Porsche has introduced the new 911 Turbo S. The car is faster and sportier than ever before, but is also still a comfortable highway cruiser that will have you popping to the Côte d'Azur in no time.Text: Erik Kouwenhoven
Image: Christian Kalse
Online Editor: Mical Joseph
The Porsche 911 Turbo is primarily focused on comfort. This has been the case since the first Porsche 911 Turbo entered the market in 1975. This primal Turbo was a true Gran Turismo in terms of gear ratios, handling and on-board comfort. The Blaupunkt radio even featured a microphone, so the driver could speak messages or dictations to his secretary while driving. Anno 2020, the Turbo may be 390 hp (!) more powerful, but its character is still that of a fast, but above all comfortable, daily driveable car. That the new Porsche Turbo S is also a virtually unbeatable track car, you discover when you turn all the controls to war. The suspension hardens, the gear ratios change, the steering becomes more direct and the active roll stabilizers harden.
Within seconds, the speedometer flashes past 100 kilometers per hour. The digital counter below it cannot keep up and takes increments of twenty kilometers at a time. Moments later, 180 is already in sight, and within eight seconds the counter reaches 200 kilometers per hour. There is still no sign of deceleration. In fact, it only seems to be going even faster. The wind noise almost beats the engine noise, but the six-cylinder boxer engine is far from tired. Call it irresponsible, call it nonsensical, but as part of our journalistic truth-telling, our job is simply to see how the car functions at speeds above 200 km/h. Besides, we are in Germany, where speeding is still considered a fundamental right of every individual. This is not for nothing, because after two gears you are already driving highly illegal speeds in the Netherlands and then this Porsche still has six left.
We just drove away from a highway parking lot, where we took a good look at the new Turbo S's exterior. The car is identified by new styling details such as LED headlights and taillights that cover the entire butt. The Turbo looks fat and that's no perception, as the new version is a whopping 4.8 centimeters wider than the base model. The expanded bodywork was necessary to accommodate the wider track and wheels. These are now standard 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear. In total, the new 911 Turbo S is almost three centimeters longer than the old model and two centimeters wider. By now, the needle has long since indicated more than 250 km/h, and the 911 shifts into sixth gear. It seems crazy, but as long as no speed limit is declared in Germany, sports car manufacturers will continue to eagerly build cars with hundreds of horsepower engines and almost abstract top speeds. Like in this case Porsche with the new Porsche 911 Turbo S. And there are always people who want to experience it, that thrill of driving a mighty machine at these kinds of speeds. And fast it keeps going, even when, at 300 km/h, we decide that it's enough. We can see traffic in the distance and besides, the Turbo S has proven that it can do it: drive faster than you think is good for you.
Mighty is the Turbo S anyway. Not only because this is a model that has not undergone any revolutionary conceptual changes since 1964, but also because its acceleration from 0 to 100 is bizarrely fast at an official 2.7 seconds. But it's even crazier: official measurements from automotive media have revealed that the actual acceleration is completed in just 2.5 seconds. That makes this 911 Turbo S faster than the first-generation Bugatti Veryron, which took 2.7 seconds for the sprint despite its 1,001 horsepower. We understand the reason the car is faster than specified. Porsche doesn't want people at the door complaining that their car doesn't reach the specified acceleration or top speed because of a little wind against it or a half-soft tire. And so they give all cars just a little bit more: 0.2 seconds more in this case. The top speed is officially 330 km/h. No doubt that too is a conservative statement. We won't be surprised when you see speeds of over 350 km/h appearing on the counter (which also always deviates "positively").
The new 911 Turbo S features a completely new powerplant. Capacity goes from 3.8 to formally 3.7 liters, but performance goes up. In S form, the 911 Turbo has 650 hp at its disposal at 6,750 rpm. That means a gain of 70 hp. Torque has also increased and by 50 Nm to 800 Nm. This pulling power is available between 2,250 and 4,000 rpm. All in all, the new 911 Turbo S is 50 hp less powerful than the GT2 RS, but it does have 50 Newton meters more than this most extreme 911 for public roads to date. In addition to the new engine, the secrets to fast acceleration lie in the permanent all-wheel drive and the lower weight compared to the Bugattis. Nor is the Turbo a lightweight, for at 1,640 pounds, the car is 40 pounds heavier than before. Those who check lightweight glass on the options list gain four kilos. That seems little, but the higher up in the car, the more it saves.
The sharpness, the aggression, the monster waves of torque, the chassis conceived completely as a rear-wheel-drive car and the tireless brakes all appear to fit uncompromisingly into a car that, moreover, does not have to be completely covered in spoilers and cooling holes to be effective. Of course there is a spoiler. One that consists of two parts even. Because the lower part is very reminiscent of the "ducktail" from the 1970s. On top of this is a retractable part that in the Sport and Sport+ modes slides upwards a little further each time.But there is more that moves with the circumstances. Thus we see a dynamic front spoiler, which provides more pressure on the front at higher speeds and a so-called "airbrake. This ensures shorter braking distances by raising the spoiler all the way up, thus functioning as a kind of brake parachute. Also, the cooling slots in the front spoiler can be closed when little is demanded of the engine. This is to achieve better fuel economy. The result of it all is that you can drive 1 on 10. At least: if you can control yourself well. But that is difficult in a car as fast as this Turbo S. In Sport+ mode, it responds even faster to commands from the gas pedal. And the good thing is: you won't be blown off your feet by the first Tesla. Even better: not only in the sprint from 0 to 100 is the Turbo king of traffic light sprints, also from 100 to 200 you leave Elon Musk's products far behind.
The interior is familiar and you immediately feel comfortable behind the wheel. Even taller people can get along well here. There is plenty of luggage space. Not only under the front hatch (128 liters) but also in a bin behind the rear seats. It is just a pity that Porsche did not opt for a separate opening rear window. This would make this space much easier to load. Those who go out for several days can always fold down the rear seats, creating a flat surface so that suitcases can also be carried. In this way, an additional cargo space with a capacity of 264 liters is created there.
So is there nothing to criticize? Yep, the sound. That seems to decrease a bit with each new generation Turbo. That's right, because not only turbochargers eliminate engine noise: particulate filters do, too. Unfortunately, the new Turbo also has them on board. And then there's something else: the tank capacity is only 65 liters, which is far too little - especially since this model is presented as the comfortable daily driver that doesn't lack in anything. Too bad, because nobody likes having to fill up after 350 to 400 kilometers. Still, we can only respect the fact that at Porsche they could cram so much engineering into this 45-year-old style icon. Under the skin of the Turbo we find things like variable turbos, all-wheel drive, limited slip differential, all-wheel steering, an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and variable aerodynamics. From a formal 3.7-liter boxer engine, they peg 650 horsepower, leading to a sprint from 0 to 100 in officially 2.7 seconds and a top of 330 km/h. Those are hypercar performance figures, but at Porsche they simply put it into an ultra-comfortable GT, which you'll pop towards the Côte d'Azur without a drop of sweat. The new 911 Turbo S is available to order as of now and is available at Dutch Porsche Centers as of today. The Coupe has a recommended retail price of €279,000, the Cabriolet costs €294,100.
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