quite good. It's the best sound system I've ever had in a car by far, though the long departed Volvo 760 GLE wagon was pretty good. That said, the Volvo's system can't compare to the C4S - plenty of base, plenty of volume, and no distortion. It really cranks. Thinking about driving back from Pittsburgh or coming home from art class with Enzo, the car is sublimely comfortable and it's easy to dial in the right amount of sound from the stereo.
I guess the stereo is part of the car's dual personality. If I need to pound miles, I can make sure the exhaust is quiet and dial up some music or a podcast and just cruise.
While I haven't had much opportunity to enjoy them since it gets dark pretty late these days, the LED headlights in this thing rock. It has PDLS+ lights, which build all kinds of intelligence into the headlights. It widens the beam an intersections and throws lots of light down the road when it's dark out. The temperature of the light lets you see the world in color. The high beams are excellent.
As these photos show, the high beams really peel back the darkness and let you see far down the road.
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| Low beams |
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| High beams |
I'm a big fan of great headlights, as I think it's really a safety feature. If I ran a car company, I'd ensure that I built cars with excellent headlights. I'd also encourage our government and manufacturers to make progress on getting lights that conform to the adaptive driving beam headlamp legislation from 2022 and offer the dynamism of what Europeans have been enjoying for a decade. Please, make adaptive headlights standard on all vehicles.
I vividly remember the amazing headlights in the Mercedes-Benz S class my brother rented when we went to Le Mans in 2018.
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| The beast... |
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| ...and its incredible headlights |
Those were truly amazing headlights. You could leave the high beams on, and it would selectively and intelligently disable pixels to not blind traffic. Meanwhile, it would comprehensively illuminate the road and the signs along the edge of the road. Really impressive headlights, and honestly, every car should have them. Seeing at night is a safety issue, pure and simple.
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| Pretty, purposeful cars |
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| Allison's car lurking in the door |
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| The front of the Boxster in the door of the 964 |
The best thing about fun cars is sharing them with other people. To that end, I wanted Allison and Madeline to drive the C4S as soon as possible! And hey, who doesn't like ice cream? Sounds like the perfect combination, sort of like cars and coffee, but with ice cream. Cars and toffee? No...Cars and Custard!
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| Custard incoming! |
We like to go to Ritter's for frozen custard as a celebratory treat. It's been a end-of-school staple for almost two decades now, which is crazy to think about. So, even though the end of the school year is quickly approaching, why not pop out for a quick treat as an excuse to go for a drive?
While we could have all Grinched ourselves into the C4S, we decided to keep everyone comfortable and go in two cars. Allison and I went in together in the C4S:
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| My beautiful wife! |
while Madeline and Enzo followed behind in the Boxster.
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| Happy kiddos! |
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| A gorgeous evening! |
Allison was very prudent with the throttle as she drove along, mostly to set a good example for Madeline, who has driving tendencies that are similar to her father's. Ahem. Another reminder to sign her up for the Street Survival School.
As we rolled along, I was talking with Allison and marveling at our good fortune. Like I've mentioned before, cars like this simply didn't exist when I was a kid. I mean, they existed in the abstract sense. They existed in magazines. The existed in my imagination and my fantasies. Rare was the encounter on a road trip. And here we were, motoring along, with those happy kiddos behind us, on our way to get frozen custard. It's a living dream!
It was a lovely evening, cool, crisp, and the custard was delicious. We sat and chatted and enjoyed the company, custard, weather, and waning light. As the light faded, it was time to head back home.
This time, Madeline was at the wheel and I rode with her:
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| Looking excited! |
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| Motoring along happily! |
As Madeline drove, I asked her about what it was like to drive, especially as she had just driven the Boxster. She said, "This car is very, um, responsive." She's exactly right! I explained to her that the additional muscle/urgency/responsiveness she felt was because the car is turbocharged, and the twin turbos make a lot of torque. The Boxster has a lovely, sonorous flat six whose sound and vigor crescendo as you wind the enge towards the redline. on the other hand, the C4S just makes power everywhere. The torque is there, and it feels pretty linear as the revs climb.
Of course, she didn't get to experience climbing revs, as I don't think she got much beyond 3,000 rpm. She definitely liked driving it!
At a stoplight, I snagged a quick picture of Allison and Enzo:
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| Lovely spring evening! |
And she snagged one of us:
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| Being a passenger is so fun! |
The driving to and fro was brief, an appetizer-sized morsel that heightened anticipation of future drives.
Whenever we go somwhere, I typically drive. I don't really like being a passenger. I remember on the Chris Harris podcast, there was a mention that when you're a passenger, it's like you're letting someone else do what you like doing more than anything. While I tend to agree with that, there are times when being a passenger is just so much fun.
Here's to many more drives, many more evenings, and miles of unimagined adventures!
With the decision made, Allison, Enzo, and I headed towards Pittsburgh. The NFL draft was happening, so we stayed about 30 minutes outside the city. As is my nature when I'm super excited, I couldn't sleep a wink. I was up for a solid 2-3 hours in the middle of the night while Enzo and Allison slumbered peacefully.
Eventually I nodded off and woke up to what I termed "C4S weather" - a slight drizzle.
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| Looking like C4S weather! |
Taking a peek at the weather confirmed it would stay that way:
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| Looking like rain... |
We got cleaned up, excited for the day ahead!
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| Ready to go! |
We went downstairs, Enzo grabbed breakfast, and we went to a nearby coffee shop to enjoy our morning cup. We chatted with a couple from Toronto who we'd seen at the hotel. They were in the area because their son plays college baseball. They were down visiting for his senior season.
Eventually, we got back in the Hyundai and set CarPlay navigation for Porsche Pittsburgh. It was an easy 30 minute ride. My excitement continued to grow as we wound through the hills and bridges of Pittsburgh, eventually spiraling down to the Porsche dealership. We weren't sure where to park, and ultimately chose a lot across the street. There were some spots labeled "customer parking," so I figured we were in the right place. A salesman offered to snap a picture of us and did a good job capturing our excited faces:
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| Getting excited! Note the umbrella...C4S weather! |
As we crossed the street, I saw it, sitting there, waiting, through the Magic Delivery Door window:
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| First sighting! |
I couldn't believe it. It looked stunning. I couldn't wait to get inside. We walked in and immediately met Aubrey, who brought us deliciously cold water and took us to the car. Enzo was manifesting my inner child with his excitement:
<rant>
Remember the foolish YouTube policy? That's why the following videos are all links...
</rant>
As he did with Allison's Boxster, he was the first person in the family to light the engine. He didn't need much encouragement to try it again.
Allison snagged a picture of me checking out the C4S' hips while also capturing Enzo's excited face:
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| The curves! |
With the lightly smoked windows, it looks a bit like Darth Vader's personal TIE Fighter:
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| It beckons! |
We headed up to the office to finish the paperwork. It was super easy, and took all of fifteen minutes:
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| Excitement grows! |
After the paperwork was done, we headed back downstairs. We were eager to get underway, as we wanted to head back home and get off the road before dark. By pure happenstance, the original owner swung by the dealership in his Turbo S, and we ended up taking a picture together, along with Joe, the GM at Porsche Pittsburgh:
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| A chance encounter |
After getting CarPlay set up, we headed out!
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| Enzo chose the C4S instead of the Hyundai... |
Allison snagged a picture of us as we rumbled off into the drizzly Pittsburgh morning. Inside the car, the rain-sensing wipers were doing their thing quite well.
To fulfill Enzo's fantasies, we made a pitstop at Blick Pittsburgh. He was in art store ecstasy, and was particularly excited to get some Blackwing pencils. Meanwhile, I was capturing rear shots of the C4S:
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| Lurking... |
After a brief lunch, we headed to the Pittsburgh airport to return the rental car. Job done, we saddled up for the homeward journey. We were filled with excitement and enthusiasm, and there's no better way to get to know a new car than to drive it.
I really like the glass roof, as it adds a lot of light to the cabin. I think this shot does a good job capturing our euphoria and the airiness the glass sunroof provides:
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| Rolling! |
Due to the aerodynamics of the 911, at highway speeds, the wipers would occasionally wipe, while the roof and back glass remained dry. The dry rear window is something I'm used to from my experience with the 964, but the roof effect was something new to observe. It's very cool!
Although the car didn't need to stop, we did! Enzo would sometimes express his frustration and being cramped in the "cupboard," and we ended up making three stops to stretch our legs on the way home:
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| Plenty of room in the cupboard! |
Whenever we'd stop to move the blood around a bit, I couldn't help but looking back at the C4S. It's a visually striking, organic, flowing piece of machinery, and I just kept falling in love with it.
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| Always feels good to stretch the legs! |
At one of our stops, I was curious to see what the rear fog lights look like on the C4S. We were driving through some heavier rain and fog, so I ended up lighting up the rear fogs. When I got out to see what the look like from behind, I realized that there is a single rear fog, located in the left-most corner of the driver's taillight. I suppose that makes sense - if someone was overtaking me in the fog, the single light would let them know where the left edge of the car is.
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| I love rear fog lights. |
It was pretty chilly on the drive home, and I felt a deep sense of good fortune, love, and joy every time Allison got back in the car:
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| I'm in love with this woman! |
Amazingly to me, we averaged about 25 mpg and made it home from Pittsburgh in one tank of gas:
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| Pretty efficient! |
Throughout the drive, I was consistently impressed by how comfortable and composed the car was. Of course, Allison and Enzo were a little more cramped, but since I didn't have to compromise my seating position, I was super comfortable. I feel like you sit "in"18-way seats, the seat heaters did a wonderful job keeping my warm, the seat coolers put air right between my shoulder blades, the climate control kept the cabin comfortable, the suspension was comfortable, controlled, and compliant, the cruise control helped me avoid tickets, and I didn't find the car to be too loud at all. For a long highway slog, I left the exhaust flaps closed, and the C4S did a great job munching miles.
Of course, when we got home, I had to introduce the 964 to its younger sibling. I spent a fair bit of time looking at the two cars next to each other. The 964 is tiny in comparison, shorter in every dimension. It's easy to see how the cars are related, and it's fun to study the evolution of the design.
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| Smiling faces! |
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| 964 has much more pronounced fenders and headlights. |
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| C4S is clearly shaped by the wind. |
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| I love the rear view! |
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| Fender comparison shot. |
I really like how the cars look from behind, and I think it's a cool effect that the C4S is blacked out, mimicking the 964. I really like how the C4S has the wrap-around light bar that goes the width of the car, similar to the reflective strip on the 964. The C4S's badging is also blacked out, like the 964. I also like the simplicity of the C4S' badging, it simply says "911." Of course, the rear hips of the C4S are much wider. This makes sense, as it has 305 section tires in the rear. Stock, the 964 came with 225s in back, which grew to 255s when I put Fikse FM5s on the car back in 2000. Was it really 26 years ago? That's crazy to think about.
The most recent Panorama had an article in it in which someone owned a 911T from the 70s and a modern Manthey-tuned GT4. The last paragraph of the article really resonated with me:
Let's drive!
