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Home » Porsche 911 Turbo gets mid-life tweaks … and record performance

Porsche 911 Turbo gets mid-life tweaks … and record performance

December 5, 2015 by Alastair Sloane

New air vents and LED lights up front
New air vents and LED lights up front

Porsche’s decision to turbocharge every engine in the 911 range has resulted in the updated Turbo S doing something no other standard production 911 has managed – cracking three seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint.

The new-look Turbo and Turbo S coupe and convertible will land in New Zealand next May. Prices are likely to be upwards of the $336,000 Porsche NZ asked for the Turbo before the updated models were revealed.

Both facelifted models get extra features here and there, but the main changes are to the bi-turbo 3.8-litre flat-six engine.

Reworked tail-lights and new exhaust at rear
Reworked tail-lights and new exhaust at rear

The 911 Turbo’s powerplant has been modified to deliver 397kW courtesy of new injection nozzles and higher fuel pressure. The result is a top speed of 322km/h, among other things.

The Turbo S gets all of the above but adds new turbos with larger variable compressors for a power output of 427kW, a top speed of 332km/h – and bragging rights among the Porsche cognescenti.

There’s not much between the two in terms of get-up-and-go but it is ground-breaking. The Turbo S, says Porsche, can sprint from 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds, a milestone time. The Turbo runs it in 3.0 seconds, one-tenth of a second, or less time than the blink of an eye.

No prices yet for either coupe or convertible
No prices yet for either coupe or convertible

The extra oomph gives the updated models a sprint advantage of 0.2 seconds over the current Turbo and Turbo S, again a mere formality.

But there is nothing insignificant about the engine’s new boost function that works with the PDK dual-clutch transmission. There is no manual gearbox available.

In a nutshell, the boost allows the driver to get back on the power more quickly after lifting off by interrupting the flow of fuel while keeping the throttle valve open. “As a result” says Porsche, “the engine reacts with practically no delay to another press of the accelerator pedal.”

Sales of Porsche Tubo models in NZ over past five years
Sales of Porsche Tubo models in NZ over past five years

As with the engine updates, there are a handful of styling changes to freshen the inside and outside. Up front are LED headlights and reshaped vents; the rear gets reworked tail-lights, new exhaust pipes and new engine cover. Both Turbo and Turbo S ride on new 20-inch wheels.

There are tweaks inside as well, the most obvious being the steering wheel. It is similar to the one in the 918 Spyder hypercar and comes with a Mode Switch, which lets the driver select from Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual, each one changing suspension, gearbox and exhaust settings.

 

 

Filed Under: Industry news, Latest news Tagged With: porsche

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