- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
3.8TT, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
368kW, 650Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 11.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Porsche 911 Turbo S first drive review
"Come on, a little bit faster," came the call over the UHF as the speedo clocked past 200km/h and I slowly started to reel in the car in front, from where the radio call came.
It's not something you hear too often on a car launch. Usually whichever car company is hosting is keen to keep speeds contained and encourage more sedate driving, especially on a race track or in a performance car.
But this is Porsche - and I'm in the fastest road car it's ever produced.
- Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S pricing and specifications
- Also see our review of the Porsche 911 Turbo
The 911 Turbo S is squirming under acceleration as the massive rear Pirelli tyres fight for traction against the might of a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder that can thrust up to 412kW of power and 750Nm of torque.
While the tyres grip brilliantly on the freshly laid bitumen of the Bilster Berg private track ultimately it's the engine that wins out - some of the time at least. The car I'm following lays thick black tyre marks on the bitumen as it punches out of a tighter right hander up a steep climb.
Driving all four wheels though it's not long until harmony is restored as electronics quickly apportion drive to the wheels with grip and fire the Turbo S forwards with a jet-like thrust.
Acceleration at any speed is prodigious and effortless. Or, at least, it us up to the 230km/h natural limt of the tight, twisting 4.2-kilometre track that is our test bed for the day.
Steep dips and blind corners characterise the course that has elements of the infamous Nurburgring that was a large part of the 911 Turbo's development. Porsche test driver Walter Rohrl also had a hand in the design of the Bilster Berg course, which challenges everything from cornering and stability to straight line speed and braking.
The track also reinforces the importance of pressing the accelerator at the right time. Stand on it too soon in a bend and the nose will lift and the front wheels scrub wide. It's not helped by the rear-engine design of the 911, which plonks 61 per cent of the weight over the rear wheels.
The electronic stability control is brilliantly tuned, though, allowing enough movement during hard cornering to give you the experience of one of the world's most reverred sports cars but the backup of split-second computer reactions to help you out if you push too hard.
And it's easy enough to test the limits of the Turbo S, such is the grunt from that engine.
Corners rush up quickly and the speed you can build in short distances is astonishing - and brake punishing; a small stab of the throttle can add 100km/h or more to the pace.
Claimed acceleration from 0 to 100km/h is just 3.1 seconds, and the 200km/h milestone comes up another 7.2 seconds after that. Given its ability to pin you in the back of your seat - especially when using the brilliant launch control system - there's little reason to doubt the claimed 318km/h top speed.
Just as impressive is the 911 Turbo S's ability to wash off speed. The huge carbon ceramic brakes are blisteringly effective. Even after repeated punches - dropping from over 200km/h to circa-100km/h - there's a reassuring solidity to the pedal feel.
Stability under brakes is also brilliant, helped in part by the active aerodynamics. A small splitter folds down from under the bumper to add up to 44 kilograms of downforce at 300km/h. The larger rear wing can be raised and angled to create 88kg of downforce, leading to more grip.
During one fast flowing left-hander the physics are working against it; I'm still travelling at about 160km/h and gently braking while cornering hard left, but the 911 isn't fazed, pointing faithfully through the bend while settling reassuringly.
Back on a short straight and the brilliant thrust of that twin-turbocharged horizontally-opposed six-cylinder is again bellowing into the cabin.
It's not a classic sports car sound, but it suits the character of the 911 perfectly. The bellow and bark at higher revs is enough to drown out the huff and mild whistle of the turbos, but at 2000 or 3000rpm it's all there in its aural intensity.
The deep burble when slowing is a perfect accompaniment to the energy-charged experience that is driving the 911 Turbo.
Performance at those lower revs is equally impressive. The massive 700Nm torque peak can be eked out at 2000rpm, delivering a sensational thrust.
Flick the Sport Plus button and as well as a louder exhaust noise and more aggressive gear selections the Turbo S also piles on another 50Nm (for 750Nm in total) for up to 20 seconds, which is more than enough for any daily - or race track - situation.
The twin-clutch automatic is a master of selection in almost all situations, with the occasional exception of slow speed maneuvering, where it might sometimes fumble slightly.
While cruising if can seamlessly shuffle between its seven ratios with barely a pulse on shifts. It's also programmed to slip slightly at below 65km/h in an effort to lower fuel use by creating virtual ratios to better match the engine speed to the road. Usually it means running the engine just off idle and relying on all that torque.
Not so on the track, where the PDK transmission assumes a new persona. Flick the Sport Plus button and it will rev the way to 7000rpm and beyond (the engine cuts out at 7200rpm). The tall seventh gear, which is added to reduce fuel use on freeways, is taken out of the equation, too, with sixth the one used to achieve the 300km/h-plus speeds the car is designed for.
After 15 or 20 laps - getting faster and more daring - I'm ushered off the track to make the drive back to our hotel. Running standard tyres and brakes - the former now showing some signs of wear - it's a reminder of how capable the 911 Turbo S is.
Few cars could cut such brisk laps and be instantly ready to rejoin public roads.
The carbon ceramic brakes are vocal as they scrape on light applications, but otherwise the car is as it was when it drove out of our hotel in the morning. Comfortable and effortless, and loaded with driver-friendly feedback and the sort of practicality that works in city traffic or a weekend away.
And therein lies the beauty of Porsche's fastest road car.
Few cars come close to the 911 Turbo S's seemingly brain-shifting speed, flexibility and agility. None manage to do it in such a driver-friendly package that is equally at home in peak hour as it is on maximum attack on some of the world's most challenging roads.
At $441.300 it's one of the most expensive cars Porsche has ever offered. But it offers more than ever before.
Start saving. Now.
Porsche 911 Turbo S
Price: $441,300
Engine: 3.8-litre twin turbo horizontally opposed six-cylinder
Power: 412kW at 6500-6750rpm
Torque: 700Nm at 2100-4250rpm (750Nm at 2200-4000rpm with overboost)
Transmission: 7-speed auto
Weight:1605kg
Fuel use: 9.7L/100km
0-100km/h: 3.1 seconds
0-200km/h: 10.3 seconds
Top speed: 318km/h
Wheels: 20-inch alloys
Tyres: 245/35 (front), 305/30 (rear)