2011 New Porsche 911 Turbo review
New Porsche 911 Turbo
By Ian Lynas, 30th June 2011
The 911 Turbo is not only generally accepted as the ultimate sporting Porsche but is also the epitome of the supercar that can be used every day and has had thirty seven years to prove it.
Porsche held the launch at their Driving Experience Centre in Silverstone circuit and once out on the roads that surround the home of the British F1 Grand Prix, I discovered that this is a high-performance car which you could use every day and not just a fun car for the weekend.
2011 Porsche 911 Turbo
The original 911 Turbo came on the scene in 1974 and it has evolved steadily over the years, gradually increasing its performance by virtue of adopting larger capacity engines, improved aerodynamics, all-wheel drive and twin-turbochargers.
The latest generation model has been improved significantly and combines far-reaching technical innovations with supreme refinement. The new 911 Turbo delivers increased performance, lower weight, enhanced driving dynamics and greater fuel efficiency and yet, none of the qualities of a 911 have been sacrificed.
The unique combination of advanced technical features ensures an unprecedented standard of responsiveness, agility, performance and efficiency. CO2 emissions have been reduced by a class-leading 18 per cent.
New Porsche 911 Turbo
Powering the seventh generation 911 Turbo is a new 3.8 litre engine which delivers a maximum output of 500bhp and peak torque of 650Nm between 1,950 – 5,000rpm, with an over boost system that raises the figure to 700Nm between 2,100 – 4,000rpm.
This is the first entirely new engine in the history of the Turbo and features technology like Direct Fuel Injection, an efficiency-enhancing expansion-type intake manifold and twin turbochargers with variable turbine geometry, the latter attribute being unique to Porsche on a petrol engine.
2011 Porsche 911 Turbo
The addition of these various new technologies and changes to the architecture of the engine have actually resulted in a weight saving of approximately 12 kg, compared with the previous version.
The new six-cylinder engine can be combined with the option of the seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) double-clutch gearbox.
In conjunction with the optional Sport Chrono Package Turbo, both the paddle-shift steering wheel and the PDK steering wheel feature integrated displays for Launch Control and the Sport/SportPlus mode. Press the Sport button on the centre console and you activate the time-limited Turbo overboost function.
The SportPlus Launch Control function (in combination with PDK) reduces the time taken to accelerate from 0 to 62mph by 0.2 seconds, in addition to adopting a Race Track Gearshift Strategy with shorter shift times and optimum gearshift points.
Fuel consumption ranges between 24.4 - 24.8 mpg and CO2 emissions are as low as 268 g/km. Included in the list of standard equipment are metallic paint, leather interior, climate control, Bi-xenon headlights, automatic dimming rear view mirrors, lightweight forged alloy wheels, satellite navigation with touch-screen Porsche Communication Management system, Bose audio system, Bluetooth mobile telephone and i-Pod connectivity and tyre pressure monitoring.
