The redesigned Porsche 911 lineup expands again this year with the arrival of the Turbo variant, which follows the Turbo S. Available as either a coupe or convertible, the 911 Turbo is powered by a twin-turbo, six-cylinder boxer engine with 572 hp and 553 pound-feet of torque along with an eight-speed PDK transmission. Porsche says the 911 Turbo was widened by around 1.78 inches to accommodate a new chassis and features a larger active front spoiler and larger variable rear spoiler for better aerodynamics. We’ve collected a selection of 911 Turbo reviews, both coupe and convertible, from the automotive media.
“In advance of track testing, we gave our 911 a street test, taking it on a scavenger hunt in search of “muffler men,” those roadside-attraction fiberglass giants built in the 1960s to advertise tire shops and transmission swaps. Exact locations of road-trip oddities can be difficult to pin down, so it made for a good challenge of the 911’s map display, outward visibility, and last-minute turning radius. ‘Over there, I see one!’ shouted my passenger, prompting a hard brake application and sudden U-turn, both of which the Turbo handled as casually as it would a turn into a driveway. Speaking of turning into driveways — often an Achilles’ heel of sports cars — steep entries and unexpected speedbumps don’t bother the 911. Even without using the optional nose lift, we were able to navigate curb cuts and skim a gravel parking lot as we hunted down L.A.’s plastic colossi. If we decide to revisit a particularly difficult entrance, the GPS coordinates of any spot can be saved and will automatically lift the car on approach.
The 911 Turbo’s everyday ease paired with arrest-me-now performance is what makes this car worth big bucks. It’s good at everything, making it not a surgeon’s scalpel after all but a handy, handsome, Swiss Army knife.”
— Elana Scherr,
“Porsche also gave this new Turbo a different character. Over the years the Turbo has morphed into a grand tourer, ultra-fast and ultra-capable yet muted and mellow, while the GT3 has captured enthusiast hearts. This one brings some aggression back. Porsche now offers both the Turbo and Turbo S with Sport suspension and exhaust options, and this Racing Yellow example had both, along with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC); active anti-roll bars that theoretically increase the range of both comfort and sportiness.
I say theoretically because this car is stiff. In my notes, I wrote something to the effect of “rides more like a GT3 than a GT car.” It doesn’t feel like there’s a ton of suspension travel, yet the car is never upset by the road surface. You just feel almost all of it. At first this was a little jarring, but I warmed up to it. The Sport suspension makes this Turbo both a little less everyday-usable and more special; more sports car. That said, I seem to remember a Sport-suspension-equipped 992 Carrera S riding harder than this Turbo, though it’s been a few months since I’ve driven that car.”
— Chris Perkins,
“And hot damn, hustlin’ is what this car does best. The spec differences are easy to point out on paper, but even if I drove the Turbo and Turbo S back to back on the same road, I’m not sure I’d genuinely feel a difference. The 911 Turbo is fast. Really fast. Really, really, really fast. Porsche could have rolled out the Turbo, called it the Turbo S, and I’d still have been all, holy crap, this thing is dynamite. The steering is perfectly weighted. The chassis is beautifully balanced. The brakes, the power, the sound from the sport exhaust … it’s aces all around. I don’t mean for this to sound like a love-fest, but it really is that good.
Slow your roll and you’ll find the 911 Turbo can be an exemplar of docility. Sure, it’s quicker than a lot of supercars, but it’s easier to drive at a snail’s pace, too. The Turbo is as effortless and manageable as a base 911 Carrera when you’re running out to pick up a pizza.”
— Steven Ewing, Roadshow by CNET
“In practice, full throttle in the 2021 Turbo must be what it feels like to sit under an active hydraulic press; after a launch control holeshot, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the pavement behind me folded in Looney Tunes-style ribbons. From idle to redline, there’s no discernable turbo lag and no dead zones, only smooth, turbine-tier thrust thanks to nerdy-sounding stuff such as wastegate control, charge-air cooling, variable turbine geometry, and turbos that spin in opposite directions when spooled. Fascinating, but by the time you finish reading all that technogoop, I’m already three school districts away from where I started.
If I happen to hit one of those pesky school zones in the midst of this trans-scholastic blitz, the whistling Turbo instantly settles down to a dull wheeze, becoming as harsh to putt around in as a loaded Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe. In Normal mode, the ride, NVH, and general tractability are absolutely on par with a bog-standard Carrera, meaning you pay near-zero physical dividends for all that capability thrown on top.”
— Conner Golden,
“If there’d been a mix up in Porsche’s badge-stamper and this GT Silver car had popped out of Zuffenhausen with Turbo S written on its hindquarters, I wouldn’t have questioned it. I’m absolutely certain that, whatever the conditions, right-thinking humans will decree this car ‘fast enough’.
The way this engine delivers its power is just plain addictive, and that’s not something we’ve always said about 911 Turbos. As the world of electric cars is proving, the shock and awe of hurtling towards the horizon with zero fuss is actually fairly one dimensional.”
“It’s just tangibly a bit less comfort-minded than a Carrera, but that’s where the Turbo’s newfound edge reveals itself. It asks of a wee bit more commitment than it has in recent generations, but as a result, it’s a more tantalizing prospect to anyone who enjoys cars for more than the numbers on their spec sheet.”
— Stephen Dobie, Top Gear