First Drive:
Porsche 911 Turbo
By Peter Burgess,
Last updated May 08 2006
It's simple. Just press the Sport button, discreetly positioned below the stereo, mash the throttle, hang on. Ten seconds of turbo overboost pumps up the torque by another 60Nm. The fastest supercar on the road gets even quicker.
Fastest supercar? Ok, on paper maybe not, but 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds is still pretty outstanding and even though 200mph isn't yet possible, 192mph will do very nicely, thank you. What this latest 480bhp incarnation of the 911 Turbo does do very well, is make so much of its performance envelope available to so many drivers.
Please click images below to enalrge:
It's not that you don't need to be skilled, just that it is far easier to move towards the upper reaches of the performance envelope than it is with any rival. Four-wheel-drive, now an integral part of any 911 Turbo, helps, but so too does the prodigious torque that only turbo-charging can provide at low revs. The result is that instant performance, and tons of it, is always on tap. That thrust in the back when you go for broke is impressive enough for the driver, but a passenger alongside is likely to have a rictus grin that has instantly passed beyond astonishment, through fear and onto a different level entirely.
Click here for our view on the new Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano
Track day tool
The 911 Turbo is simply gob-smackingly quick. Given the right conditions on international launch (and traffic laws, of course), it cracked onto 280kph (174 mph) without hesitation, rock solid and arrow straight. Although, funnily enough, you want that extra torque that comes with the overboost, what you don't want at the highest speeds is the stiffened sport setting for the suspension, which causes bumps to unsettle the car a touch more than is comfortable. So good is the suspension in the regular setting that the sport mode is probably best left to track days.
The same goes for the hugely expensive ceramic brake option. While there's no doubt that they are massively effective in extreme use, the regular set-up "" six-pot callipers up front, four-pot behind, stops the 911 just fine. But is the Turbo a track day car at all? Porsche development driver and double world rally champion Walter Rohl blinded us with the potential of the car on a closed road but admitted that the recent GT3 was more pointy in the corners. The GT3 is the road weapon the truly ambitious will plump for.
Rallying legend Walter Rohl behind the wheel of the new 911 Turbo
The Turbo will understeer more, though this is likely to be noticeable only in slower corners or punching too hard, too early, out from a roundabout. Otherwise the handling is quite benign, and you have to be trying extremely hard to get even a twitch out of the back end. Razor sharp power steering helps fine-tune the feeling of control "" there's a great deal of precision there and fine weighting too.
Click here for our Top 10: Greatest-ever Porsches
Automatic assistance
The sheer level of speed that you get to carry on roads of all varieties is truly mesmerising. Speed limits withstanding, the 911 Turbo scythes through bends and then gobbles up the next straight so quickly that, until your ear is attuned to the sound of 7,000rpm, you'll bounce off the rev limiter before you've reached down for the next change. Rev counter? Yes, there is one, but there's rarely time to glance down. There's a power-assisted clutch pedal on manual cars but for those who really insist, Porsche sells a Tiptronic version of the Turbo too.
As always, Tiptronic will change gears for you automatically or let you do the job with the gearstick or via buttons on the wheel. It's an intelligent system that hangs onto lower gears if you are driving more aggressively and will change down as you brake for a bend. But the game has moved on and the performance from the five-speed Tiptronic doesn't match the sublime efficiency of the autobox in the new Jaguar XK. Stick with the six-speed manual even though, theoretically, the auto is fractionally quicker.
Click here to read our comparison of the XK with a classic E-Type
Looks
Now in its sixth generation, the Turbo takes the wider body from the recently launched Carrera 4, adds some striking air scoops with integrated LED indicators, higher mounted tailpipes and redesigned side air intakes behind the rear doors. The top-section of the double-decker rear wing rises automatically to increase high-speed stability. But the in-your-face feature is those nineteen-inch forged alloy wheels, complete with polished outer surfaces and titanium-coloured paintwork inside. A bit Max Power perhaps?
Porsche doesn't always get it right inside either. My Tiptronic had a colour scheme clearly inspired by the Aston Martin paint pallet, but the faux British Racing Green body and cream leather interior were the wrong side of tasteful. Probably go down a treat in the Far East and the States. Comfort is notably good for a supercar. You get sports seats with a compliant, cosy initial layer backed up by decisive firmness and support. It rides well too, particularly with the PASM active suspension in its regular setting. There's a degree of practicality too, with a reasonable front boot and fold down rear seats that double up as a large luggage shelf.
BLOG: Click here for more on the new 911 Turbo from the MSN Cars blog
Verdict
You won't get any change out of £100K once you have added an option or two, which means the 911 Turbo has to live with the best from Ferrari, Aston Martin and Bentley. Does it make the grade? It's difficult to argue with Porsche's assertion that there's nothing quicker in the real world. The 911 Turbo is, in relative terms, so ready and willing to give up its maximum performance. For Porsche fans, and others, that will be quite enough. But we'd totally understand the other viewpoint, that this is an utterly predictable next stage in the 911 Turbo hierarchy, and rivals move the game on rather more each time around.
New Porsche 911 Turbo - please click images below to enlarge:
Porsche 911 Turbo
By Peter Burgess,
Last updated May 08 2006
It's simple. Just press the Sport button, discreetly positioned below the stereo, mash the throttle, hang on. Ten seconds of turbo overboost pumps up the torque by another 60Nm. The fastest supercar on the road gets even quicker.
Fastest supercar? Ok, on paper maybe not, but 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds is still pretty outstanding and even though 200mph isn't yet possible, 192mph will do very nicely, thank you. What this latest 480bhp incarnation of the 911 Turbo does do very well, is make so much of its performance envelope available to so many drivers.
Please click images below to enalrge:
It's not that you don't need to be skilled, just that it is far easier to move towards the upper reaches of the performance envelope than it is with any rival. Four-wheel-drive, now an integral part of any 911 Turbo, helps, but so too does the prodigious torque that only turbo-charging can provide at low revs. The result is that instant performance, and tons of it, is always on tap. That thrust in the back when you go for broke is impressive enough for the driver, but a passenger alongside is likely to have a rictus grin that has instantly passed beyond astonishment, through fear and onto a different level entirely.
Click here for our view on the new Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano
Track day tool
The 911 Turbo is simply gob-smackingly quick. Given the right conditions on international launch (and traffic laws, of course), it cracked onto 280kph (174 mph) without hesitation, rock solid and arrow straight. Although, funnily enough, you want that extra torque that comes with the overboost, what you don't want at the highest speeds is the stiffened sport setting for the suspension, which causes bumps to unsettle the car a touch more than is comfortable. So good is the suspension in the regular setting that the sport mode is probably best left to track days.
The same goes for the hugely expensive ceramic brake option. While there's no doubt that they are massively effective in extreme use, the regular set-up "" six-pot callipers up front, four-pot behind, stops the 911 just fine. But is the Turbo a track day car at all? Porsche development driver and double world rally champion Walter Rohl blinded us with the potential of the car on a closed road but admitted that the recent GT3 was more pointy in the corners. The GT3 is the road weapon the truly ambitious will plump for.
Rallying legend Walter Rohl behind the wheel of the new 911 Turbo
The Turbo will understeer more, though this is likely to be noticeable only in slower corners or punching too hard, too early, out from a roundabout. Otherwise the handling is quite benign, and you have to be trying extremely hard to get even a twitch out of the back end. Razor sharp power steering helps fine-tune the feeling of control "" there's a great deal of precision there and fine weighting too.
Click here for our Top 10: Greatest-ever Porsches
Automatic assistance
The sheer level of speed that you get to carry on roads of all varieties is truly mesmerising. Speed limits withstanding, the 911 Turbo scythes through bends and then gobbles up the next straight so quickly that, until your ear is attuned to the sound of 7,000rpm, you'll bounce off the rev limiter before you've reached down for the next change. Rev counter? Yes, there is one, but there's rarely time to glance down. There's a power-assisted clutch pedal on manual cars but for those who really insist, Porsche sells a Tiptronic version of the Turbo too.
As always, Tiptronic will change gears for you automatically or let you do the job with the gearstick or via buttons on the wheel. It's an intelligent system that hangs onto lower gears if you are driving more aggressively and will change down as you brake for a bend. But the game has moved on and the performance from the five-speed Tiptronic doesn't match the sublime efficiency of the autobox in the new Jaguar XK. Stick with the six-speed manual even though, theoretically, the auto is fractionally quicker.
Click here to read our comparison of the XK with a classic E-Type
Looks
Now in its sixth generation, the Turbo takes the wider body from the recently launched Carrera 4, adds some striking air scoops with integrated LED indicators, higher mounted tailpipes and redesigned side air intakes behind the rear doors. The top-section of the double-decker rear wing rises automatically to increase high-speed stability. But the in-your-face feature is those nineteen-inch forged alloy wheels, complete with polished outer surfaces and titanium-coloured paintwork inside. A bit Max Power perhaps?
Porsche doesn't always get it right inside either. My Tiptronic had a colour scheme clearly inspired by the Aston Martin paint pallet, but the faux British Racing Green body and cream leather interior were the wrong side of tasteful. Probably go down a treat in the Far East and the States. Comfort is notably good for a supercar. You get sports seats with a compliant, cosy initial layer backed up by decisive firmness and support. It rides well too, particularly with the PASM active suspension in its regular setting. There's a degree of practicality too, with a reasonable front boot and fold down rear seats that double up as a large luggage shelf.
BLOG: Click here for more on the new 911 Turbo from the MSN Cars blog
Verdict
You won't get any change out of £100K once you have added an option or two, which means the 911 Turbo has to live with the best from Ferrari, Aston Martin and Bentley. Does it make the grade? It's difficult to argue with Porsche's assertion that there's nothing quicker in the real world. The 911 Turbo is, in relative terms, so ready and willing to give up its maximum performance. For Porsche fans, and others, that will be quite enough. But we'd totally understand the other viewpoint, that this is an utterly predictable next stage in the 911 Turbo hierarchy, and rivals move the game on rather more each time around.
New Porsche 911 Turbo - please click images below to enlarge:
