2021 Porsche 911 Turbo first test: no second banana

Living in the shadow of a superstar has its advantages. No, the new Porsche 911 Turbo doesn’t headline 640 horsepower and 2.6 seconds from 0 to 60 mph like the Turbo S, but the specs don’t tell the whole story. Because the two cars are so superbly similar, the 911 Turbo will have you laughing just as loudly when you launch it down a ramp and you’ll get the same thrill of god-that’s-quick exhilaration after a long path. a good road.

Plus, it’s not like the 911 Turbo doesn’t have impressive credentials. It uses the same 3.8-liter flat-6 as the Turbo S, but the turbochargers are smaller, lowering the engine’s output to 572 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. That’s a drop of 68 hp and 37 lb-ft from the Turbo S, but it barely affects performance. Hitting 60 mph takes a paltry tenth of a second longer in the 911 Turbo. Prefer to measure life a quarter of a mile at a time? The S only beats the Turbo by a nose – 10.5 seconds versus 10.8.

Let’s expand the reach and give the performance of the 911 Turbo another perspective. Not only is the new Turbo as fast as the outgoing one 991.2 Generation Turbo S, it will speed up the Ferrari 488 Pista, Lamborghini Huracan Evo, McLaren 600LT and Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series. At $ 173,150 to start (including $ 1,350 for the destination and a $ 1,000 gas tax), the 911 Turbo is also tens of thousands of dollars cheaper than those other desirable supercars, and $ 32,700 cheaper than the Turbo S.

Aside from a slight disparity in performance, the 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S are mechanically identical. Both cars use Porsche’s eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission and torque-vectoring all-wheel drive. The suspension geometry and adaptive damper settings are the same, and you can add the stiffer PASM Sport setup to either car. The variable steering system is also unchanged, with a 14.1: 1 ratio at center, tightening up to 12.5: 1. The Turbo even receives all of the active aerodynamic elements of the S, with a movable rear spoiler and a stretchy front chin, all working together to keep the 911 stable and balanced when you’re jostling.

And damn hot, hustlin ‘is what this car does best. The differences in specs are easy to point out on paper, but even if I drove the Turbo and Turbo S back-to-back on the same road, I’m not sure I would really feel a difference. The 911 Turbo is fast. Very fast. Really, really, really fast. Porsche could have kicked off the Turbo, called it Turbo S, and I would’ve always been everything, damn it, that thing is dynamite. The management is perfectly weighted. The chassis is beautifully balanced. The brakes, the power, the sound of the sports exhaust… these are assets everywhere. I don’t want it to look like a love party, but it really feels so good.

Slow down your body roll and you will find that the 911 Turbo can be an example of docility. Sure, it’s faster than a lot of supercars, but it’s also easier to drive at a snail pace. The Turbo is as easy and manoeuvrable as a basic 911 Carrera when you’re short on pizza. It also has the same GPS-activated hydraulic front axle lift option as the Turbo S, which can remember things like that steep driveway in the Ralphs parking lot or that stupid speed bump you always forget down your street. . That extra peace of mind of not scratching your chin is totally worth the extra $ 2,770.

Small caveat to all of this, however: the 911 Turbo S has a higher standard equipment level than the base Turbo. Importantly, performance benefits like Porsche’s ceramic composite brakes and Dynamic Chassis Control anti-roll technology are standard on the Turbo S but optional on the 911 Turbo and as such fitted to my car. test. Would there be a more noticeable difference between the Turbo and the Turbo S if I had tested a version without options? Perhaps. But that’s a story for another time.

The 911 Turbo doesn’t come standard with the S 18-way power-adjustable sport seats and 20-inch front and 21-inch rear central locking wheels, but again, they come in. option. In fact, there isn’t a single thing available for the Turbo S that couldn’t be had on the Turbo, including the Lightweight Design Pack which does away with the rear seats and adds carbon fiber front buckets, a roof. made of carbon fiber and thinner glass, saving about 66 pounds.

Likewise, the same list of exterior and interior colors, choice of upholstery, luxury additions and technical features are available throughout the Turbo / S lineup. This particular yellow racing car is quite richly equipped, with items like the $ 6,150 SportDesign package, $ 5,500 Turbo S exclusive design wheels, $ 2,740 LED matrix headlamps and $ 3,020 InnoDrive technology that combines adaptive cruise control and assist assist of track. It also features a number of superfluous additions such as night vision ($ 2,540), yellow seat belts ($ 540), matte carbon fiber interior trim ($ 2,100), mat door sill guards illuminated ($ 1,280) and a whole bunch of other nonsense. In total, this car has spooky extras of $ 47,150. Add that to the base price of $ 173,150 and you get a tested window sticker of $ 220,300. Yikes.

So if the 911 Turbo is just as good as the 911 Turbo S, why spend that extra money? Because you have to have the best. At this point, Porsche tells me that the standard Turbo subindexes the entire 911 lineup when it comes to custom cars; the majority of 911 Turbo buyers buy everything from the dealership. Meanwhile, the Turbo S over-indexes special drives compared to every other 911. Go figure.

For many, there is enough bragging about this extra consonant that the Turbo S’s $ 32,700 bounty is worth every penny. (Guess which version sells more than the other.) But the truth is, both cars are pretty stinky. If you don’t need those bragging rights, I promise you the classic 911 Turbo will keep you smiling for years to come.