But then I got my chance to drive one. As cliche as it may sound, you never forget your first Porsche 911 experience. Mine came in 1996, and I stalled the thing repeatedly trying to get used to the motion of the floor-mounted clutch. Since then, I鈥檝e lost count of the 911s I鈥檝e been fortunate enough to pilot, but one thing sticks in my memory: They only keep getting better 鈥?and more expensive. Sitting behind you in the surprisingly comfortable, perfectly sized cockpit of the 911 Turbo S is a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six engine humming out 580 horsepower. That鈥檚 40 hp more than the regular 911 Turbo, and it鈥檚 good enough to propel the Turbo S from zero-to-60 mph in just 2.8 seconds, Porsche says. All 911 Turbo models have the Sport Chrono Package standard for 2018, which is key to this performance. It involves four selectable modes that increase boost to the turbochargers, pumping torque up from the normal 516 pounds-feet to a peak of 553 pounds-feet.
The mode selector has moved from the center console to a dedicated knob and button on the GT Sport steering wheel, which also now includes what all 鈥淜night Rider鈥?fans will recognize as a 鈥淭urbo Boost鈥?button. Without all that crazy electronic boosting, the 911 Turbo S is calm and comfortable, a perfect grand tourer. You can drive it all day long at five-tenths effort and be rewarded with a stylish, sedate cruiser that won鈥檛 upset your mother-in-law if you bring her along for a ride. The ride is firm but not overly stiff, with the Porsche Active Suspension Management system doing an amazing job of damping out road imperfections despite its massive 20-inch wheels and performance-rated tires. The only transmission offered in the Turbo S is the PDK dual-clutch automatic, which is fine. It shifts faster than any human can and seems to intuitively know what gear it needs to be in given the driver鈥檚 moment-by-moment demand.
It only gets better and more tuned-in to what the driver wants as you move through various drive modes. Motive force is delivered to all four wheels through a standard all-wheel-drive system, which makes sense given the car鈥檚 prodigious power and rear-engine balance characteristics. The exterior styling looks much as it has since the original 911, but the interior has shown more progress toward modernization. To the right of that is a wide center console laden with buttons. There鈥檚 no touchscreen overload here; all the critical components, systems and gadgets have dedicated buttons, but they鈥檙e arranged in a way that makes it easy to find what you need. Nothing is hidden from view or hard to find. 200,000 car, there are still options you鈥檙e not getting. The blanks are artfully integrated into the center console in a way that tries to minimize their omission, but it鈥檚 still a painful reminder that Porsche makes almost all its options an a la carte affair. To that point, it鈥檚 also astonishing that there are basic items this car doesn鈥檛 come with, such as keyless entry and push-button start.
You still need to dig a fob out of your pocket to unlock the doors, then insert that key into the dash and twist to start the engine. In a vehicle this new 鈥?which includes a fully updated multimedia touchscreen equipped with Apple CarPlay 鈥?this is a bizarre omission, but one that鈥檚 indicative of Porsche鈥檚 longtime philosophy of extreme customization. You can order just about any Porsche exactly how you want it, down to the minutiae of the options list. It鈥檚 one of the reasons Porsches are so expensive 鈥?a staggering number of build combinations introduces expensive complexity in the factory, and that cost is passed on to consumers. Aside from the quirks of the build sheet, the 911鈥檚 interior is comfortable and decently spacious, and it features excellent outward visibility. Front-seat comfort is excellent, and ingress and egress isn鈥檛 much of a challenge despite the car鈥檚 low stance. The backseat is best described as 鈥渧estigial鈥?鈥?it鈥檚 not suitable even for children, as any child small enough to fit there should instead be buckled into a child-safety seat.
2, definitely not a four-seater, despite how many seat belts there are. Trunk space is acceptable for a car like this, with a deep well up front that can accommodate a single big roll-aboard suitcase or a couple of duffels. The space behind the front seats doubles as a useful storage area for parcels, but there鈥檚 a distinct lack of storage space for things like personal electronics. As with previous 911s, the cupholders are an afterthought 鈥?fold-out affairs stored in the passenger-side dashboard that look about as sturdy as a plastic lawn chair. I certainly wouldn鈥檛 put an open beverage in them, precariously perched several inches above the center console. 193,440. That鈥檚 a stunning sum for a car that doesn鈥檛 have keyless entry or a sunroof. Start adding all the customizable options for a 911 Turbo S and you鈥檒l be looking at a quarter-million-dollar price tag in short order. But that鈥檚 OK, as the competition costs just as much.
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