Porsche 911 Turbo S

Text: Wolfgang Koenig / Photos: Auto Bild

May 2010

• Rating:
• Latest deal price: from £66,255 to £130,414

When we figured the standard 911 Turbo earlier this year it stormed from 0-62mph in a sensational 3.5 sec… In the wet. The last thing we thought it needed was even more power, but that hasn’t stopped the German firm from rolling out the Turbo S – the fastest accelerating Porsche ever produced.

Boost from the twin-turbos has been wound up from 0.8 bar to 1.0 bar, at all times, not just on overboost. The result is an extra 30bhp, taking the output to 530bhp in total, and a colossal 700Nm of torque. The 0-62mph sprint tumbles to 3.3 seconds, quicker even than the 611bhp rear-wheel drive GT2 RS and three-tenths up on the stock Turbo, while the top speed creeps up by 2mph to 196mph.

Stunning all-weather, every-day performance has always been the four-wheel drive Turbo’s forte, but the Turbo S manages to take it a step further. Below 3,000rpm it feels much the same, but above that the extra 30bhp makes its presence felt, forcing you back in the seat so hard it squeezes the air from your lungs. There’s also a harder-edged blare to the exhaust note in the mid-range.

Even at speeds over 150mph the car accelerates strongly, making the 196mph top speed not just a nominal figure but an attainable target on the Autobahn or on track. But it’s far from the white-knuckle ride you would expect from a 530bhp supercar – straight-line stability is never an issue and the way it copes with its epic performance in such a civilised manner is astonishing.

When it comes to options, the Turbo S ticks every box as standard. The list includes the lightning-fast PDK twin-clutch gearbox - now with more conventional and user-friendly paddles behind the wheel, the Sport Chrono Package which permits more aggressive throttle, damper and stability control and launch control to make the claimed 0-62mph time feasible even for average drivers.

PTV (Porsche Torque Vectoring) and a rear limited slip differential help to apportion the torque to whatever wheel has the most grip. And with less energy wasted through wheel spin turn-in is sharper and understeer is all but eliminated. If you’re looking for earth-shattering performance that you can use every day the Turbo S is untouchable, but it comes at a price.

Rival: Audi R8 V10
The Audi’s naturally-aspirated. Lamborghini-sourced V10 revs smoothly all the way to 8,700rpm giving it a more frenetic character than the torquey 911 Turbo, while the rear-biased four-wheel drive system delivers flamboyant handling on the limit. Put simply the R8 V10 is one of the finest drivers cars money can buy.