Porsche 911 Turbo S
Fast. Yes, very fast. In fact, this is the fastest car I have ever test driven, thanks to its twin-turbocharged 3.8L flat-6 that puts out 530 hp. Having been clocked reaching the 100 km/h mark in under 3 seconds, this 911 is the snappiest ever! Beyond sheer speed, the Turbo S remains a 911 where the cabin and other accoutrements are concerned. Firm supportive seats hold everyone in place as the car rockets around corners.
As it does so, precision and front-end grip are impressive but far from organic and intuitive. The car requires much involvement and input from the driver to keep everything in check. If the pilot has good car-control, loads of speed can be carried through an apex and once the wheel begins to unwind, stay focused as tunnel-vision sets in. And although I'll always be a fan of slick-shifting manual gearboxes, Porsche's PDK is so incredibly coherent and efficient that I could never argue against it.
This car's ceramic brakes are monumental. It is not feasible to make loose bite or even fade by a mili-percent. Repeated hot laps at Calabogie merely tickled the massive brakes. Personally though, after having tasted the GT3, I spring for it over the Turbo S but that's neither here nor there...
Fast. Yes, very fast. In fact, this is the fastest car I have ever test driven, thanks to its twin-turbocharged 3.8L flat-6 that puts out 530 hp. Having been clocked reaching the 100 km/h mark in under 3 seconds, this 911 is the snappiest ever! Beyond sheer speed, the Turbo S remains a 911 where the cabin and other accoutrements are concerned. Firm supportive seats hold everyone in place as the car rockets around corners.
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| The Porsche 911 Turbo S is the fastest car I have ever test driven. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
As it does so, precision and front-end grip are impressive but far from organic and intuitive. The car requires much involvement and input from the driver to keep everything in check. If the pilot has good car-control, loads of speed can be carried through an apex and once the wheel begins to unwind, stay focused as tunnel-vision sets in. And although I'll always be a fan of slick-shifting manual gearboxes, Porsche's PDK is so incredibly coherent and efficient that I could never argue against it.
This car's ceramic brakes are monumental. It is not feasible to make loose bite or even fade by a mili-percent. Repeated hot laps at Calabogie merely tickled the massive brakes. Personally though, after having tasted the GT3, I spring for it over the Turbo S but that's neither here nor there...