2014 PORSCHE 911 Turbo S Review

Moving on to the rest of the 911 Turbo's cabin, you can truly feel the extra wheelbase - up front there’s plenty of room in all areas. As for the rear seats, an adult or two could fit there, but it would be more of a torture than a ride. Reserve this area for children.

As far as the cabin is concerned, there aren’t too many differences to a 911 Carrera. For instance, your performance display will now include the turbo boost pressure. A rather nice toy, but right now we have zero charge pressure, since we are barely crawling through traffic.

We can not wait to leave this behind and dip our toes into the pleasure of that flax six sick creation at the back. Porsche came with a major breakthrough for the past-generation 3.8-liter boxer unit, introducing the first variable turbine geometry hardware (VTG) on a petrol engine. Thus, the new 991 gets the same engine, albeit with a few sweet tweaks.

Porsche is still the only automaker to offer VTG, but now the twin-turbo, direct-injected boxer engine sports an updated variable valve timing. They also played with the ignition angle and raised combustion pressure.
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Go for the optional Sport Chrono package and the torque jumps to 710 Nm (524 lb-ft). That’s plus 20 HP and 10 Nm (7.5 lb-ft) compared to the previous generation.

As for the Turbo S, it gets a 30 HP bump to 560 HP, while the torque rises by 10 Nm to 700 Nm (516 lb-ft), or 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) with the Sport Chrono. The extra oomph that separates the Turbo and the Turbo S arrives thanks to increased boost pressure (1.2 bar), as well as an extra 200 rpm for a peak rev point of 7,200 rpm. As for the Sport Chrono’s effect on the engine, you get 20 seconds of extra turbine juice (+0.15 bar).

Moreover, like other models of the new 991 generation, the 911 Turbo and Turbo S get dynamic engine mounts. These stiffen up when necessary, putting on a rather nice balancing act.

Even the efficiency was increased by up to 16 percent compared to the previous generation. Oh, and there’s no difference between the Turbo and the Turbo S. Both come with EPA ratings of 17 / 24 mpg (13.8 / 9.8 liters per 100 km). During our drive, the 911 Turbo S averaged 11.7 mpg (20 liters per 100 km).While that is a sporty driving value, a relaxed cruise at highway speeds brought the efficiency to 21 mpg (11.2 l/100 km).

In the transmission department, we’ll talk about the updated PDK double-clutch box. This may have seven speeds, but Porsche explains that its twin clutches can simulate intermediate ratios by slipping. Since the discs are spinning in oil, Porsche claims that the feature is wear-free. Black magic.

And while you can’t actually feel these extra gears while driving, you will notice the start-stop system, as well as the coasting function. There have been a few issues with the PDK getting back on the power with a bit of a bump in the past, but now returning to the gas pedal after coasting feels almost like a seamless transition.

Thus, the front axle can now receive more power. To sustain this, it was fitted with a new water-cooling system.

We’ll return to Porsche’s abbreviations to talk about the PTV Plus. Aside from a fully variable rear diff, the supercars come with torque vectoring, which brakes the inner rear wheel during cornering.

As for the more... ahem... emotional side, there’s a mechanical sound symposer that brings the voice of the turbo flat six inside the cabin.

Presently, we are treated with a pretty deep growl. Just like the McLaren 12C’s 3.8-liter twin-turbo, the Porsche’s engine does this when you are highway cruising in 7th gear. Still, the noise isn’t bothersome like in the British supercar.

In fact, Porsche has worked the soundtrack quite a lot. You get more intake noise than before and when you step off the gas you can hear the turbo pressure being released. Adding more personality to the 911 Turbo was high on the list of priorities and the aforementioned moves do the job decently.

Even without entering the Sport or Sport Plus realms, you can enjoy the sporty driving. Oh yes, the 911 Turbo plays the mid-range game so sweetly.

In terms of the car’s character, Porsche’s 911 Turbo is somewhere halfway between a Lamborghini, which is totally involving at 40 mph and the Nissan GT-R or McLaren 12C, which need to be pushed hard in order to reward you.

The Turbo S feels a tiny bit lazier at low revs compared to the Turbo. None of them matches the absurdly sharp throttle response of a 911 GT3, for instance. Still, we can’t think of a turbocharged car on sale now that has less turbo lag than the 911 Turbo, McLaren included.

Once you’re past the 2,000 rpm mark, the acceleration shows two simple assets: it’s overwhelming and linear. And that PDK is devilishly fast. In addition, it stays relatively smooth even when you’re hammering it.

We’ve just had a launch control experience and this is enough to convince one of the 911 Turbo’s technical prowess. Despite the all-wheel drive and mighty engine, there’s not too much drama going on. Oh no, all the Turbo wants is to deliver those promised acceleration times. You feel a slight trace of wheelspin at the back and you hit 62 mph in 3.2 seconds. Make that 3.1 seconds in the Turbo S. These are the official figures, but, in reality, the thing seems even faster.

The Japanese supercar allows considerably more wheelspin and yet independent testing has clocked its sprint at 2.86 seconds.

We’re braking at full grab now and the PDK is doing a superb execution with the downshift assistance. This is the rise of the machine. It’s also one of the reasons for which Porsche dropped the manual on the Turbo. Truth be told, we all like to dream about shifting gears, but the majority of Turbo customers preferred the PDK.

One may wonder why the 911 GT3 follows the same recipe. The motive here is different - the GT3 has become an incredibly sharp animal and a manual would only diminish the performance, especially on the track.

The circuit is also a good place to test the brakes. With the carbon ceramic brakes, standard on the Turbo S, the stopping capabilities match the firepower. Mario Andretti once said “It is amazing how many drivers, even on the Formula One level, think that the brakes are for slowing the car down.” Well, if we are to talk about using the brakes to keep the car on track, you must know that the modulation of these ceramics is superb.