Some say that the Porsche 996 interior is dull and poorly made. I disagree.
For the first time in the 911’s long life, when the 996 came along it had an interior design that matched the car’s curvaceous body shape. Where previous 911s had angular sharp lines in the cockpit, because of historic manufacturing demands, the 996 has beautiful flowing curves which modern materials and construction allow.
There is a nod to 911s of old – the five dials with a tachometer at their centre remain, and there’s a hint of the old crease across the full width of the dashboard – but, on the whole, it’s all wonderful sweeping curves. This is most noticeable on the doors – the trademark 911 storage bin with its lift-up arm rest remains but it swoops up majestically to form a grab handle that, in turn, flows round to meet the opening handle.
The cockpit remains, however, understated and functional which is just what you expect – and want – in a 911. It’s ergonomic industrial design at its best and so much more elegant than the 997’s interior, which tried a bit too hard to ape that of older 911s with its retro angles and lacks any real style. In fact, the 991, with its multitude of fussy buttons isn’t much better, either.
It’s also well made and hard-wearing, compared to other cars of the same vintage. I’ve also found that 996 seats are made of stronger stuff than the later 997 ones, the leather of which wears very quickly.
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Why the Porsche 996 has the best 911 interior – Some say that the Porsche 996 interior is dull and poorly mad… http://t.co/a2o8yElpGH
I agree with what you say BUT I have a 996.1 and whilst I like the leather dash etc the plastic is very cheap like a Toyota etc, especially the airvents
I agree with what you say BUT I have a 996.1 and whilst I like the leather dash etc the plastic is very cheap like a Toyota etc, especially the airvents
Great post. The only bit which jars to me is the ashtray panel on the rear centre console with the 4 blank switches. Surely an opportunity for someone to manufacture a better bit, maybe a coin tray or cupholder.
Great post. The only bit which jars to me is the ashtray panel on the rear centre console with the 4 blank switches. Surely an opportunity for someone to manufacture a better bit, maybe a coin tray or cupholder.
I agree. Specially the all leather interior, such as in the turbo, the 996 is far superior in quality than the 997. The 996 interior trully matches that of a sports car.
The 997 console plastics (Cayenne style) look really bad and the seat’s leather wears out very fast. The plastic on the 997 steering has a low quality feel. Same thing fot the air vents. Seems like with the 997 porsche tried to make a more luxurious interior. They ended up with a BMW look. 991 is even worse with all that crome.
The original 996 which was produced of course in 1998 had superior plastic and leather compared to each of the years that followed. During the first year the 996s were also hand built on alternating days with the last of the 993s. If you’re going to get a 996 with a manual transmission, there are many reasons to hold out for one with a build day between 1/98 – 10/98. Those are the true gems indeed, and you can often identify them by their amber turn signals on all six light assemblies. That is of course unless someone replaced them with clear lenses at some subsequent time.