2019 Porsche 911 Turbo / Turbo S
For those unsatisfied with the performance aptitude of the regular 911, the Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S deliver added power and attitude. While these two iconic nameplates haven't yet transitioned to the next-generation 911 platform鈥攃odenamed 992鈥攖hey remain incredibly potent and insanely athletic sports cars. With timelessly gorgeous styling and coupe or cabriolet body styles, the 2019 Porsche 911 Turbo twins are equal parts show and go. Every 911 Turbo has a twin-turbo 3.8-liter flat-six that's mounted over the rear wheels鈥攁s on every other Porsche 911 variant. The Turbo model makes 540 horsepower and 523 lb-ft of torque while the Turbo S has another 40 ponies and 553 lb-ft. That power exclusively funnels to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch PDK automatic transmission. Sorry, purists, a manual transmission isn't offered. The 911 Turbo coupe we tested shot from zero to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds while the Turbo S coupe we tested was surprisingly 0.1 second slower.
We also tested a 911 Turbo S cabriolet, which successfully preserved the coupe's phenomenal driving character. All models demonstrate Porsche's uncanny ability to produce communicative steering feedback through its electrically assisted setup. Likewise, the 911 Turbo and Turbo S have quick-twitch reflexes and tremendous cornering grip that don't compromise their ride quality. Porsche provides all Turbo variants with posh interior materials and countless personalization options. While the rear seats can hold two extra passengers, the space is more suited to briefcases and soft luggage. However, folding the back seats down unlocks up to nine cubic feet on the coupe and six cubes on the cabriolet. The Turbo's infotainment system offers a standard mobile hotspot and Apple CarPlay capability鈥擜ndroid Auto is not available. A Bose audio system is standard and a high-end Burmester unit is also available. While driver-assistance technology such as adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring are offered, there are few other high-tech options. We recommend the front-axle-lift system that raises the front of the vehicle by about 1.5 inches to avoid scraping its valuable chin.
It鈥檚 a performance car that you can totally take for granted, and the 911 T fits that same profile. Sure, the large alloys can send a thud through the cabin on rutted roads, and the lessened sound proofing means there鈥檚 more noise at speed, but generally speaking it鈥檚 a 911 like any other 鈥?an undoubted compliment. However, you鈥檙e not here to read about how easy it is to park, or even how it will happily play nice with your smartphone. You want to know what happens when you put its 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six to good use. Bury your right foot in the carpet to reveal a responsive throttle that lights that fuse at the back of the car. Being rear-engined allows for excellent traction as all 370-horsepower is sent exclusively to the rear wheels. This car鈥檚 short-throw seven-speed manual transmission is geared close for the first three snaps of your wrist 鈥?first through third.
The revs build rapidly with an angered howl narrating the car鈥檚 brisk 0-62mph dash of 4.5 seconds. This experience isn鈥檛 ballistic, nor dominated by the engine like in a 911 Turbo, but instead delivering ample punch. Tarmac. Aggressively pitching the car into a corner reveals those adaptive dampers at work, reducing body roll. Its easy to modulate brake pedal allows you to trim the car鈥檚 speed without the need of mental recalibration as its pressure and response quickly become second nature. However, the star of the 911 T is its steering. Electromechanical steering is a real challenge for engineers of every manufacturer to master, but Porsche has hit the nail on the head with its setup. Crisp and precise, but full of the feedback most of its competitors so desperately lack. The 911 T soon becomes an extension of yourself thanks to its predictability, rapid responses to inputs, and man-machine communication continuously updating your synapses. When you鈥檙e really on it, actually driving the T almost fades away into your subconscious. Instead, you focus your attention on hitting that apex and crafting the perfect trajectory as the car pendulums around the bend. Of course, being a Carrera and getting a bit greedy with the throttle upon exit results it an easily controlled wiggle from its hips 鈥?something that can become rather entertaining in the right moment. In our eyes, the 911 T is something of a 鈥楪oldilocks鈥?car of the 991 generation. While it wasn鈥檛 a huge sales success, unlike the inevitable 992 generation Carrera T will be, the car might just get a fairytale ending as a highly sought after model in years to come.
Despite a provocative naming strategy, the Porsche 911 Speedster鈥檚 first four generations looked quite a bit faster than they actually were. Sleek and stripped down, the limited-edition roadsters flirted with incremental weight savings and minor gains in power, but never tapped into the hardcore performance potential of Porsche鈥檚 GT cars. Enter 2019, and things are suddenly different: the new Porsche 911 Speedster disrupts the paradigm by packing genuine GT hardware beneath its low-slung bodywork, making a track-capable Speedster that finally goes as fast as it looks. Strip away the exterior - the chopped windshield, sloping carbon-fiber decklid (which is the largest structure of its kind Porsche has ever produced), and various other lightweight panels - and the mechanicals echo what you鈥檒l find in the GT3 Touring. Of course, the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six figures prominently into the storyline. Continuing the theme, all 1,948 Speedsters Porsche is planning to build will feature a row-it-yourself six-speed manual gearbox.