The Porsche 911 is considered to be the definitive sports car and the go-to choice if one wants the most driving involvement – granted a manual transmission is fitted. The 911 is the sports car other automakers strife to compete against and with each new generation, it sets the standard for what a sports car should be like.
The 911 debuted in 1964 with the 911-generation and, like the VW Beetle on which it is loosely based, featured an air-cooled engine. The biggest difference between the Beetle and the 911 however, was the flat-six engine in the back. Every generation of 911s has featured a flat-six in one way or another, from naturally aspirated, to turbocharged and eventually, twin-turbocharged.
The 911’s air-cooled engines were discontinued in favor of water-cooling, due to changing emissions regulations in an effort to make the cars more fuel-efficient and reliable. Since then, many manufacturers have attempted to exploit the change in 911 engineering and build a car that could be considered better. Here are a few of those cars, including ones we would buy over a Porsche 911, and ones which we still prefer the 911 over.
10 Would Buy – BMW 8-Series
BMW introduced the current generation 8-Series back in 2018 as their top-of-the-line grand tourer, a less expensive alternative to the likes of the Porsche 911, Bentley Continental GT, and Aston Martin DB11. It is available with a range of engines – from a twin-turbo straight-six to a powerful twin-turbo V8. The mid-range specification of the 8-Series, the M850i, features a 530 hp V8, 8-speed automatic gearbox, and all-wheel-drive – perfect for use as a long-distance cruiser.
The 8-Series range kicks off from around $85,000 for the 840i Coupé to around $100,000 for the M850i Coupé. For those who would like a bit more power and speed, the M8 and the more track-focused M8 Competition will be available in the US from 2022, as BMW has only sold the M8 Gran Coupé in the States since its launch. Prices for the M8 Coupé should start at a little above the Gran Coupés.
9 Wouldn’t Buy – Lexus RC-F
The Lexus RC-F is a sports car updated for 2022, but it has been in production since 2015, making it quite an old car to be competing against its rivals. It features a 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8 tuned by Yamaha, and whilst it makes one of the best exhaust sounds of any car on sale, it remains outdated.
The RC-F has a base MSRP of around $65,000 but can rise to well over $70,000 with options. Lexus also offers a track version fitted with a carbon-fiber front splitter, rear diffuser, side skirts, and a rather large rear spoiler – along with some revised suspension and differential tuning. The RC-F Track Edition costs $32,000 more than the standard RC-F, bringing it within $5,000 of a base 911. With such a little difference in price, it would be better to just go for the 911 as it is better value for money.
8 Would Buy – Lexus LC500
The LC500 is Lexus’ take on a luxurious grand tourer and where they fall short with the RC-F, they nail with the LC500. It is hands-down one of the most beautiful cars currently on sale and since it features the same engine as the RC-F, it is one of the best sounding cars as well. It seriously looks like an artist’s impression of what a lily looks like in automotive design language, which Lexus took and put into production.
The LC500 has an MSRP of around $94,000, putting it dangerously close to the 911, but it is absolutely worth it. People are impressed when someone shows up in a Porsche 911, but show up in a LC500, and everyone will be taking pictures. For the 2021 model year, Lexus even introduced a convertible, just as beautiful as the coupé.
7 Wouldn’t Buy – Polestar 1
The Polestar 1 is the first production car from the Volvo-based Swedish firm, Polestar. It is a luxury grand tourer hybrid based on the Volvo S90 platform, albeit in a coupé body style. It is primarily based on the 2013 Volvo Concept Coupé, with the Volvo badge substituted for a Polestar one.
The Polestar 1 features a 2.0-liter twin-charged inline-4, with two electric motors and an integrated starter generator. The combined power output for the Polestar 1 is claimed to be 600 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque going through an 8-speed automatic transmission. The Polestar 1 can achieve a claimed 58MPGe fuel economy rating and has a claimed electric-only range of around 55 miles. Whilst this sounds pretty good for a plug-in hybrid, Polestar is only producing a maximum of 150 units per year at a price of over $150,000, making this quite a bit more expensive than a 911.
6 Would Buy – Aston Martin Vantage
The Vantage is the latest version of Aston Martin’s smaller sports car. It was specifically designed to compete against the 911 and – in some cases – beats it. The Vantage is another beautiful car, arguably not as pretty as the LC500, and has an equally beautiful exhaust sound. Power comes from Germany in the form of an AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 – the same as in the AMG GT-S.
The price for a new Vantage starts from around $140,000, making it about the price of a V6 Toyota Camry more than a base 911. However, the main reason to choose the Vantage over the 911 (apart from the gorgeous looks), is the fact that it comes with a manual transmission. An AMG V8 with a manual in the body of an Aston Martin - how much better does it get?
5 Wouldn’t Buy – Mercedes AMG GT
The AMG GT has been around since 2014 and has been updated almost every year since then. Recently, the new AMG GT Black Series has gone on sale at a whopping $235,000 – a ridiculous price for a GT. Like the Vantage, the AMG GT was designed to take on the 911 at its own game, and whilst it was popular, it never really succeeded in this endeavor.
The AMG GT was mostly bought because it was a less-expensive alternative to the higher-up 911s, and featured sportier handling and a new V8, but was still dynamically down on the 911. The AMG GT has an MSRP starting around $118,000 for the GT and $153,000 for the more powerful GT C convertible.
4 Wouldn’t Buy – Jaguar F-Type
The F-Type is an attempt of a proper sports car by Jaguar to take on the world. Whilst the F-Type is a great sports car, the 911 is just better in almost every way. The F-Type is available with a 2.0-liter turbo inline-4 with 300 hp in P300 trim, for around $60,000, a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 380 hp in P380 trim for $80,000, and a mighty 5.0-liter supercharged V8 in F-Type R trim with 575 hp for $105,000.
The only reason to buy the F-Type over a Porsche 911 is for the glorious noise coming out of the back. The 4-cylinder sounds good (for a 4-cylinder), but it’s with the V6 and V8 where the F-Type shines. Other than that, the 911 is still a better choice overall.
3 Would Buy – Mercedes SL
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The Mercedes SL is always designed as a more luxurious convertible, putting grand touring and comfort above all else. This has been the case with most SL models, with the exception of the ridiculous SL73 AMG from 1999 and each generation of SL65 AMG since. Now, there is an all-new SL coming this year, built from the ground up to be a more performance-orientated car in Mercedes’ lineup.
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As of launch, the new SL will be available in SL55 and SL63 trims (Mercedes bringing back the 55 nameplate) starting at around $100,000. Both versions will be fitted with the AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 producing between 470 and 570 hp. The new SL also uses – for the first time ever on an SL – AMG’s 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system. AMG has also confirmed the new SL will get AMG’s E-Performance treatment, most likely resulting in the 804 hp from the AMG GT63S 4-Door E-Performance. Who in their right mind would buy a 911 over this?
2 Wouldn’t Buy – Acura NSX
The NSX was Honda’s first attempt at building an affordable, reliable and comfortable mid-engine sports car – a feat which they succeeded in doing. The NSX became extremely popular and today has a massive fan following all over the world. In 2015, Honda unveiled the NSX Concept and the production car was launched a year later.
The new NSX is much more technologically advanced with all-wheel drive, a hybrid powertrain, and with around 580 hp, it is a big step up from the NSX of the 90s. The new NSX is also much more expensive, starting at around $157,000 for the ‘normal’ one and $170,000 for the new NSX Type-S, which has over 600 hp.
1 Would Buy – Maserati GranTurismo S
Before you say I’m being ridiculous for choosing a fifteen-year-old car over the 911, hear me out. Yes, Maseratis of this era are ridiculously unreliable, they are needlessly complicated to operate, and sometimes they just flatly refuse to start, but that is what makes them likable. The Maserati GranTurismo is old, but it has a thing that no other new car currently on sale has – something that it is going to lose with the introduction of the new GranTurismo.
The centerpiece of this Italian museum on wheels is its glorious engine. It is the 4.7-liter naturally aspirated V8, which shares much of its components with the Ferrari F430’s 4.3-liter V8. What makes all the difference is that the Maserati has a cross-plane crankshaft – as opposed to a flat plane found in the Ferrari. Even though the GranTurismo is still being sold today for around $135,000, the sound will banish all thoughts of the 911 from your mind.