Turbo has been widened once again; active wing adds yet more downforce
FIRST DRIVES
8 APRIL 2 020 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 19
FIRST DRIVES
Δ brought over from its predecessor
in a revised form, the Turbo S gets
a reworked rear spoiler offering
Speed and Performance settings,
with the latter contributing to a 15%
improvement in downforce. There’s
also a new air brake function to
increase drag at high braking speeds.
As before, buyers can choose a
coupé or cabriolet body, the former
of which we will concentrate on here.
The 992 abandons the 3.8-litre
f lat-six engine that has been a
mainstay of the Turbo since the
facelifted version of the 996 was
l au nc he d i n 2 0 0 9 for a n a l l-ne w
powerplant that, despite giving away
14% in overall capacity, offers greater
power and torque than before.
There are no official engine output
figures for the standard Turbo just
yet. But in the Turbo S, power has
increased by 68bhp to 641bhp at
6750rpm, endowing the coupé with a
20bhp boost at 233bhp per litre and a
power-to-weight ratio of 391bhp per
t on ne. Torque a l s o c l i mb s b y 37lb f t t o
590lb ft between 2500 and 4000rpm.
For perspective, that’s 50bhp less but
37lb f t mor e t h a n t he mo s t e x t r e me
roadgoing 911 to date, the GT2 RS.
These added reserves, not least
the increase in torque, have brought
about an upgraded eight-speed
gearbox as well as a new front axle
transmission for the multi-plate-
clutch four-wheel drive system.
The cabin represents a big
improvement over the old model,
with a new steering wheel hosting
shift paddles and a driving mode
controller, a high-definition
digital instrument display, a 10.9in
infotainment touchscreen and
a neatly organised centre console.
It’s all of a suitably high quality.
Yet despite its increase in exterior
dimensions, the 911 is still a strict
2+2 , w it h 1 2 8 l it r e s of lu gga ge
capacity in its nose. When the rear
backrests are folded down, a further
264 litres of stowage becomes
available behind the front seats.
There’s a lovely familiar meshing
of me c h a n ic a l c l at t e r a s t he i g n it ion
fires. This engine may be new, but it
continues to make all the right noises.
At idle, the pulsating action of the
horizontally opposed six cylinders
hung out back drowns out thesound of the exhaust. However, that
changes the moment you draw the
s t ubb y ge a r s e le c t or ba c k w a rd s
and set off down the road.
The new Turbo S is typically
w e l l m a n ne r e d i n C om for t mo de
around town. It’s not exactly quiet,
but neither is it ever particularly
raucous. There’s greater intent to
the gravel-toned exhaust note than
before, thanks to the availability of
a n op t ion a l s p or t s e x h au s t – a s f it t e d
to our test car – for the first time.
However, it’s still relatively subdued.
Until you call up Sport mode and
plant it, that is, at which point it
unleashes a gloriously deep blare
that’s less guttural but every bit as
captivating as those of Porsche’s
naturally aspirated powerplants.
The remarkable thing – and this
has been a key strength of the top-of-the-line 911 for years now – is just
how amenable the car is. Threading
through traffic and heading beyond
the suburbs onto smooth-surfaced
c ou nt r y r oa d s , it r e a l l y i s a s e a s y t o
drive as your average hot hatchback.
O n l y it ’s i n a c omple t e l y d i f fe r e nt
dimension as far as performance
is concerned. The acceleration in
low e r ge a r s i s m i nd-nu mbi n g i n it s
intensity. Porsche claims 0-60mph in
2.6sec, a 0.2sec improvement over the
old Turbo S, making this the fastest-
accelerating series-production 911
yet. Yes, that means it’s quicker here
than the GT1, GT2 RS and GT3 RS.
The savage low-to-mid-range
thrust and ability of the four-wheel
drive system to place it to the road
with outstanding efficiency make
for explosive forward momentum,
as exemplified in the 0-124mph
time, which has been improved
b y a f u l l s e c ond t o ju s t 8.9 s e c.
T he r e ’s s o muc h t orque av a i l a ble
that you can call up higher gears andsurf the resulting potency well into
significant three-figure speeds in one
wonderful unbroken line of surging
acceleration, aided all the while by
the stunning straight-line stability
br ou g ht on b y 170k g of dow n for c e
at the claimed 205mph top speed.
There’s no noticeable turbo lag ◊
`
The remarkable
thing is just how
amenable the car is
a
Driving position is excellent and all around you is of luxurious quality