[MI55LE]

.
on another forum (Panamera) a fellow with a V6 asked for recomendations to "get more speed"........he was torn apart with replies such as "shudda had a V8", etc.....

my question is, for those of you that have the 4.2L cars are you sorry that you didn't get the 4.7 ?

comments, by any owners of either one

thank you

[russarch]

Fortunately, you can't know what you don't know. I'm very happy with my 4.2L. With the DBW and ECU upgrades from Formula Dynamics, I have not complaints. However, more power is almost always better.

[MI55LE]

.
thanks for the reply - sure would like to hear from those that "know" both

[SimG]

Interesting question! I had the chance to own both a 4.2 and a 4.7. The 4.2 was a 2007 QP Exec GT while the 4.7 (our current car) is a 2012 QP S. Personally, I much prefer the 4.7. The power this car has is simply incredible and I never though the difference between these two engines would be so drastic. HOWEVER, my wife preferred the sound of the 4.2.

Having said that, I agree with russarch. Before trying the 4.7, I was totally satisfied with the performance of the 4.2. Both engines are great and will provide enough power to please any kind of drivers.

[skcam]

i've had a both a QP and GT in 4.2 an now in a 4.7 cabrio. have to say have not noticed the increase that much , possibly in part due to the extra 100kgs in the cabrio. I'd day both can feel lacking if you drive hard and i'm often thinking they should be putting out closer to 500hp given the weights and other manufactures. I've heard the DBW can help but have yet to go that route. That said they are not race cars rather GTs. The right exhaust note makes a huge diff and you get that all the time rather than just the occasional flooring it moment that might make you notice the 1/2 litre diff. Can you afford the extra $$$ then only one answer ........why not buy the 4.7 and avoid that lingering "what if....."

[Colossus]

I have owned both a 4.2 QP GTS and currently own a 4.7 GranTurismo S, but have also driven a 4.2 GT. There is a considerable and very noticeable difference between the two power units. Whilst the 4.2 is a nice engine and delivers when rev'ed, it is all at the top end, which is fine if you are canning it but not so good for general day to day driving. These are big heavy cars and the relative lack of torque in the 4.2 makes the 4.7 the one to go for without any question. The torque is not only greater in the 4.7 but the torque curve is also flatter and starts lower down the rev range, which in turn makes the 4.7 far easier to drive in all conditions as there is meaningful urge at all points in the rev range.

the 4.2 is still a great car but for me it simply does not have enough get up and go from low revs and given that there is very little price difference between the two models, I would advise anyone considering both to go for the 4.7 every time. It also sounds way better in Sport mode!

[michaeladler]

Originally Posted by Colossus

I have owned both a 4.2 QP GTS and currently own a 4.7 GranTurismo S, but have also driven a 4.2 GT. There is a considerable and very noticeable difference between the two power units. Whilst the 4.2 is a nice engine and delivers when rev'ed, it is all at the top end, which is fine if you are canning it but not so good for general day to day driving. These are big heavy cars and the relative lack of torque in the 4.2 makes the 4.7 the one to go for without any question. The torque is not only greater in the 4.7 but the torque curve is also flatter and starts lower down the rev range, which in turn makes the 4.7 far easier to drive in all conditions as there is meaningful urge at all points in the rev range.

the 4.2 is still a great car but for me it simply does not have enough get up and go from low revs and given that there is very little price difference between the two models, I would advise anyone considering both to go for the 4.7 every time. It also sounds way better in Sport mode!

I agree 100%. I used to drive the 4.2 Gran Turismo, then switched to the 4.2 QP and now have the 4.7 QP GT S. Huge difference PLUS you get the great exhaust sound with the 4.7!!

[MI55LE]

.
thanks to all for the thoughtful replies - would seem prudent to put some quality time in each on test drives - but now I've got a starting point with the above opinions

not only the V6 Panamera post but the fact that I now have an E60 M5 and hardly ever drive it in the "M" mode prompted me to ask for opinions - yes, as much test drive time as one can muster is called for here

[CameronsGTC]

Interesting thread. Before buying I test drove a '09 4.2 coupe which didn't seem to respond at all well to mid-range throttle and nearly put me off the marque completely. Then got to test a 4.7 Conv and whey-hey, what a difference! I had been searching for torque curve stats before finally taking the plunge but couldn't find any anywhere. Now very happy with my '11 Conv (always in sport mode... audio system always off!)

[a52weekhigh]

Doing a conversion to cubic inches, the engine blocks are smaller than I thought. 4.2 liters equates to a 256 c.i. block and a 4.7 equates to a 286 block. I had assumed that it was at least something like a 327 to 350 comparison. It's pretty impressive they get that much power out of a small block like that.

[MI55LE]

.
thanks again, for the replies

[vegas09]

i just got my 4.7 gt last week and i have to say its night and day different than the 4.2

so much more power and torque (it seems a lot more than 30hp and 20lb torque)

with the 4.2 you have to be above 2500 rpm or the response is just not there

a very noticeable difference and you dont have to push the engine hard to go fast

also, the suspension feels much more solid and planted on the highway

the 4.2 seemed to float a little

for those of you who modified the exhaust to keep the bypass valves open at all rpm on sport mode, how much did that cost?

[davegt]

I'm quickly starting to feel that the 4.7 isn't enough. Now I'm considering the FD DBW mod or selling the GT and going for a less-than-museum-grade track car.

[Masibaby]

30 bhp is not a gargantuan amount so perhaps it is mainly due to software / programming that the characteristic's of the 4.7 engine are more response fom lower revs etc it's probably something that mirrors a DBW? I had an e92 m3 before my GT 4.2 and the 414 bhp was a 76 bhp increase from it's E46 predecessor however the performance in a real world situation between the two cars wasn't as conclusive as you would expect with such a large bhp difference. The 4.2 is quck but even the e92 with only 14 bhp more I found to feel and respond quicker (obvious weight diffences) I'm sure a DBW will sort everything out. I enjoy the charachter of the 4.2 although sometimes the power literally isn't there which can be a worry when performing an overtake etc. bottom line is if you can afford the 4.7 get that or just do a DBW upgrade if you want that instant throttle reaction.

[MI55LE]

.
interesting observations, thank you..