squelchy451

I will say that it is a high quality interior. I've been in one and all the materials felt nice to the touch.

My gripes are with the design.
From the 993 to the 997 you can see where the design went, but I'm not sure what the designers for the 996 were thinking.

It's too busy and bulbous in my opinion.
The gauges are very nice and perhaps I won't mind the how the center stack looks when I'm driving it, but then I do remember having my mk5 GTI and the E46 prior and admiring at the interior while I'm at a long red light or doing my biweekly cleaning.

Imo000

Porsche almost went bankrupt before the Boxter and the 996 hit the market so their priority was to stay afloat and this meant cutbacks on things that don't make enough money.

I personally couldn't care less what the interior looks like. Didn't buy it for that.

squelchy451

I don't think the cutback explains or even justifies the stylistic issues. I found the quality to be adequate, though I'm not too picky about the materials themselves.
I must say, I didn't buy the NC Miata for its interior and it's hardly an issue. (Though I must say I prefer it over the 996 interior just based on how it looks...not as busy)

MikeinBloomfield

I don't get this emphasis on interiors, in any car. It might just be me but I could give a flying you-know-what. Is the seat comfortable? Is the steering wheel in the right place? If so, I'm good.

The only thing that bothers me is "infotainment" systems that don't make intuitive sense (showing my age, perhaps), and the 996 doesn't have one.

berni29

How about the insides of houses? Or clothes, or watches? In fact why should the exterior matter as long as it functions.

Berni

IkoIko911

I do think that doing the console delete changed the entire look and feel of in the interior - seems less busy - and the flat line across the bottom of the dash is visually pleasing

MikeinBloomfield

Uh, well I said "cars" so those are excluded? I could have said I don't care about the design of the headlights but that wasn't the subject of the thread. Not sure what the inside of my watch looks like, I'll have to look into that.

Dr_Strangelove

This is unsubstantiated and I can't remember who I heard this from - but it makes sense and this is the internet so of course I'm repeating it.

Based on the aforementioned financial difficulties; the 996 interior design was actually meant for the 993 but they couldn't afford to produce it. That is why the 993 kept the 964-prior interior. Porsche paid for Toyota Manufacturing consulting to help them bring the cost down and figure out how to mass produce the interior pieces eventually for the 996 / 986.

dporto

Two words - Full Leather... Makes a huge difference in the overall quality (as well as perceived quality) of the interior. This being said, I jumped on a set of painted hardback 997 sport seats as soon as the opportunity arose. They are a real step up in comfort/drive-ability (they contain you much better than the standard 996 seats) - This isn't to say I thought the standard seats were bad - the 997 seats are just better. Needless to say, it wasn't a inexpensive upgrade (as if any of them are). ** The only comments I've ever gotten on the interior (and the rest of the car for that matter) were along the lines of "wow this looks and feels amazing...what year is it" ? Everyone's amazed that it's a 20 year old car...

berni29

Actually the design of the headlights is a bit questionable, both from a design point of view and also function. I'm over them now, but I did have to upgrade the internals to HID projectors to get a decent performance. The design and look of watch movements is a massive thing for those who are into them. Another thing that looks a bit uneasy to my eyes are the 986 facelift side vents. I prefer the deeper look of the earlier ones, especially with the slats removed at the bottom and replaced with black mesh. Always room for improvement

Berni

mdsarch

Now that’s funny!

paddlefoot64

I know many won’t go for an updated radio, but mine has XM, Apple Car Play, BT phone connection and has Waze. Not as slick as the GTI, but close. I really don’t care it’s not stock Porsche. To each his own.

Hokie

Thanks for this post, I really like the look.

neilll

The interior never bothered me either way. I think the savannah beige is a little more beige than necessary but it’s well built and seats are good.

I am interested in the console delete posted above. And maybe some Coco mats to offset some of the beige. But these are changes that would be as much about personalizing as anything else.

None of my family or friends are really car people and it’s funny because almost everyone who has ridden in my car sits down and says something to the effect of “nice seats” or “I like the leather.” I dunno; these perceived design things are so small in the grand scheme of things.

JBSL

[QUOTE=wildbilly32;16978479]I fell in love with the 996 interior as soon as I sat down in my current C4S for the test drive. The leather smell was intoxicating, seats comfortable, all the stuff you need is readily available from the driver's seat, the visibility outside is amazing all around the car. Once I got over the wrong sided ignition switch location the attraction was complete.

THIS.