SuperCar Today: Porsche 911 Turbo S 2010 Ultimate Review

It’s a numbers game with the new Porsche 911 Turbo S. For an additional £ 17,309 (or £ 17,324 in choosing for the convertible) you get an extra 30bhp, £ 37 m and many standard products that are otherwise on the “extra regular” 493bhp Turbo.

S is for sports and marketing team of Porsche would have you believe that this new S model is the sporty variant, 911 Turbo, with everything from ceramic brakes, a torque vectoring system and active engine mounts as a default, if you not have a manual transmission. All in – and until the new GT2 comes later this year – it is the most expensive 911 you can buy: £ 123,263 for the coupe (tested here) and £ 130 791 for the convertible.

And despite the high price, since 90% of the turbos with the PDK ‘box sold, Porsche expects to cough 70-80% of the customers extra for P. Read on for CAR review of the new Porsche 911 Turbo S.
What does the S in the Porsche 911 Turbo S?

The direct injection, twin-turbo 3.8-liter Flat Six is essentially unchanged, but the gains come courtesy of the revised intake valve timing, a new carbon fiber airbox and an increase in turbo pressure to 1.2bar. Power rises from 493bhp at 6000rpm to 523bhp at 6750rpm 6250, the same headline figure as a Mk1 997 GT2. The torque peak is the same as a regular Turbo with the optional Sport Chrono equipped overboost function, but has the full ft S £ 516, if you like it, rather than need a sports button to access the extra oomph to can. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions remain unchanged

Porsche PDK transmission is standard, as well as the Sport Chrono package, which includes a Launch Control function. And together with the extra grunt from the engine, all three elements of the Turbo S at 62 miles an hour sent in 3.3 seconds (3.6 for a regular turbo, 3.4 for one with the Sport Chrono package). Even more impressive is the 0-124 miles an hour time, which drops from 11.6 to 10.8 seconds.
And how does it feel when you start a Porsche 911 Turbo S by 124 miles an hour in 10.8 seconds?

It’s addictive, but oh so easy. Come to stop, press the Sport Plus button, set your left foot on the brake, then the other stamps on the accelerator. The electronics, the speed to build up, at which point you side step the brake and hold on you. It is a short pause, while the spinning wheels will be treated (we drove the Turbo S on a very humid day in Stuttgart) and then you notice cracks in the seat as the PDK ‘box through its corridors and hurls it down the road.

Unfortunately there is no GT3-style six-song to accompany your adventures, but you get an angry gurgling noise and noise over the shoulder, with a muted pschttt mixed when you lift.

But even though the Turbo S intimidating on paper, they drive in the city or on the freeway is easy. In the city it is means a little more nimble 911, which is easily in the transport site, and the PDK ‘box that you do not have to use the manual clutch heavy turbo’s and look stiff shift. Leave the urban areas back to find a decent piece derestricted highway and suddenly you’re stupid speeds. Just 15 minutes after climbing into the turbo SI’d set my own public road from 170 hours PB miles, and with absolute ease. It’s probably best you do not have Turbo S United Kingdom – you will lose your license in the first week of ownership.

So it’s a little faster, but really worth an extra 30bhp £ 20k?

Extra power is not everything, what you get. Most of the 911 Turbo buyers end up with a whole lot of issues on the list of options, so for them the extra on the S-Kit (plus the supposed exclusivity), it might seem like a good price – spec a turbo with the same gear and it costs pretty much the same.
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