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When Porsche introduced the new 911 last year, the 991.2, they gave it all sorts of new stuff.
New suspension, new technology, new interior, even a new look.
But really, everybody only talked about one thing, the new turbo chargers.
Yes, basically every new 911 has a pair of the things, giving more power And more efficiency.
And at the time that made me wonder how is Porsche going to make the capita T turbo, the 911 Turbo, still a special car.
And we're about to find out.
This is that new car, the new 911 Turbo.
And we're gonna put it through its paces on the road and on the track.
[SOUND] The new turbo uses basically the same 3.8 liter engine augmented by dual turbochargers just like before.
But now making 20 more horsepower thanks to a series of tweaks.
That means 540 for the base turbo and 580 for the S. Those impellers use variable geometry to enable them to spool quickly and deliver lots of airflow at high RPM.
But Porsche has taken another step to reduce lag, keeping the throttle valve open slightly even when you're off If not quite the proper anti-lag system you see on a rally car, but the combination is impressively effective.
The increase in power means the car now hits 60 miles per hour efficiently in just 2.8 seconds, and screams on up to 205 miles an hour.
But despite that, it offers 10% better fuel economy than before
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All right, we're in-car in the new Turbo, and I'm actually surprised at how different it feels from the standard Carrera, which I spent a lot of time in not too long ago.
It's actually a lot more hardcore, a little bit more stiff, the suspension is firmer.
It's a little louder in here, too.
I think a lot of that's thanks to the extra width we've got in the rear tires to put all that power down.
Kind of need it too, we're in the 911 Turbo S which has the additional power.
Some other niceties added too, and frankly spending this much money on a Porsche Turbo probably might as well go for the S and get all the extra niceties along with the ride.
But this isn't quite the grand tour, not quite the plushy ride that you might have expected if you've driven other turbos in the past.
We do have adapted suspension so right now it's in its softest mode but turn the little mode knob right here and then you can go into sport, and then all the way up to sport plus.
Suddenly the baffles and the exhaust open up the transmission gets a little more aggressive and it certainly sounds pretty good in here, but again this isn't quit the relaxed, calm ride As you might expect from a proper contour, it's a little bit of a hardcore edge, certainly is pushing you to go faster all the time.
And when you want to go really fast in a hurry, hit the new sport response button on the steering wheel.
This gives you 20 seconds of additional boost meaning even the tightest of passing zones are plenty generous.
But even while sitting still, the car looks fast and clean, with new lights and a redesigned front fascia, cleaner rear bumper and a new rear deck lid that features a delicious assortment of vents and louvers.
If that weren't cool enough, both the front spoiler and the rear wing extend at speed for additional down-force.
And there's plenty of changes to be found on the inside, too.
Now thankfully, the new Turbo inherits all the new niceties that have brought to the 911 that we saw first in the Carrera.
So the interior is much refined over what we've seen in the past.
There are a lot fewer buttons, it's a lot simpler interface.
We've got this great new infotainment system that Porsche brought to the table, which does add Apple CarPlay.
Connectivity which is really great if you are an iPhone user.
Sadly, there's no Android Auto yet, Porsche has kind of indicated that we might be seeing that soon but nothing just yet.
But overall, it's beautiful materials in here as you'd expect I've got an [UNKNOWN] lined steering wheel and the headliner.
Great, material.
Chrome button.
The only thing that is a bit of a bummer is the cheap plastic feel on this nob if you go for the [UNKNOWN].
It feels like something on a Playstation controller which is a little bit less than you'd expect from a car that costs well under six figures.
But overall, this is a really great place to be, a very comfortable place to be.
And a very nice car to drive on the road.
Porsche, it says that this is not just a car for the road, this is something for the track too.
There's only one way to find out about how good it's gonna do there, have to hit the track.
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We talked about how the turbo is on the road, now it's time to find out how it goes on the track.
I'm in a Turbo S at the moment, I've also been out here in a non S with a little less power, this one has all the goodies, the carbon ceramic breaks, the center lock wheels Of course the extra power that you would expect out of the S.
Red thunder hill in norther California which a track with a lot of elevation changes.
There are certainly tracks with more elevation change than this one but your constantly moving up and down out here so Hope you don't get car sick.
Thunderhill is a fantastic and challenging circuit in Northern California, being pretty far from the coast, temperatures can climb and climb, as they did on this day when the dashboard in the car was showing 104 degrees.
Thank goodness for air-conditioned seats.
All these elevation changes do a lot to unsettle the car which is actually a really good proving ground for this car because
Because it is so big but it feels so incredibly planted and stable as we're going over hills and cutting over [UNKNOWN] corners it just feels impeccably planted.
More so than just about anything else I've driven.
The power is immense despite this being such a [UNKNOWN] car it's actually incredible nimble.
The rear wheel steering really makes it feel like it's got a shorter wheel Wheel base than it does.
You turn into corner and you can feel the rear end just come right around.
It's absolutely amazing especially for a all wheel drive car to be this quick to dive toward the apex.
Unbelievable.
And you just put your foot to the power and it comes around the corner, and aw man this is a really good car.
This is a big car to head on on a team like this especially on a hot day like today.
But it's handling really, really well.
I don't want to stop, but I do want to stop talking so I hope you'll excuse me for a few moments while I Have a little bit more fun out here.
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I not only spend around four hours pounding around the track in triple digit heat, I then drove a further three hours back to the hotel in the same car, which was none the worst for wear.
That is impressive stuff.
If you have any preconceptions about the 9-11 Turbo being anything less than a really serious sports car, one lap on the track with this thing will pretty quickly change your mind.
It is, of course, preposterously fast.
It's also ridiculously capable.
It's an incredible car, but with a starting price of $159,000 you kind of would Expected to be.
That said, compare that to the price of a Ferrari or a competitive Italian Exotica and you'll see.
This thing's actually pretty good value for money.
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