2021 Porsche 911 Turbo first unit review: No second banana

Living in the shadow of a superstar has its benefits. No, the new Porsche 911 Turbo doesn’t have 640 horsepower and 2.6 seconds from 0 to 60 mph as its main attraction the Turbo S, but the specs don’t tell the whole story. As the two cars are incredibly similar, the 911 Turbo will make you laugh so hard when you launch it on a ramp and you will have the same wave of joy after a long journey on a good road.

Furthermore, it is not that the 911 Turbo does not come with impressive credentials. It uses the same 3.8-liter flat-6 as the Turbo S, but the turbochargers are smaller, reducing engine power to 572 hp and 553 pound-feet of torque. That’s a 68 hp and 37 lb-ft drop compared to the Turbo S, but it barely affects performance. Reaching 60 mph takes just a tenth of an second longer on the 911 Turbo. Do you prefer to measure life a quarter mile at a time? OS beats the Turbo through a nose – 10.5 seconds compared to 10.8.

2021 Porsche 911 Turbo offers a lot of power for less money

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Let’s expand the scope and give an additional performance perspective on the 911 Turbo. The new Turbo is not just as fast as the old 991.2 generation Turbo S, will speed up the Ferrari 488 Track, Lamborghini Huracan Evo, McLaren 600LT and Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series. Costing $ 173,150 to start (including $ 1,350 to the destination and a $ 1,000 fuel consumption fee), the 911 Turbo is also tens of thousands of dollars cheaper than other desirable supercars and $ 32,700 cheaper than the Turbo S.

Slight performance disparity aside, the 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S are mechanically identical. Both cars use Porsche’s eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission and four-wheel drive with torque vector. The suspension geometry and adaptive damper settings are the same, and you can add the more rigid PASM Sport configuration to any of the cars. The variable steering system has also not been changed, with a ratio of 14.1: 1 in the center, tightening up to 12.5: 1. The Turbo still receives all the aerodynamic active parts S ‘, with a movable rear wing and front chin extended, all working together to keep the 911 stable and ready when you’re running.

And damn, hustlin ‘is what this car does best. The differences in specifications are easy to spot on paper, but even if I drove the Turbo and Turbo S on the same road, I’m not sure I would really feel the difference. The 911 Turbo is fast. Very quickly. Very, very, very fast. Porsche could have launched the Turbo, call it the Turbo S, and I would still be everything, holy shit, that thing is dynamite. The steering has a perfect weight. The chassis is perfectly balanced. The brakes, the power, the sound of the sports exhaust … is an ace in every respect. I don’t want it to sound like a love party, but it’s really good.

Slow down and you’ll find that the 911 Turbo can be an example of docility. Sure, it’s faster than many supercars, but it’s easier to drive at a snail’s pace too. The Turbo is as easy and manageable as a basic 911 Carrera when you’re racing to get a pizza. It also has the same hydraulic lift option for the Turbo S’s GPS-activated front axle, which can remind you of things like that steep driveway to the Ralphs parking lot or that stupid spine you always forget down the street. That thought of not shaving your chin is totally worth the extra $ 2,770.

However, a small caveat about all of this: the 911 Turbo S has a higher standard equipment level than the basic Turbo. Crucially, performance giveaways like Porsche’s ceramic composite brakes and anti-roll dynamic chassis control technology are standard on the Turbo S, but optional on the 911 Turbo and, as such, installed on my test car. Would there be a more noticeable difference between the Turbo and the Turbo S if I had tested a version with no options? It might be. But that is a story for another time.

The 911 Turbo does not come standard with the 18-position S ‘electric sports seats and the 20-inch front and rear central locking wheels, but again, they are optional. In fact, there is nothing available for the Turbo S that cannot be obtained on the Turbo, including the lightweight design package that removes the rear seats and adds carbon fiber front buckets, a carbon fiber roof and thinner glass, saving about 66 pounds.

Likewise, the same list of exterior and interior colors, upholstery options, luxury accessories and technology features are available across the Turbo / S line. This particular yellow racing car has a very rich option, with things like the $ 6,150 SportDesign package, $ 5,500 exclusive design Turbo S wheels, $ 2,740 LED array headlights and $ 3,020 InnoDrive technology that combines adaptive cruise control and assistance to keep track. It also has a number of superfluous add-ons like night vision ($ 2,540), yellow seat belts ($ 540), matte carbon fiber interior finish ($ 2,100), frosted illuminated door sill friezes ($ 1,280) and a bunch of other nonsense. In all, this car has $ 47,150 in extras. Add that to the base price of $ 173,150 and you get a tested window sticker of $ 220,300. Damn.

So if the 911 Turbo is as good as the 911 Turbo S, why spend the extra money? Because you have to have the best. Up to that point, Porsche told me that the standard Turbo sub-indexes the entire 911 range when it comes to custom cars; most buyers of the 911 Turbo simply take whatever is at the dealer. Meanwhile, the Turbo S over-indexes on special orders compared to all the other 911. You will understand.

For many, there is enough boast in that extra consonant to make the $ 32,700 Turbo S prize worth every penny. (Guess which version sells more than the other.) But the truth is that both cars are very smelly. If you don’t need that bragging rights, I promise the normal 911 Turbo will keep you smiling for years to come.