Stuttgart Spy
Spa-Francorchamps
- Joined
- 10 Jan 2005
- Messages
- 277
The immortal 911 - Porsche's roots and wings - has never stopped evolving. Always using the original recipe (rear-mounted flat engine) as its basis it has, for over 40 years, remained a must among GT coupes, thanks in particular to the dazzling advances of the Turbo.
Since 1974, this range topper has symbolised the very best of the marque. At that time, its 3-litre engine delivered 260 bhp. Today, the latest Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6l boasts 480 bhp and exceeds 300 kph (186 mph). Power enough not to appear just for show at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race, but sometimes deemed excessive, even extravagant on our roads.
A poor judgement since, at the same time, the Turbo makes progress with regard to active and passive safety, energy efficiency, comfort and ease of driving. For instance, the new all-wheel drive with inter-axle differential lock guaranteeing unparalleled accurate handling in wet weather. Same breakthrough with the damping control system, which enables cornering and changes in wheel loads without departing from the ideal trajectory. The list of improvements is long. We should mention the braking system - still a benchmark, but further improved with ideal pedal pressure, and the responsiveness of a petrol engine equipped - a world first - with variable geometry turbos. And then there is the almost soft clutch pedal while the whopping torque reaches 620 Nm!
With such an arsenal at its disposal, the Porsche 911 turbo mobilises just a small percentage of its potential in everyday use. One cannot, for all that, speak of technological debauchery as long as it benefits the driver. This permanent quest for perfection also explains the £97,840 price tag. However, like a work of art, a 911 loses little of its value and can always be easily resold.
© Motorlegend
On the road
Porsche is the only manufacturer in the world to have worked on the same model for over 40 years. This explains why, when you get into a Porsche 911, you immediately find your bearings. You just have to remember that the ignition barrel is on the left of the steering column and make the most of the new equipment such as the height-adjustable steering wheel, which makes for a perfect driving position.
When you start to tickle the flat-six twin turbo, you will be surprised to hear no metallic sound, due to the noise and pollution standards compliant exhaust system. On the other hand, the power arrives with such ease that you have to keep an eye on the digital display at the bottom of the large rev counter, equipped with a red zone at 7,000 rpm. The real speedometer, set off to the left and partly hidden by the rim of the steering wheel, is graduated in 50s up to 350 kph.
© Motorlegend[/i:yENGzE1Vv3]
On a more serious note, it is of course when stepping up the pace that you can gauge the progress of this new edition, compared to the Turbo of 2000.
Rather than verify whether the new Turbo can indeed reach the promised 310 kph/193 mph (we take Porsche's word for it), we preferred to appraise its agility, traction and damping prowess on a little forest road.
A difficult, tricky terrain, always ready to reveal any poor tuning and imbalance in certain circumstances. Despite our efforts, we were not able to fault the tracking of the front axle, the transmission tuning on both axles or the endurance of an exceptional braking system that no customer will wear out. This rally and a foray onto roads and motorways convinced us that this 2006 model, extremely agile thanks to direct and ultra-precise steering, will remain a great vintage. As for fuel consumption, it is on a par with performance but can drop from 18 to 13 litres per 100 km in everyday use. Almost unbelievable with 620 hp at your feet!
Our opinion
More efficient, more high-performance, easier to drive and as comfortable as ever, the new Porsche 911 Turbo demonstrates with each edition that it is always possible to go further. Bolstered by its tremendous expertise in motor racing, the Stuttgart-based manufacturer also offers optional equipment to purchasers wishing to gauge their talent on the racetrack. For example, a rear axle differential lock (£753) is available, and ceramic composite brakes (£5,800), despite the excellence of the system fitted as standard. Lastly, as we say on each 911 test drive, whether it be the entry-level Carrera or the Turbo, the most impressive aspect remains its versatility and ease on the racing circuit, in town or in end-of-weekend traffic jams. As you can probably tell, we liked it a lot.
Strong points: performance, handling, steering, braking system, traction, comfort, ease of driving at high speed, silhouette as fascinating as ever.
Weak points: cramped passenger compartment, token rear seats, fuel range, disappointing engine noise, ridiculous boot, price.
Technical data
Engine
Flat-6 cylinder, 3,600 cc, 480 bhp. Torque: 620 Nm from 1,950 rpm.
Transmission
Permanent all-wheel drive, 6-speed manual or 5-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox.
Brakes
Four 350 mm ventilated discs, 6-piston callipers at the front and 4-piston callipers at the rear. Bosch 8.0 ABS system.
Suspension
McPherson-type struts at the front with longitudinal and transverse links, multi-link axle at the rear. Adjustable dampers on both axles.
Dimensions
Length: 4.450 m
Width: 1.852 m
Height: 1.30 m
Wheelbase: 2.35 m
Boot: 105 dm3
Weight: 1,585 kg
Performance
Top speed: 310 kph (193 mph)
0 to 100 kph (62 mph): 4.1 seconds
CO
²
: 307 grams per kilometre
Combined fuel consumption: 12.8l.
Wheels
19-inch alloys equipped with 235/35 ZR tyres at the front and 305/30 ZR tyres at the rear.
Price: £97,840
from
[u:yENGzE1Vv3]
[b:yENGzE1Vv3]#
Migration info. Legacy thread was 111025
Since 1974, this range topper has symbolised the very best of the marque. At that time, its 3-litre engine delivered 260 bhp. Today, the latest Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6l boasts 480 bhp and exceeds 300 kph (186 mph). Power enough not to appear just for show at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race, but sometimes deemed excessive, even extravagant on our roads.
A poor judgement since, at the same time, the Turbo makes progress with regard to active and passive safety, energy efficiency, comfort and ease of driving. For instance, the new all-wheel drive with inter-axle differential lock guaranteeing unparalleled accurate handling in wet weather. Same breakthrough with the damping control system, which enables cornering and changes in wheel loads without departing from the ideal trajectory. The list of improvements is long. We should mention the braking system - still a benchmark, but further improved with ideal pedal pressure, and the responsiveness of a petrol engine equipped - a world first - with variable geometry turbos. And then there is the almost soft clutch pedal while the whopping torque reaches 620 Nm!
With such an arsenal at its disposal, the Porsche 911 turbo mobilises just a small percentage of its potential in everyday use. One cannot, for all that, speak of technological debauchery as long as it benefits the driver. This permanent quest for perfection also explains the £97,840 price tag. However, like a work of art, a 911 loses little of its value and can always be easily resold.
© Motorlegend
On the road
Porsche is the only manufacturer in the world to have worked on the same model for over 40 years. This explains why, when you get into a Porsche 911, you immediately find your bearings. You just have to remember that the ignition barrel is on the left of the steering column and make the most of the new equipment such as the height-adjustable steering wheel, which makes for a perfect driving position.
When you start to tickle the flat-six twin turbo, you will be surprised to hear no metallic sound, due to the noise and pollution standards compliant exhaust system. On the other hand, the power arrives with such ease that you have to keep an eye on the digital display at the bottom of the large rev counter, equipped with a red zone at 7,000 rpm. The real speedometer, set off to the left and partly hidden by the rim of the steering wheel, is graduated in 50s up to 350 kph.
© Motorlegend[/i:yENGzE1Vv3]
On a more serious note, it is of course when stepping up the pace that you can gauge the progress of this new edition, compared to the Turbo of 2000.
Rather than verify whether the new Turbo can indeed reach the promised 310 kph/193 mph (we take Porsche's word for it), we preferred to appraise its agility, traction and damping prowess on a little forest road.
A difficult, tricky terrain, always ready to reveal any poor tuning and imbalance in certain circumstances. Despite our efforts, we were not able to fault the tracking of the front axle, the transmission tuning on both axles or the endurance of an exceptional braking system that no customer will wear out. This rally and a foray onto roads and motorways convinced us that this 2006 model, extremely agile thanks to direct and ultra-precise steering, will remain a great vintage. As for fuel consumption, it is on a par with performance but can drop from 18 to 13 litres per 100 km in everyday use. Almost unbelievable with 620 hp at your feet!
Our opinion
More efficient, more high-performance, easier to drive and as comfortable as ever, the new Porsche 911 Turbo demonstrates with each edition that it is always possible to go further. Bolstered by its tremendous expertise in motor racing, the Stuttgart-based manufacturer also offers optional equipment to purchasers wishing to gauge their talent on the racetrack. For example, a rear axle differential lock (£753) is available, and ceramic composite brakes (£5,800), despite the excellence of the system fitted as standard. Lastly, as we say on each 911 test drive, whether it be the entry-level Carrera or the Turbo, the most impressive aspect remains its versatility and ease on the racing circuit, in town or in end-of-weekend traffic jams. As you can probably tell, we liked it a lot.
Strong points: performance, handling, steering, braking system, traction, comfort, ease of driving at high speed, silhouette as fascinating as ever.
Weak points: cramped passenger compartment, token rear seats, fuel range, disappointing engine noise, ridiculous boot, price.
Technical data
Engine
Flat-6 cylinder, 3,600 cc, 480 bhp. Torque: 620 Nm from 1,950 rpm.
Transmission
Permanent all-wheel drive, 6-speed manual or 5-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox.
Brakes
Four 350 mm ventilated discs, 6-piston callipers at the front and 4-piston callipers at the rear. Bosch 8.0 ABS system.
Suspension
McPherson-type struts at the front with longitudinal and transverse links, multi-link axle at the rear. Adjustable dampers on both axles.
Dimensions
Length: 4.450 m
Width: 1.852 m
Height: 1.30 m
Wheelbase: 2.35 m
Boot: 105 dm3
Weight: 1,585 kg
Performance
Top speed: 310 kph (193 mph)
0 to 100 kph (62 mph): 4.1 seconds
CO
²
: 307 grams per kilometre
Combined fuel consumption: 12.8l.
Wheels
19-inch alloys equipped with 235/35 ZR tyres at the front and 305/30 ZR tyres at the rear.
Price: £97,840
from
[u:yENGzE1Vv3]
[b:yENGzE1Vv3]#
Migration info. Legacy thread was 111025
