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TT
09-26-2006, 11:18 AM
Porsche 944 S2

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l306/ttsib/003.jpg
On top of Nüfenen pass, Switzerland, 2500 meters above the sea level, looking west

Yeh, my car, I know, and an old one actually, but who said we should only post reviews about the supercars and about the latest releases? :P

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http://img153.imagevenue.com/loc489/th_85209_01_122_489lo.jpg (http://img153.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85209_01_122_489lo.jpg)http://img150.imagevenue.com/loc463/th_85210_02_122_463lo.jpg (http://img150.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85210_02_122_463lo.jpg)http://img128.imagevenue.com/loc468/th_85214_944_122_468lo.jpg (http://img128.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85214_944_122_468lo.jpg)http://img41.imagevenue.com/loc383/th_85214_porsche944s201_122_383lo.jpg (http://img41.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85214_porsche944s201_122_383lo.jpg)

Specifications

Engine - I4, 2'990 cc
Power - 211 hp @ 6'200 rpm
Torque - 280 Nm @ 4'100 rpm
Weight - 1340 kg
Fuel Tank - around 65 liters
Max Speed (declared) -
Acceleration (declared), 0-100 km/h -
Fuel economy (out of town / town / mixed) -
Tranny - 5 gears manual

Seats - 2+2
Doors - 3
Lenght / width - 4293 / 1727 mm
Height - 1270 mm
Boot -

Exterior

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l306/ttsib/002.jpg
Again on top of Nüfenen pass, looking east this time

Comon! Many ppl would say this is not a real Porsche (not a 911), an I was among them! You thend to think a Porsche is a 911 and viceversa when actually Porsche had some nic edesign ideas with the front engined series. To be totally honest, the 944 S2 or Turbo are the bet and have a gorgeous shape. And it's actually quite smaller than what it looks. It's also short afterall (it was impressive to see it for the first time side by side with my grandma's Civic which has a damn longer wheelbase!), and those flared rear arches, turbo style, are damn sexy when you catch a glimpse in the rearview mirror. everything is proportioned: much more than in many modern cars! There are maybe "vintage" details like the soft plastic spoiler but all in all, everything fits the car in a great way.

Interior

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l306/ttsib/005.jpg
Simple and in good shape

It's a 1990 car, so don't expect to find many gizmos in there. It's a cozy environment, you sit low and everything is around you. Those seats look damn small and yet they hug you very well! Wheel and pedals are ideally placed. The instruments are sadly not 911 like and the rev counter is placed like it usually is. Actually once inside it I have the sensation of beeing in the Scirocco my dad had when I was a child.
Electric everything (seats, roof, windows), which is welcome. The gearbox is very positive. A bit heavy, but quick and precise. The steering is assisted but so much heavier than a modern car, and there is really so much more reaching your palms! You only notice the "help" at parking speeds.
At the back, like in a 911, you won't slot an adult. Not even a tiny (160 cm) one. He will touch with the head and have no place where to put his/her legs. The boot is not really tall, but hell you can put lot of stuff in there, and lowering the rear seats also help. Very practical loading space.

It's a nice car to sit in: low and pretty compact afterall with plenty of glass all around you and almost no dead angle as long as you'll turn your head enough.

How does it drive?

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l306/ttsib/007.jpg
In the army, ready to pull a tank out of trouble

Oh! brillant! I am biased maybe since I fell in love right away, but the ride is fantastic. This is a seriously well balanced car, rest assured. As you might know, or imagine, weight distribution is optimal with engine at the front and tranny+gearbox at the back. 50-50 or very close to it anyway.
After 200 meters it was like if I drove the previous 100'000 km at the wheel of the S2. It really makes you confident and let you know it won't bite, so it's up to you to extract all the potential from the chassis and engine.
The direct steering is a pleasure. Need just small inputs to generate the steering angle needed and is really connecting you to the front wheels. The grip is damn good, I was impressed by what this chassis and those Bridgestone S02 (almost new) can do :shock: and we are talking about humble 16 inches, 205 front, 225 back! To proprely test the handling the first week-end I had the luck to go up and down a mountain pass toward and back from Lausanne, a road I know like the back of my hand and where I drove various cars. Well, I thought with an "old" car I would have to limit myself and maybe end up packed behind slow traffic. Oh boy no! After three corners it was obvious the S2 is meant for business. The engine with its high torque pulls very strong uphill, not requiring high revs to go quick. The brakes are also damn impressive for an old car (same as the Turbo)! You can really delay the braking point untill the very last moment and when you step on the middle pedal the stopping power is strong! And the car stays flat and poised even if you are already entering the corner. For sure the chassis-brakes-tires combo is honed to perfection.
Since that first WE, I attacked that very same road another 4 or 5 times by now and it seems I could increase the rythm as much as I'd like actually, with the car always following.
It took a while, but I finally got the hang of some conservative powerslide and also understood how much braking and steering angle I need to make it slide while entering the corner. But to do so you must really go beyond limits you won't reach even when pushing strong. It's marvellous because you know you can have some extra fun but when you want to be quick you don't risk to have the back stepping out "by mistake". I only encountered understeer a couple of times, it was wet and I was going downhill.. doesn't help. but it was progressive and easily recoverable.
But as focused as you can be, the way the engine delivers its goods is so that you rarely reach for the redline. Most of the time, already going way too fast considering speed limits, I shift up at 4'000-4'500 rpm when, checking the spec sheet, the max torque is reached, and not 6'000 when max power would come. As said, it's a torquey engine, not a screamer. Still, those extra 2'000 rpm are always there when you need them to overtake some lazy ass ;)

20 minutes of mountain road with no aircon and I am sweating like a cow, tired and with an aching neck. The car don't suffer at all, easy, like if it left the plant the month before. That's why this car is so fun: you need to produce some effort to go quick, like in any other "old" car, and that's so rewading :D

That's why, since I bought it, I totalize an average of 1000 km per week. It's a smile every time you jump in and even a quick trip to the shopping mall is an event.

Only downside is maybe the muffler note which is not so special. A cargraphic unit will maybe help, I'll see, but now that I got also the 964 I think the money will be injected into it to fix the small probs.

What are the most positive features of the car?

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l306/ttsib/006.jpg
At Münchenwiler castle near Mürten

The constant smile
Practical
Perfect weight distribution
Quick with no fuss (no fuss for the car, but plenty of sensations for the driver)

What are the most negative features of the car?

Obviously still a Porsche when it comes to maintenance.

How do you think this car compares to its direct competition?

Not sure exactly what I should consider as its competition, but back then the S2 was for sure one of the best cars you could take home for its kind of money, sensibly cheaper than the 964 (both to buy and maintain). Sure, also a bit slower, but still damn good!
Today it still scores pretty high even compared to modern sportcars, but is so much cooler and "different". It is also "different" in the Porsche world: in town there are 911 everywhere around here, every generation, but front engined Porsches are rare ;)

Conclusion

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l306/ttsib/001.jpg
At Münchenwiler castle near Mürten

I don't regret a bit to have bought a 1990 car and everybody wanting to access the myth (Porsche) or just the sportcars world should consider the front engined Porsches option.
I was so happy with this '90 car that now beside it sits a '90 964 C4 :P and I should post a review about it soon :P

TopGearNL
09-26-2006, 01:13 PM
Nice review TT, gives me another look at the 944 :P

ViperASR
09-26-2006, 02:37 PM
TT now know what all other 944 owners know. That the 944 is a great Porsche that never got the respect that it diserved because it was not the 911.

TT
09-26-2006, 02:54 PM
Dude - after you bought the 944... and especially after reading this review - every time I see a 944 on the street I will look at it with different eyes! :wink:

Seems that you're still amazed as the first day even two weeks later - cool to see a front-engined Porsche (so understated) can still put a grin in her owner's face! :wink:

Like you, never really paid attention to "those" Porsches. Maybe only the occasional look at a 968 CS but that's it. Viper is sadly right: the shadow of the 911 was damn "bad" for the reputation of the 924/944 and Co... but it's also thanks to this if today you can buy a piece of history for some very sensible money ;)

While now of course my vision has spread wide and I glance at every one of them passing by :D

Really, let me repeat: if you are looking for a way to get into the Porsche world, there is no better way probably :D

Oh yes, BTW, I am now beyond the first month of ownership and still grinning badly :D (although today and tomorrow are 911 days, so I could write a fresh review right away ;))

RC45
09-26-2006, 02:58 PM
I think the motoring press is largley to blame for the lack of popularity in the 924/944/968 range.

They always called them the "poor mans Porsche" - now the 924 was never that good anyway (an odd-an-out Audi) but the 944/968 never got graged on their own merit by the press.

People follwo what "the motoring journos" say - so the 944/968 were doomed from the inception.

Maybe TT can help change the world view of the 944.. :P ;)

stmoritzer
09-26-2006, 03:02 PM
^ true, the advertisment and critics have a big influence in sales figures :bah:

thanks for this owner-review TT!

me too, I look after the 944 more often now :lol:

gucom
09-26-2006, 04:38 PM
nice review, thx :D
to be honest i've always looked at 944's (and other front-engined porsches) with interest, so it doesn't change alot... but you took some of the best 944 pics i've ever seen :D (the 2 at the castle or wherever it was where you picked it up, they're amazing :D really give the car even more class imo 8) )

dutchmasterflex
09-26-2006, 05:28 PM
I've always loved the 944. I could care less what journo's say, it's a perfectly balanced, rwd PORSCHE. Can't really go wrong there ;) It's styling is timeless too.. still looks damn good.

I'd say direct competition would be a FC RX-7.. they almost look exactly the same, and their engines are both mounted front-mid.. But I'd much rather go with the reliable 4 cylinder than the rotary..

Nice review, I know I'd enjoy owning a 944 just as much as you are!

cooperluke
09-26-2006, 06:57 PM
Thks for the review man! And once again, congrats for the great machine you have there!!

TT
09-27-2006, 06:14 AM
...

Maybe TT can help change the world view of the 944.. :P ;)

Sure, he'll try at least :D but it might be a bit late anyway :bah:

TopGearNL
09-27-2006, 07:14 AM
I saw a 944 yesterday with Porsche 911 Turbo Rims, it looked sweet :mrgreen: !

TransAm
09-27-2006, 12:24 PM
Thanks for the review, TT< read with interest :good:

ViperASR
09-27-2006, 12:47 PM
I saw a 944 yesterday with Porsche 911 Turbo Rims, it looked sweet :mrgreen: !

Thats what we have on my dad's 944S

Dubai
10-18-2006, 08:14 PM
nice pic you took @ Nüfenen :D

sameerrao
10-18-2006, 08:52 PM
Excellent review and great pics too ... top class!

MidEngine4Life
11-06-2009, 03:27 PM
Yes but totaled =(