2014 PORSCHE 911 Turbo S Review

Nonetheless, it is very difficult to bring a 911 Turbo S to that the point where you need all that correction. First of all, the PDCC active stabilizer bars may have a complicated name, but compensate through a simple effect: at least on the street, there’s no such thing as body roll.

Then there’s the rear steering. The car is very sharp on the turn-in, eager to follow your every command. This may sound like a cliché, but the 911 Turbo S perfectly fits the description: this car changes direction and corners like it’s on rails. The steering also makes the car feel lighter.

The 911 Turbo has that religious balance Porsche has strived to obtain for half a decade. Nevertheless, now there’s no pendulum action waiting to send the back towards the first guardrail. This 911 Turbo S is unbelievable.

Still, if you overcook it, you will get a fine trace of understeer. This is mixed with the inertia trying to move the whole car towards the edge of the road.

This here is the decision point, the moment where you can use the throttle to play with the smooth balance of the Porsche chassis. Whereas the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet we drove in the past wanted to kill us at this stage, the 911 Turbo S can be drifted without requiring a written will.

When you drive this Porsche hard, the two of you join forces instead of the car consuming its driver.

And all this is just a part of the 911 Turbo magic. Modern-day Turbos have always signified being able to use that sort of performance anytime, anywhere and this new one takes the concept even further.
The car is smooth, refined when you’re on throttle abstinence. You can easily use it everyday. This 911 Turbo is made to be your best friend.

In fact, it is this secret recipe for mixing track-tearing performance with everyday usability and luxury that makes Porsches what they are.

This is why an overall comparison with the Nissan GT-R is pure amusement. Still, the two can be thrown at each other’s neck in terms of performance driving. Both feel incredibly quick, but their cornering methods are entirely different. The 911 Turbo S likes to play on the never-ending grip, while the GT-R always tries to let the back step out a bit, basically performing a continuous miniature AWD slide.

With the boost in performance and pricing, the 911 Turbo S has come a bit closer to exotics like the McLaren 12C. Still, comparing the two is difficult. First of all, the Mac is about 200 KG (440 lbs) lighter. It does feel as a sharper weapon too, but the Porsche has more faces, whereas the 12C only shines when you’re out to enjoy the performance.

With the 991 generation, Porsche has changed the nature of the 911 Turbo. In the past, you were afraid of the car, now the respect is mutual.

The 911 Turbo and Turbo S can easily be described as acrobatic. They’re faster than before and yet considerably easier to use.

In fact, Porsche’s 911 Turbo and Turbo S are big, fat liars. Turbo lag? Engine acting like a pendulum at the back? They are so good it’s easy to forget all about such notions. Absolutely brilliant.

As a technical package, the 911 Turbo sits in perfect balance. In spite of this, we can still say the handling is its strongest point. Until now, you bought a 911 Turbo if you wanted one, but now the agility is something that puts the 911 Turbo in a class of its own. For some, this can influence the purchasing decision.

This multi-purpose nature of the 911 Turbo earns it a ten in the value-for-money department.

Of course, Porsche’s 911 Turbo S still has a few issues. The car may have gained more personality, but it is still a cold-blooded piece of machinery. And to stay in the technical area, it would not hurt to see it lose 100 Kg (220 lbs) or so.

We also have the usual 911 gripe - we wish the back seat space was only slightly greater, so adults could actually use it.

As for what separates the Turbo and the Turbo S, we have to understand that the latter is actually a more efficient choice. The 911 Turbo comes with a MSRP of US$ 148,300. We tried optioning it up to reach the standard of a Turbo S and we reached a price of about US$ 174,000. Well, at US$ 181,000 the Turbo S offers all that and the extra grunt. Mind you, the prices do not include taxes and destination fees.

In Europe, a 911 Turbo will set you back EUR 162,055, while the Turbo S begins at EUR 192,256. Both prices include 19 percent VAT. There's a twist to the pricing plot though. We've talked to customers in Europe, who said that the price increase may seem hefty, but only until you actually get to talk with the dealer. To put it simply, it is now easier to get a discount than before.

Especially in the supercar universe, acquisitions are made based on feelings and emotions. Therefore we can’t say that the 911 Turbo S is the best of the genre. Nonetheless, it is clearly the most complete and, once you have driven it, you will always lust for its skillset.