Porsche's 911 Turbo S has long been considered the sports car benchmark in terms of performance and everyday usability, and now the new model takes this even further.
The Porsche 911 Turbo S represents the flagship within the model series, and stands for exceptional performance and technological innovation. Picture: Supplied
I am not going to waste too much time talking styling. It is a very subjective topic, and I prefer that you look at the picture and make up your own mind.
Wider and meaner
But what you can see just by looking at the new 911 Turbo S is that Porsche has leaned a little more towards the more aggressively styled RS models in the looks department.
The car now offers a visibly wider body and track compared to the Carrera models, with ventilation openings on the rear side section and rear fascia further emphasising this point.
Turbonite exclusivity
The introduction of the new car also sees the use of a new colour called Turbonite for various contrasting elements.
This colour is reserved exclusively for Turbo variants, and covers the likes of the Porsche crest, Turbo S lettering at the rear and centre-lock wheels.
Rear seats optional
The new Porsche 911 Turbo S can still be considered 2+2 seater, but as standard, the car does not come with rear seats. They can be ordered and configured at no extra charge though.
Our test car went without the rear seats and had the optional folding lightweight sports bucket seats from the 911 GT3 fitted.
While the firm and rigid seating position of the sports seats won’t be for everybody, it did make the 911 Turbo S once again feel a bit more RS than ever before.
Most powerful 911 yet
The new Porsche 911 Turbo S uses two electric exhaust gas turbochargers. And this set-up produces a full 523kW of power and 800Nm of torque.
This is more than the Bahn-storming 911 GT2 RS. In fact, the 911 Turbo S is now the most powerful production 911 to date.
You have an eight-speed PDK with an integrated electric motor that runs this power through the Porsche Traction Management (PTM) system to all four wheels.
Fastest car ever tested
The raw numbers come in at a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of only 2.5 seconds. The 0-200km/h sprint is said to take a mere 8.4 seconds, while the top speed is set at 322km/h.
This would make the new 911 Turbo S the fastest car we have ever tested. And quicker that the current King of the Hill, the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 E Performance.
But talk is cheap. And one thing Porsche does is deliver cars that are absolutely on, or better than anything they claim. So, watch this space for a full road test where all will be revealed.
Respect is required
A little word of caution, though, as we found out on our media test drive in the Western Cape.
Even with all-wheel-drive grip and a clever launch control system, punch the new Porsche 911 Turbo S hard when the tyres are not up to temperature and things get a little wild and move sideways fast.
As composed as a 911 Turbo S can be, some responsibility is still required when dealing with this amount of power underfoot.
Sublime handling
But the new Porsche 911 Turbo S is about more than just going fast in a straight line. It is also beyond capable when the road starts to twist and turn.
The car offers electro-hydraulically controlled Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (ehPDCC) as standard as well as active aerodynamics to intelligently reduce lift or drag when required.
Insane stopping power
A Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system is also fitted as standard with new high-performance brake pads. With the brake disc diameter on the rear axle being 410mm and 420mm on the front.
This simply means that the new 911 Turbo S is equipped with the largest Porsche PCCB brake system ever installed in a two-door model. It stops when you want it to.
A new generation of sticky 325/30 ZR 21 summer tyres are used at the rear and narrower 255/35 ZR 20’s in the front. They provide for prodigious grip, once warm that is.
You ain’t catching it
My stint of the media test drive was mostly disrupted by the continuous falling of gentle rain. This meant safely attacking a mountain pass was not on for me.
But my driving partner got the best of the weather and the roads when it was his turn to get to grips with the car.
He then proceeded to put on a controlled display of high-performance driving that I have not experienced in a long time.
His ability aside, you are going to have to come with a very expensive track-oriented supercar, especially one that comes straight off a showroom floor, if you think you are just going to drive past this 911 Turbo S on the road.
Verdict
The Porsche 911 Turbo S has always been a special car. It remains the benchmark within a very exclusive club. It is devastatingly supercar-fast and nimble but still comfortable enough to be used as a daily.
Pricing
- 911 Turbo S Coupe – R5 722 000
- 911 Turbo S Cabriolet – R5 991 000
This includes a fully comprehsive five-year/100 000km DrivePlan.
