PORSCHE 911 [992] TURBO COUPE

Can any car be deemed a supercar if you can use it every day? Jonathan Crouch ponders the devastatingly rapid yet wholly untemperamental 992.2-era Porsche 911 Turbo S.

Ten Second Review

Porsche's 911 Turbo S can humble virtually any stratospherically-priced supercar you care to name to terms of real-world usable performance. It was always fast but in this 992.2-series 3.6-litre T-Hybrid form, that speed is more accessible. So it's not only one of the most technologically advanced cars ever built, it's also one of the most exhilarating. In short, another engineering master-class from Porsche.

Background

Give Porsche £200,000 or thereabouts and it will hand over the keys to one of the fastest and most capable cars in the world. It's called the 911 Turbo S. Now that's a lot of money to the vast majority of motorists, but when we're talking about cars that can hurl themselves from a standing start to 62mph in just 2.5s and return well over 200mph, it's actually quite reasonable. Porsche of course, was one of the very first manufacturers to adopt Turbo technology - with the famous 'whale tail' 3.0-litre 930-series 911 Turbo model of 1975, which offered what today seems a relatively paltry 260PS output. Generations of much faster 911 Turbo models followed. For the 21st century's third decade though, Porsche reckoned it was about time that this uber-fast 911 flagship derivative should have a change of heart. Sure enough, the 992-series car was announced in early 2020 with an all-new engine, the 3.0-litre flat six from the ordinary 911 Carrera but bored out to 3.7-litres and fitted with symmetrical VTG variable-geometry turbos. It was available with either 580PS - or a jaw-dropping 650PS in the faster Turbo S form that most chose. That S version is now standardised for this 992.2 model, which gains the 3.6-litre T-Hybrid powertrain from the 992.2 GTS model and with 711PS is the most powerful production 911 to date.

Engines and Tech Spec

So what might the fastest-ever 911 be like? The stats from the new GTS model-derived 3.6-litre T-Hybrid flat six powertrain seem promising (the 711PS total output is a significant 61PS greater than the earlier 992-era model), though the 800Nm torque figure is the same. So it's not surprising that if you flick the drive mode from 'Sport' into 'Sport Plus', the 2.5s 0-62mph time is just 0.2s faster, en route to a similar 200mph top speed. Unlike with some other performance models in this segment, this electrified powertrain can't be plugged in. Instead, there's a 1.9kW battery driving an electric motor connected to the shaft between the compressor and turbine wheels in each turbo. This enables the turbos to spool up more quickly than before, delivering more punchy throttle response and awesomely quick point-to-point performance. Additionally, the battery feeds an electric motor in the reinforced 8-speed PDK auto gearbox, further improving throttle response. What else? Well there are now wider 325mm rear tyres to better put down the 4WD system's traction. And bigger brakes with standard carbon ceramic discs. As with other 992.2 911s, rear-wheel steering's standard. And there are cross-connected electrohydraulic active anti-roll bars that now activate quicker. All of which contributed to a lap time that was a full 14 seconds faster around the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Design and Build

You don't need to be a car enthusiast to recognise the distinctive shape of a 911 but you may need to be a bit of a Porsche-phile to identify the visual changes that have created this 992.2-era 3.6-litre Turbo S model, offered as usual in both Coupe and Cabriolet forms. This has numerous contrasting exterior elements in a unique 'Turbonite' finish. Plus Turbo S-specific inserts in the slats of the rear wing and side window strips. Like its predecessors, the car has a visibly wider body and track compared to the Carrera models, as well as openings in the rear side section. At the redesigned rear, striking ventilation openings also emphasise the width. There are bespoke titanium tailpipes and a dynamic pearl structure above the tail light strip. Accents in Turbonite also characterise the Turbo S interior. They can be found in the door panels, steering wheel, dashboard and centre console surrounds, decorative stitching, Sport Chrono stopwatch and instrument cluster. The seat belts and several buttons in the centre console are also designed by the Porsche designers in this colour. For the first time, carbon-structured trim strips with neodyme trim and a perforated microfibre headliner with black backing are part of this more exclusive interior. Otherwise, it's much like any other 992.2-era 911, with a 12.6-inch curved driver's display and a 10.9-inch Porsche Communications Management centre screen. With the Coupe, you have to option in the usual pair of rear seats (they're standard on the Cabriolet). And there's the usual 132-litre luggage compartment provided beneath the sculpted bonnet.

Market and Model

You never thought Porsche 911 Turbo motoring would be cheap did you - and of course it isn't. List pricing suggests that you'll be paying from £199,100 for the Turbo S Coupe and £209,100 for the Turbo S Cabriolet. At least you now get more kit for that. HD Matrix LED headlights are now standard. And the Sport Chrono Package include a tyre temperature gauge, the specifically tuned PASM suspension, the PDCC electro-hydraulic anti-roll bars and a titanium sports exhaust system. In the interior, Adaptive 18-way Sports Seats Plus with a memory function and 'turbo S' lettering on the headrests are included. The Turbo S-specific embossing on the seat surfaces and door panels is a reinterpretation of the design features of the first 930-era 911 Turbo. The folding lightweight sports bucket seats from the 911 GT3 are available as an option for the Coupe. Further customisation options are available via the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur range. In addition to the Paint to Sample programme with more than 100 colours on the exterior, these include Turbo Exclusive Design wheels with carbon blades painted in neodyme, a lightweight roof in visible carbon, Exclusive Design rear lights and air intakes in the rear side section made of carbon. For the first time, lightweight wiper arms made of carbon, which are 50% lighter than the standard component, can be ordered. The interior can be further enhanced with details such as decorative stitching in contrasting colours, personalised embossing, seat consoles and sill panels in leather with fine decorative stitching, as well as personalised painted vehicle keys. So lottery winners can really go to town.

Cost of Ownership

Porsche makes a lot of its lightweight engineering here but one of the stats Zuffenhausen doesn't particularly want to publicise about this 992.2-era 911 Turbo S is that it's 1,725kg kerb weight is a significant 85kg heavier than the original 3.7-litre un-electrified 911 Turbo S model. Perhaps that's why the efficiency gains brought about by the T-Hybrid system here are so insignificant. Combined cycle fuel economy for the Turbo S Coupe is rated at up to 24.5mpg (just 0.6mpg better than the old 3.7-litre un-electrified Turbo S), while the CO2 emissions best is quoted at 261g/km (just 10g/km better than before). What else? Well both models are covered by a three-year unlimited mileage warranty package. And the 911 also has 12 years of corrosion cover and a three year paint guarantee. Insurance for a car of this power and performance is never going to be cheap; both variants attract a top-of-the-shop group 50 rating. Still, residual value percentages are uber-high - think in the late fifties after three years of ownership - or better. Bear in mind that depreciation will take a hit if you load your car up with too many unnecessary pricey extras. There's a wider dealer network than many rivals can offer and you'll only need to visit your local Porsche centre every two years or every 20,000 miles, whichever comes first. There's no option to buy into a pre-paid servicing package at point of purchase, but the brand does provide a fixed price servicing approach that makes sure you'll know in advance exactly what work will be carried out and what it will cost.

Summary

There are basically three kinds of supercar. The first group (Astons, AMG Mercs and the like) are very fast and very stylish but aren't quite so much at home on twisties or racetracks. The second group (Ferraris, Lambos and so on) very definitely are but need the genius of a Schumacher or an Alonso to wring the best from them. Nor would you really want to nip down to the shops in one. Which leaves the third group, a very exclusive one indeed, for cars that can combine everything in one exhilarating everyday usable package. Aston Martin's Vantage gets close to qualifying here but at the end of the day, we'd narrow membership down to just one car - this one. This 3.6-litre 992.2-series T-Hybrid 911 Turbo S is faster than ever, but most importantly, it's even more responsive speed that mere mortals can enjoy to the full. It is, at last, the definitive supercar.