Tuesday 1st December 2015

Porsche 911 Turbo updates

991 updates take in the Turbos, the better to make it stand out from the, er, turbos

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Porsche has cheerfully ignored any possible confusion from turbocharging the Carrera line-up; simply there are now turbocharged 911s. And there is the 911 Turbo. And following the extensive '991.II' updates - this being the way Porsche refers to them in-house - we've now got similar, if less fundamental ones, to the Turbos.

New vents and rear lights mark out this Turbo

You could probably write the next bit yourself but, as we're here, these basically comprise more power, more tech and - yes - more money. Clearly these changes will have been in the pipeline for some time but as rave reviews for the McLaren 570S come flooding in it does the Turbo no harm whatsoever to hammer home the stuff it's good at. Annoyingly it also renders all those carefully researched spec comparison pieces between the two cars now out of date. In all but weight at least. No, Porsche hasn't managed to strip a couple of hundred kilos out of the car...

It has, of course, made it faster though. New turbos with larger compressors, revised inlet ports, new injector nozzles and higher fuel pressure all add up to a 20hp gain, the standard Turbo now at 540hp and the S 580hp. Porsche has also worked hard on response, further enhancing the already broad power delivery offered by its still unique among petrol engines variable vane turbos. The Dynamic Boost Function follows the example of a similar feature on BMW's S55 motor in the M3 and M4 by cutting fuel but not closing the throttles when you come off the accelerator briefly for that little confidence lift before a corner. Meaning when you get back on the gas the engine is still in the sweet spot for response. This effect is apparently 'more pronounced' when in Sport or Sport Plus mode.

See that new wheel? Hold on tight!

With the standard Sport Chrono Package the new rotary Mode Switch on the wheel gains a Sport Response Button, basically a push-to-pass function to deliver 'instantaneous acceleration' for up to 20 seconds. You know, for when your Turbo S doesn't quite feel quick enough already.

Speaking of numbers the regular Turbo now hits 62 in three dead and gains 3mph on the top end to reach 198mph while the S does the same in 2.9 and on to 205mph. Tweaks to electronic engine and transmission management mean fuel consumption improves by around 2mpg on all models too. Exterior changes are minor, extending to a few more vents here and there, revised lights and a rear deck above the engine. Oh, and the door handles are now 'smoother and cleaner'.

The standard PASM 'offers an even greater spread between performance and comfort' while, as before, the S gets all the tech goodies Porsche can throw at it, including PDCC active anti-roll, PCCB ceramic brakes and a new seven-spoke centre lock wheel. The standard Turbo, meanwhile, gains half an inch of wheel width to bring it into line with the S in terms of size. In terms of equipment all Turbos get the new 360mm GT steering wheel with aforementioned Mode Switch, four-wheel steering, Porsche Active Aerodynamics, LED headlights, voice controlled/Apple Carplay ready Porsche Communication Management with online nav plus front and rear parking sensors. This starts at £126,925 for the coupe and £135,766 for the Cabriolet. For £145,773 (£154,614 for the Cab) you get the full S package with hardware upgrades detailed above, fancier seats and leather various other upgrades.

In short; the same but more so.

[MrBarry123]

Great cars I'm sure however these look overpriced when compared with the 570S.

[MrBarry123]

DMC2 said:

MrBarry123 said:

Great cars I'm sure however these look overpriced when compared with the 570S.

Which has 2 seats and is 2 wheel drive. The cars are not in the same category, the turbo/s is an everyday family sports car. The 570s is a toy.

I'd quite happily drive the 570S every day and being in the South East, I've never needed any more than 2 wheels to be driven.

I don't completely disagree with you however my only point would be that if I had £150k to spend on a car, I am sure I would see the 570S and Turbo S as competitors and would almost certainly pick the 570S.