The 513bhp non-S 991 Turbo has landed
in the UK. Needless to say, it's fast, but is it fun too?
The weather was suitably dispiriting when I
drove out of the office car park to head home late on Halloween. With spits of
rain in the air, cloud covering the moon and a chill wind whipping at the
leafless branches of the trees, it was an October night straight from the pages
of an M.R James ghost story. Perfect, in other words, for a 911 Turbo.
The
Turbo offers up plenty of traction and lateral grip
I confess that I don't really go in for the
whole pumpkins and ghouls bit, but I reckon the speed that Porsche's
all-weather, all-wheel-drive supercar carried down a deserted B-road that night
would have scared the tricks out of most passengers. Certainly if the four
horsemen of the apocalypse were thinking of chasing down the Turbo they would
have needed to swap their hoofed steeds for well-driven spectral 12Cs to stand
even the slightest chance.
The Turbo, it's safe to say, is stunningly
fast. I haven't driven the S version yet, but I honestly can't see how much
faster another 39bhp and 29lb ft could make it feel. Indeed, 0-124mph in
10.8sec (when fitted with the Sport Chrono option, as this car is) should be
enough to satisfy most. What's more, despite being faster down any given road
than probably any other car I've driven this year, the 991 Turbo might also be
the safest car I've ever driven. I'm not about to start talking NCAP ratings,
so bear with me.
The
911 Turbo's cabin feels suitably luxurious and upmarket
In the few days I spent with the Turbo I
covered a lot of run-of-the-mill miles, on motorways, down country lanes and
through town centres - the sort of driving that patently didn't require 513bhp
and rear-wheel steering. But with so much grip, pace, precision and stopping
power to spare (combined with trademark 911 visibility), it made navigating
through the world at normal speeds feel incredibly easy. A bit like Mo Farah
running for a bus, or Chuck Norris doing anything, the Turbo is just so far
within its immense capabilities in everyday situations that making progress
through the world feels wonderfully easy. And safe.
There are a few other things that make the
new Turbo wonderfully easy to live with too, like the new LED headlights
(standard on the S but a $2,225 option here), which make journeys home from
work at this time of year a joy. Porsche has also suppressed the harsh road
noise that used to emanate from the rear arches in previous Turbos and blighted
their comfort on a long multi-lane cruise. Talking of which, I achieved over
33mpg on a dull journey down the M1 and round the M25 to Surrey, helped by the
noticeable but not intrusive ability of the Turbo to de-couple its clutches and
'coast'.
Right-hand
binnacle is given over to a multi-function LCD screen
The standard touchscreen satnav, complete
with additional display in the instrument binnacle, is also fantastic, as are
the Bose surround-sound system, Bluetooth and DAB radio (all also standard for
your $201,030). In short, it is a truly lovely way to travel and would make an
incredibly pleasurable everyday car.
What's more, in unassuming Agate Grey
paint, and with a soundtrack that is more Darth Vader preparing to blow out the
candles on his birthday cake than naturally aspirated aria, it feels like the
Turbo could slip through the world blending in with the traffic. You simply
don't feel as conspicuous as you do in a Ferrari or even an R8 and I rather
like that comparative cloak of invisibility, although there is the danger that
it will lull you into thinking you can do silly speeds unnoticed...
Admittedly
its rear seats are limited to accommodating children, or those with saint-like
levels of endurance
In truth the idea that it's unassuming is a
fallacy that becomes apparent as soon as you park up and get out, because even
in a demure and dark shade of paint the new wider body looks absolutely
stunning. It looks particularly arresting from the back, which is now a
significant 85mm wider than the front. You notice this breadth from the
driver's seat too, because while there's not so much of a whale tail any more,
the vast air intakes sunk into the 991 Turbo's hips are about as large as the
mouths of feeding humpbacks. Glance in either of the door mirrors and you feel
almost mesmerized by their reflection, like their yawning depths might simply
swallow you up.
