Few weeks ago i test drove a 650i and liked it so much it's been hard to get the car out of my head. But its not the ideal car for what I want so the search goes on. This week I drove the new SL550, Porsche 991 and the XKR.

Jaguar XKR:
This is the car I thought would be the clear winner. Its the car I really want. It has a sexy shape and is a great combination of luxury and sport GT. The car is certainly powerful enough and handles pretty good for a big coupe. However I was disappointed the console felt cheap and the aluminum trim on the dash looks cheap. Biggest disappointment was the legroom. Although I could probably deal with it my knees were bent and I have an ache from an old injury that requires my leg to be straight. If I got the XKR I would have to either remove the rear seats or get them shortened to increase front room. The technology is ok but not up to the standard expected of a modern car costing 100K.

SL550:
I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the SL. It was comfy and luxurious. I was able to make several tight turns so it has some sport. I was most surprised that it felt so much like a coupe, a regular coupe. No wind noice. No shutter or shake. No vibration. Its a proper coupe with the top up. It has decent tech and I really loved the feeling of the seat hugging your body on every turn. Nothing cheap about the SL. Everything looks and feels high quality. I'm concerned about doing suspension mods but otherwise, I could see myself in this car.

Porsche 991:
I wanted to drive the 911 Carrera S with 400 hp but it had just been sold and they only had the base model with 350 hp available. This was the very first time I drove a sport car with the engine behind your head and I was loving it to no end. The sales guy let me take corners and curves like I was on a roller coaster. I had plenty of leg room and head room. Tight with shoulder room but definitely liveable. My sales guy didn't really take me through the tech features. I kept trying to ask him if the car could this or that. He seemed preoccupied. Maybe it was because I told him I wouldn't be ready to buy for a few months. Still no excuse for poor salesmanship though.
Biggest disappoint was the lack of power. I floored the car on the interstate and was surprised at the lack of pull. My GS pulls stronger than that. The sales guy tried to tell me to come back next week to try the S model. He feels sure I will be happy with its power but it's only 50 more hp. I've read Porsche has a model that produces 430 hp. Maybe that's the one to get.
I did like the car though and could definitely see myself in one.

I also tried to drive an Audi R8 V10 but its legroom was no nearly enough to consider owning one. I don't see how I could have the legroom increased with the front seats sitting right on the firewall.

You guys may think this sounds crazy but after driving all these cars, I really appreciate the 3GS even more. The lowered suspension and high performance, low-profile tires give it some sportiness. It's meager 300 hp engine has good pull. Its cosmetic pieces give it a good look. All its really missing is the tech....but maybe I can do something about that.

Stay tuned.

 

nice... seems like you are having fun... you should try 4GS.

 

Just get the 650 and give it a Dinan mod.

 

Don't think I won't............it's the only one I've driven that stays in my head. I can easily visualize it lowered with 22's.
But I owe it to myself to ceck the other cars.
I'm not ready to buy anyway. No hurry.

 

After driving a 750 and an Infiniti m56 I realized how roomy my LS is for as the driver. Great car. Just wish it handled a bit better and had another 50 hp

 

Outside of Astom Martin, only 650/650 gran coupe, and CL makes me want to get as a luxury sport coupe if I'm not married with a kid. 911 is THE choice for sports car, if sport is above everything else. Butif you can swing a 911, why not a M6 then, still cheaper.

 

Great takes on those cars, its nice to hear a different persons take on a car every once in awhile. You seem like a tall guy so legroom is an important aspect for you. I'll admit, I'm a little on the wider side so I look for which one will fit my huge self, so for myself out of those cars the 911 didn't fit me comfortably. I myself was also disappointed with the newer Jag's take on quality. I really wanted to like those cars since they are so visually stunning. I love both the Merc and the bimmer, but still don't know which one I would rather have. Oh, and I test drove a v8 R8 and hated it for some reason. Don't get me wrong it's a nice "supercar" but the only thing that I was really impressed with was the sound it made when drivin hard and the attention it got

 

you'd have to be a brave soul to want to mod a suspension that sophisticated and expensive. what would you be looking to achieve?

 

porsches are deceptively quick because the torque curve is pretty flat and there isn't a quick punch unless you have the turbo, which is flat out insane.