New 992 Turbo S revealed
Porsche’s 992 Turbo S is the most powerful, dynamic and efficient flat six supercar of all time. Total 911 takes you under its skin
The bona fide 911 Turbo for the next half a decade has arrived. Here’s your expert analysis of Porsche’s hottest 992 yet
The unveiling of Porsche’s 992 Turbo S was bizarre for a number of reasons. Robbed of a glitzy public debut in front of the world’s media at the 80th Geneva Motor Show, cancellation of the event in Switzerland meant that Porsche had to make do with an online broadcast, hosted by brand ambassador Mark Webber, from a back room at Weissach.
Two examples of the new Turbo S, a Cabriolet and Coupe, sat under satin covers awaiting their big moment of reveal. ‘In the Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins was blasted as the covers were whipped off, an eerie silence devoid of the ‘ooohs’ and ‘ahhs’ of a baying media pack, the thrum of Collins’ iconic drum beat punctuating the airwaves in place of the usual clickclacking of photography cameras hard at work on a conventional motor show stand.
Webber then handed over to CEO Oliver Blume, who spoke only briefly of the 911 Turbo S, calling it “the icon of our brand, representing power, elegance, efficiency and cool”, before moving on to remind the world of Porsche’s commitment to sustainability and zero emissions. Doing this while standing in front of Porsche’s traditional gas-guzzler, it all felt a little awkward, the message clearer from what wasn’t said rather than what was. The 911 Turbo is obviously at odds with where the company is headed with the rest of its more eco-friendly products, hence Blume’s almost defensive rhetoric. However, as devoted, longtime admirers of the Porsche brand, all that matters to us is that the iconic Turbo remains part of the 911 line-up, in 992 form now more powerful and efficient than ever before – and, unlike the Taycan Turbo which has cruelly pinched the top 911’s name, actual, physical turbochargers remain present.
Headline figures for the new 992 Turbo S are 650PS and 800Nm torque, up by a massive 70PS and 50Nm respectively over the previous 991.2 generation equivalent. It’s the largest leap in power between any generation of 911 Turbo, ever. The flat six responsible for producing this power retains its 3.8-litre capacity of the 9A1 engine fitted to the 991.2, but therein the similarities end. The new Turbo S uses a reworked version of the 9A2 EVO flat six found in its 992 Carrera siblings, retaining the highly accurate and efficient piezo fuel injectors which have helped the 992 generation’s engines improve both responsiveness and emissions. In Turbo guise, the 9A2 EVO engine has been enlarged from 3.0- to 3.8-litres, with two new, larger turbochargers again boasting Porsche’s innovative Variable Turbine Geometry. The turbine wheels are up by 5mm to 55mm in diameter, the compressor wheel 3mm larger at 61mm. With one turbocharger boosting each bank of cylinders in the traditional 911 style, their layout is symmetrical, the compressor and turbine wheels now rotating in opposite directions.
The Turbo S also has a new intake system, which Porsche says successfully increases the flow rate of cooling air to the engine. Essentially it’s been swapped around from that used on the 991.2, so that now, as with the 992 Carrera, twin intercoolers sit on top of the flat six – just like the 993 Turbo some 25 years previously. That means those trademark side air inlets in the Turbo’s rear quarter are now chiefly for feeding air to the engine’s air filters, as per the naturally aspirated 991 GT3 RS. Additional airflows through the engine lid cover provides a total of four intakes, which Porsche says has a larger cross section offering lower air resistance, which aides engine efficiency as well as power. The engine is mated to a compulsory eight-speed PDK gearbox, which has been revised specifically for Turbo specification.
Going back to that impressive torque figure, which usurps even the 991 GT2 RS, the 992 Turbo
S’s maximum 800Nm is delivered between 2,5004,000rpm. That peak power band is slightly narrower over the 991.2, but Porsche says the tune of the new engine means the Overboost function, in place since the 997 Turbo S, is no longer required. Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCBS) are a long-time Turbo S hallmark, and they remain standard spec for the 992 Turbo S, albeit with monstrous ten-piston calipers up front, the rears keeping their four pistons. These will clamp brake pads against larger discs now measuring 420mm up front and 390mm at the rear.
Those discs are housed inside larger wheels which, for the first time on the 911 Turbo, come in different diameters between the front and rear axles. The 992 Turbo S has 20-inch wheels with customary centre-locking mechanism on the front, and 21-inch wheels on the rear. Power is sent from the engine to each wheel via Porsche’s map-controlled multiplate clutch, all-wheel-drive PTM system, which can transfer up to 500Nm of torque to the Turbo S’s front wheels at any time.
As with the 991, the 992 Turbo S’s rich accoutrement in chassis spec includes Sport Chrono Package with dynamic mounts, rear-axle steering and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), all of which will be optional on the lesser Turbo.
Porsche’s attitude to completely reworking the flat six engine has also been applied to the body of the new 911 Turbo S. The Turbo – long known as the widest of the 911 family – has once again undergone lateral growth, now measuring 1,990mm across its rear, up 20mm from the already uber-widebodied
“It’s a comprehensive package that underlines the Turbo S’s significance as the pinnacle of the Porsche 911’s abilities”
991.2 Turbo S. With side mirrors unfolded, the widest part of the 911 Turbo now measures more than two metres for the first time.
The body itself follows the usual design hallmarks of the 992, albeit with those side air intakes stationed ahead of each super-wide rear arch. Their rounded appearance is reminiscent of the 991. At the car’s rear, its aggressively wide appearance is most apparent. That ‘full width’ rear light bar does not in fact run along the full width of the Turbo S’s rump, those new arches bulging out from where the light bar finishes on either side. Pleasingly, the rear bumper has been revised, the licence plate recess now higher up than on Carrera models, alleviating that awkward gap between the rear lights and exhaust section that the Carrera models seem to possess. Speaking of exhausts, there’s a huge win for the new Turbo model in this department, as a Sports exhaust is optional for the very first time, which should seek to finally slay a long-time accusation that the 911 Turbo has for years been far too quiet. Selecting the optional PSE will see the Turbo’s now customary quad exhausts with rectangular tips swapped out for larger-bored, twin oval tips as first seen on the 991 GT2 RS. Both designs will be finished in glass black, as per the Turbo tradition.
That huge body cloaks, among other things, an enlarged footprint. We’ve already discussed wheel sizes, but the Turbo S’s front boots are a monumental 255/35, the rears 315/30. The car’s front track is now 45mm wider too, the rear 10mm wider. It’s a concerted effort to manage agility and grip, in the meantime ensuring the 992 Turbo S is no one-trick pony when it comes to performance. Revised Porsche Adaptive Aerodynamics (PAA) helps see to this, the 992 featuring opening and closing air flaps in its front grilles, the technology borrowed from the
992 Carreras. A larger rear wing in both width and depth also raises higher into the sky when electrically deployed, and this is balanced by a pneumatically extendable front chin spoiler, both of which combine to provide 15 per cent more downforce for the 992 Turbo S over its predecessor. The Turbo S is sprung by an enhanced Active Suspension Management (PASM) system, with faster and more precise dampers working with the aforementioned PDCC and rear-axle steering. A Sport chassis is optional for the first time, lowering the 992 Turbo S by 10mm.
Inside, Porsche has sought to mix the modernity that we’ve come to expect from the 992’s now familiar layout with some key historical design mementos. For example, the seats and door cards feature stitching patterns first seen on the original
930 Turbo of 1975 – a neat touch in our eyes. A smaller-diameter GT Sports wheel, Bose audio and 18-way Adaptive Sports Seats Plus again make the lavish standard specification, the latter now with ‘Turbo S’ embossed stitching on the headrests with quilted seat centres. The rest of the Turbo S’s interior is a mix of full leather interior as standard alongside carbon trim with what Porsche describes as Light Silver accents.
Priced at £155,970 for the Turbo S Coupe (add another £10K if you want the Cabriolet version), Porsche says first deliveries of the 992 Turbo S will arrive late in 2020. It’s a comprehensive package that underlines the Turbo S’s significance as the pinnacle of the Porsche 911’s abilities, emphatically answering the supposedly impossible paradox of outstanding performance alongside premium comfort and luxury. This is most evident in its benchmark 0-62mph time, which is achieved in just 2.7 seconds – some twotenths quicker than its predecessor. A top speed of 205mph is unchanged, but the new Turbo S knocks an entire second off the sprint to time 120mph, now taking just 8.9 seconds. As if the 991.2 Turbo S wasn’t fast or capable enough before, the 992 Turbo S has moved the game on once more: it’s now truly a rocket ship with a steering wheel.
There’s still one glaring question though: why no standard Turbo? Porsche says a ‘base’ Turbo will indeed be introduced to the line-up at a later date, the 992 continuing its new trend of filtering down from top models as seen on the Carrera S and 4S. “More people buy the Turbo S,” Dr Frank-steffen Walliser, head of the 911 line, tells the media. The uber 992 has arrived, and we can’t wait to drive it very soon.