More is more with Porsche 911 Turbo

F-DIESEL TURBO & FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM 27/6/2014 4:43:16 pm

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YOU are in the market for a sports car, wondering whether, along with one in four buyers at this level, it has to be a Porsche 911.

The base 911 is a great option, but stretch the budget from the lower rungs of the range to the Turbo and you get a more distinctive shape plus performance to give junior supercars a run for their money.

DESIGN

WHEN the 911 Turbo was unveiled in 1973, it made a splash among motoring enthusiasts thanks to its dramatic rear-wing — the exterior symbol of what was then groundbreaking engine technology.

More than 40 years later, the spoiler on the latest Turbo is less dramatic because it rises into position only when required. There’s also a spoiler at the front that is concealed until speeds rise.

The effect is a more harmonious shape that retains the sweet lines of the standard 911 Carrera while integrating the signatures that mark out a Turbo. As well as the wing, these include side air intakes and larger apertures at the front with distinctive lights.

It shares a broad rear with other all-wheel-drive 911s, only it’s even wider this time. Almost 9cm wider than the front, it makes the Turbo look like a 911 with muscle-mass and gives it an appropriately hunkered-down road stance.

Despite the familiarity of the 911 shape, the Turbo is a variant that gets noticed.

CABIN

THE Turbo gets the cabin from the most recent latest 911 generation, with its usual trio of dials, central touchscreen and an angled console between the front seats that houses the gearshifter and lots of buttons.

It lacks a convenient slot for a phone or wallet, although there are door bins, a shallow centre bin and decent size glovebox.

The power-adjust seats are excellent and, for the driver, visibility is good although convex wing mirrors would do a better job of eradicating blind spots. And the rear wiper needs a washer.

Porsche upped the ante on cabin quality a few years ago and the Turbo comes with the best materials and most of the features that are options lower in the range already fitted.

It’s a lovely place to be and not as noisy in this generation. But you still know there’s an engine behind and despite turbocharging it sounds good, with the creamy six-cylinder sound punctuated by little whooshes from the turbos.

The ride quality is sports-car firm and at low speeds can be abrupt. But there’s just enough bump absorption and it gets better as you go faster. And you will.

DRIVELINE

FORTY years ago Porsche was a pioneer, but almost every brand has turbocharged engines these days. Nevertheless, it remains an engineering leader as the only one to employ variable turbines in a petrol engine. A common feature in diesel engines, it means the two turbochargers can make the most of the exhaust gases that drive them.

The previous Turbo introduced a 3.8-litre horizontal six-cylinder engine with direct injection and Porsche has finetuned it to extract another 15kW of power and 10Nm of torque. Top speed is 315km/h and it can reach 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds.

A track-focused option called Sports Chrono (for $9680) includes launch control and an overboost function that delivers another 60Nm for up to 20 seconds. It shaves a further 0.2s off the sprint time.

That feature is standard in the more extreme Turbo S, which produces 412kW and is another 0.1s quicker. We’re firmly in supercar territory here.

The usual failing of turbo engines is a delay in throttle response as the exhaust-driven turbos get up to speed. Throttle response here is virtually immediate and linear — it simply keeps accelerating without drama.

From a standing start it gets superb traction thanks to its all-wheel drive system, which heavily preferences the rear wheels until extra traction is needed. It simply hooks up to the tarmac, and goes.

Developments to Porsche’s seven-speed double-clutch automatic transmission — there’s no seven-speed manual as in the 911 Carrera — mean it shifts quicker than before and always seems to be in the right gear. If you want to shift yourself there are paddles behind the wheel.

Improved outputs have not harmed fuel consumption either, with a 16 per cent reduction compared with the previous car.

DYNAMICS

THE Turbo gets the longer body, wider front axle and increased rigidity introduced with this generation of 911s 18 months ago. Weight was reduced and it has a lower centre of gravity.

All of this benefits handling and the Turbo additionally gets a wider rear axle, fatter rubber, electronically controlled dampers and active rear steering as standard.

It’s an impressive package that feels utterly stable at speed and rock-solid through corners, in the dry or wet. It turns into bends as though you’ve snapped your fingers and laps up rapid directional changes. Public roads offer little challenge and away from a racetrack it refuses to run wide.

The steering and brakes are highlights, as you would expect in a Porsche.

The (undriven) S model gets the full suite of dynamic software fitted standard, which includes an active system for keeping the car flat through corners, ceramic brakes and 20-inch wheels.

CONCLUSION

THERE’S a reason the 911 is a favourite and the Turbo version has more of everything: more power, more luxury, more features.

It sits at the top of Porsche’s hierarchy, competing against Aston Martin, Bentley and Maserati — even Lamborghini, McLaren and Ferrari — when it comes to the $441,300 Turbo S. A Cabriolet adds about $22k.

It’s less exclusive than those rivals, but feels every bit as solid and substantial.

With its balance of features, performance and practicality, the Turbo Coupe is a rounded supercar you could live with every day.

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