Full Day Number One: 200 miles round trip freeway drive (EDH to Walnut Creek, CA)
Getting a bit too cozy. We have a silver Honda Odyssey, too. Sorry...you have to go home on Friday!
The car senses the fob in my pocket so the door unlocks when I push the "request" button next to the hidden handle. Foot on the brake and hit the "start button". Select "R". Ha! a weak link in the techno-tranny! It fells a bit jerky as I back up with the wheel cranked, up my driveway a bit. Not as smooth as the rest of the Auto operations.
I put the suspension in "comfort" and the tranny in Auto. In Auto it feels almost like a CVT. At normal traffic pace it shifts through every gear and into 6th by the time you are going 35 mph. It has plenty of torque down low and only downshifts when you take a concerted jab at the throttle. Think about that. 1-2-3-4-5-6 and you barely feel it. It down shifts into 2nd as you come to a stop and only selects 1st if you completely stop.
On the freeway I adjust the Auto climate, plug in an address into the Nav system, fire up the iPod, and settle in. There is a good bit of road noise from the tires. The ride is a bit softer than my Cayman on 18s with no
PASM, but still tight and firm. I am really likiing all of the gadgets. You can custom program gauges into some of the screens. One screen tells me my water temp is 185, oil temp is 195, tranny fluid is 199, oil pressure is 56 psi, tranny pressure is LOWish (normal)...pretty sweet.
After about 20 miles I have a wave come over me. This could be the perfect "all around car". And I will be able to afford one when the premium goes away! It isn't as "sporty" as my Cayman, but in Auto/comfort mode it is a completely different car than when it is in manual/sport mode.
Acceleration feels smoother than a stock Turbo. The engine feels like a V8, not an FI 6.
It is a gorgeous car when you are looking through the windshield and can't see the exterior. Then again, alchohol and coffee don't "taste good" until you associate what they do for you with the flavor. My Cayman is so much more sensual.
The car gets lots of attention from a different class of people than your average Porsche. Nissan 350Z drivers give you the "hang loose" gesture. Slammed Civics worship it.
I was curious to see what I would have to pay for the comforts in Porsche dollars. My config for a Cayman S = $90,465 MSRP
And a Turbo...the car that arguably equals the performance? $149,680
Simply too much to spend on a car for me.
Tomorrow I will drive in a more spirited fashion...also I take my Cayman in for service first thing in the AM, so I will have back to back driving to report.
Saturday and Sunday we will be at Reno-Fernley with Hooked on Driving. So I will have a track report.
4 miles and 24 turns !
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PASM - Porsche Active Suspension Management
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This active damping system offers continuous adjustment of individual damping forces based on current road conditions and driving style.
The driver can choose from two setup modes, ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’, using a separate ‘damper’ button on the center console. ‘Normal’ mode is designed for general road driving and circuits with uneven tarmac. ‘Sport’ mode is intended for smoother track surfaces, where the harder settings help eliminate pitch and roll.
In either mode, PASM continuously evaluates the current conditions while automatically selecting the corresponding damper rates from the respective set of mapped values.
A range of sensors are used to monitor the movement of the body under acceleration, braking and cornering maneuvers, as well as on poor road surfaces. The PASM control unit then evaluates this data and modifies the damping force on each individual wheel in accordance with the selected mode. The result is a significant reduction in body movement as well as a better grip on the road.
For example: if ‘Sport’ mode is selected, the suspension is automatically set to a harder damper rating. If the quality of the track surface falls below a certain threshold, the system immediately changes to a softer rating within the ‘Sport’ setup range. When the quality of the tarmac improves once more, PASM automatically returns to the original, harder rating.
Need more information about PASM? Click this link: FAQ for PASM |
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