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Most of the hype around the new Porsche 911 Turbo S revolves around its devilish pace off the mark. In fact, the local Porsche people made sure that should anyone be unsure of the car’s capabilities, this uncertainty is put to bed upon first sight of the launch model reserved for the media. “27 2 100” the Turbo S’ Gauteng number plate announces, eluding to the fact that it can reach 100 km/h from a standstill in a stupefying 2.7 sec.
If the plates allowed for an additional row of information, equally impressive figures of “89 2 200” would have undoubtedly also been proudly displayed. But impressive numbers alone aren’t a true testimony to what this superb vehicle has to offer. The fact that it can achieve those numbers without looking like a typical outlandishly styled supercar while doing so at the utmost comfort of its occupants is the real beauty behind the new 911 Turbo S.
Then again though, those have always been the 911 Turbo’s core virtues since its famous debut at the Paris Motor Show in 1974. Almost five decades on and heaps and heaps of technology have enabled Stuttgart engineers to keep on raising the bar.
When the latest version of the 911 – the 992 – was launched locally last year, it included such an impressive list of offers that would have needed three pages to cover all the bases. In addition, the Turbo S alone would probably require double that space to do it justice. But blessed for space we are not, so a few heavily abbreviated highlights would have to do.
The Turbo S is powered by a new 3.8-litre six-cylinder boxer engine which features two VTG turbochargers and sends the grunt to all four wheels via Turbo-specific eight-speed PDK transmission. It produces 51 kW of power and 50 Nm of torque more than its predecessor for a combined output of 478kW/800Nm.
The new Turbo S feature new charge-air cooling which allows air intakes through the turbo rear side panels and two more airflow through the rear lid grille. It gets to 100km/h from a standstill 0.2sec faster than its predecessor and reaches 200 km/h a full second quicker, while the top speed of 330km/remains unchanged.
The launch control is absolutely brutal. You might be forgiven to anticipate smoke and drama, but it shoots off the line almost fuss-free as your brain starts going all mushy inside your head. But it can’t be stressed enough that the Turbo S is so much more than just sheer speed. Once the speedometer reaches three digits and beyond and you need to start turning the wheels, you realise how comfortable the car handles courtesy of an increasing steering precision and retuned rear axle steering.
And then there’s the immense braking power. The Turbo S features an improved Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes system and is the first 911 equipped with 10-piston brake calipers. The front brake discs measure 420 mm in diameter and four-piston brake calipers at the rear 390 mm discs.
A re-tuned 10mm-lower chassis enables improved driving through two major developments. One is front and rear tyres that differ in both width and wheel diameter and the other being the latest generation Porsche Active Suspension Management featuring faster controlled dampers.
The 20-inch front wheels ride on 255/35 rubberware, while the 21-inch rear wheels feature 315/30 tyres. A new feature is the tyre temperature indicator which is displayed alongside the tyre pressure indicator. The temperature serves as a guide to indicate when the tyres are warm enough to provide maximum possible grip and almost lends a bit of a Formula One pit wall element to the Turbo S.
An electrohydraulic front axle lift system raises the car by 40mm in the front to help you get over speedbumps with ease. As far as looks go, unique wings contribute to an increase in width by 45 mm to 1 840 mm at the front with the wider air intake openings featuring flaps that completely close between speeds of 70 and 150 km/h.
The Turbo-style rectangular tailpipes in high-gloss black, tail-light bar and automatically adjusted rear wing rounds off the appearance of the back of the car. An optional sports exhaust system is available featuring adjustable exhaust.
The interior features full leather interior and carbon trim combination, 18-way sports seats, 10.9-inch infotainment screen featuring Porsche Communication Management, 12-speaker Bose surround sound system and GT sports steering wheel featuring switch paddles and Sport Chrono mode switch.
As supercar killer and extremely comfortable everyday ride at the same time, the 911 Turbo S could easily qualify as the perfect car.
Pricing
911 Turbo S R3 849 000
911 Turbo S Cabriolet R4 049 000
Prices are inclusive of a three-year Drive Plan.
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