Manual 981S compared to 981S PDK
Discussion
My GT3 is in for its hub recall, and OPC provided a 981S PDK as a loan car for a week. 981S has 20” Carrera Classic wheels with P Zero tyres, no Sport Chrono and no PASM.
The PDK gearbox is very impressive in Sport Mode (no Sport Plus). Shifts are near instantaneous with automatic throttle blipping on downshifts. You are always in the right gear with maximum power available if you are aggressive with the throttle. There is sometimes a slight delay when you floor the throttle in 6 or 7, but generally response is almost immediate. Even more fun to be had on manual mode though, as you are almost completely in control.
Engine spends quite a lot of time beyond 5.5k rpm. Result is that it feels like it has 50hp more than the manual 981S which I had for 4.5 months and 4500 miles. The coasting feature in normal mode is impressive on motorways, nearly imperceptible in operation, and instantaneous power back on when throttle is pressed. On the same 120 miles journey that I did in my manual 981S and driving in the same manner with similar traffic conditions, the PDK box returned 27.5mpg .. my manual 981S’s best was around 25mpg. And that is with the manual car spending less time in the higher rev ranges – somehow in manual car, I was less inclined to go high revs .. probably because you have to plan better, and time your down changes much more carefully.
Car also has MF steering wheel, which I despise. The push/pull switches on both sides are not ergonomically sound as it requires more contortions and thought with your thumbs and fingers that merely pulling sport design wheel paddles. Worse, the removal of the stalk for the PCM and replacement with an over sensitive thumbwheel really doesn’t work for me. It’s fiddly and too small. And I kept hitting it when changing gear, resulting in the right hand screen changing by mistake.
Compared to my manual 981S with 19” wheels and Goodyear F1 tyres, the PDK car’s ride is noticeably harsher (not uncomfortable, but bordering on it on really rough roads). Cabin noise with roof up is much worse than 19” wheels. It’s almost as bad as a 987S with 19” wheels. 981S with 19” wheels is so much quieter. Handling and chassis control is sharper, with none of the slight squishiness that the 19” wheels sometimes suffer from. However, PDK car can be a bit skittish at high speeds with big direction changes; something which my 19” wheels never suffered from.
If I was specifying a 981S again, I would probably go for 19” wheels and -20mm sports suspension.
I also missed BOSE’s rear speakers. PDK car has Sound Package Plus which only produces sound from the front, and the output is pretty poor. Clarity at high volumes suffer, as does bass. Not a patch on the BOSE system.
PDK has no leather interior and sports seats, with carbon fibre trim on dash and rear center console. CF trim is lovely, and you can see and feel the quality – and so you should bearing in mind the cost. Standard leather is coarse, and plastic all over the place makes the car ordinary. I also really missed the sports seats plus of my 981S; sports seats are too narrow and do not offer enough support on upper back and shoulders. First time I have not been able to get really comfortable in a Porsche.
Would I choose PDK or manual next time round? Very difficult question. I actually really don’t know.
The PDK gearbox is very impressive in Sport Mode (no Sport Plus). Shifts are near instantaneous with automatic throttle blipping on downshifts. You are always in the right gear with maximum power available if you are aggressive with the throttle. There is sometimes a slight delay when you floor the throttle in 6 or 7, but generally response is almost immediate. Even more fun to be had on manual mode though, as you are almost completely in control.
Engine spends quite a lot of time beyond 5.5k rpm. Result is that it feels like it has 50hp more than the manual 981S which I had for 4.5 months and 4500 miles. The coasting feature in normal mode is impressive on motorways, nearly imperceptible in operation, and instantaneous power back on when throttle is pressed. On the same 120 miles journey that I did in my manual 981S and driving in the same manner with similar traffic conditions, the PDK box returned 27.5mpg .. my manual 981S’s best was around 25mpg. And that is with the manual car spending less time in the higher rev ranges – somehow in manual car, I was less inclined to go high revs .. probably because you have to plan better, and time your down changes much more carefully.
Car also has MF steering wheel, which I despise. The push/pull switches on both sides are not ergonomically sound as it requires more contortions and thought with your thumbs and fingers that merely pulling sport design wheel paddles. Worse, the removal of the stalk for the PCM and replacement with an over sensitive thumbwheel really doesn’t work for me. It’s fiddly and too small. And I kept hitting it when changing gear, resulting in the right hand screen changing by mistake.
Compared to my manual 981S with 19” wheels and Goodyear F1 tyres, the PDK car’s ride is noticeably harsher (not uncomfortable, but bordering on it on really rough roads). Cabin noise with roof up is much worse than 19” wheels. It’s almost as bad as a 987S with 19” wheels. 981S with 19” wheels is so much quieter. Handling and chassis control is sharper, with none of the slight squishiness that the 19” wheels sometimes suffer from. However, PDK car can be a bit skittish at high speeds with big direction changes; something which my 19” wheels never suffered from.
If I was specifying a 981S again, I would probably go for 19” wheels and -20mm sports suspension.
I also missed BOSE’s rear speakers. PDK car has Sound Package Plus which only produces sound from the front, and the output is pretty poor. Clarity at high volumes suffer, as does bass. Not a patch on the BOSE system.
PDK has no leather interior and sports seats, with carbon fibre trim on dash and rear center console. CF trim is lovely, and you can see and feel the quality – and so you should bearing in mind the cost. Standard leather is coarse, and plastic all over the place makes the car ordinary. I also really missed the sports seats plus of my 981S; sports seats are too narrow and do not offer enough support on upper back and shoulders. First time I have not been able to get really comfortable in a Porsche.
Would I choose PDK or manual next time round? Very difficult question. I actually really don’t know.
It's interesting you've posted this :-)
This week my 981S PDK is in having some 'rectification' work done. Not going to say any more than that at this stage. Probably will if it doesn't come back perfect mind!
Anyway, I've got a loan 981 non-s Manual. Wow, really notice the power difference. Seems a little sluggish. As for the manual gearbox I'm really not keen and the clutch seems pretty heavy. The thing that strikes me most is that you could manually never change gear as fast as a PDK. MY 981s PDK seems rapid, my loan car felt so-so. It's also got something loose underneath making a weird grating / rattling noise (possibly the exhaust).
Really glad I paid extra for the S and the PDF now!
This week my 981S PDK is in having some 'rectification' work done. Not going to say any more than that at this stage. Probably will if it doesn't come back perfect mind!
Anyway, I've got a loan 981 non-s Manual. Wow, really notice the power difference. Seems a little sluggish. As for the manual gearbox I'm really not keen and the clutch seems pretty heavy. The thing that strikes me most is that you could manually never change gear as fast as a PDK. MY 981s PDK seems rapid, my loan car felt so-so. It's also got something loose underneath making a weird grating / rattling noise (possibly the exhaust).
Really glad I paid extra for the S and the PDF now!
SFO said:
Compared to my manual 981S with 19” wheels and Goodyear F1 tyres, the PDK car’s ride is noticeably harsher (not uncomfortable, but bordering on it on really rough roads). Cabin noise with roof up is much worse than 19” wheels. It’s almost as bad as a 987S with 19” wheels. 981S with 19” wheels is so much quieter. Handling and chassis control is sharper, with none of the slight squishiness that the 19” wheels sometimes suffer from. However, PDK car can be a bit skittish at high speeds with big direction changes; something which my 19” wheels never suffered from.
Very interesting: thanks for posting. I wish that car reviewers on the magazines and internet focused more on such questions as cars like the 981 are getting more and more specification dependent.Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff