Porsche 911 2010 review

strong lag-free twin-turbo seamless twin-clutch transmission launch control that needs no rest

Costly options list Pointless rear seats Tyre roar

Porsche has unveiled its quickest road car yet, the latest incarnation of the all-conquering 911 Turbo boasting more power and torque but not at the expense of thirst or emissions.  The new 911 Turbo has also had a slight price cut of around $1000 thanks in part to tariff reductions, although that's been offset by an upgraded features list.

Porsche Australia has more than 30 confirmed orders, out of an expected 90-odd cars for the first year and the company has a core audience that will put down cash and autographs without even driving a Turbo update.

Among the highlights of the new Turbo flagship is the addition — albeit as a $950 option — of proper paddleshifters behind the steering wheel, replacing the oft-maligned shift buttons of the Tiptronic.  Apparently the only reason they survived was a liking of them by the former CEO, but expect to the see them appear in other variants sooner rather than later.

Porsche is looking at 2010 as a year of consolidation, getting its dealer network using black ink across the board and working towards contributing to a global target volume of 150,000 units — which would mean Australia's volumes would have to effectively double.

There's no model plan in place to achieve it yet but the new Cayenne — expected mid-year — and a mooted SUV model below the Cayenne and a sportscar beneath the Boxster would help fill the volume gaps.

Price and equipment

The new 911 Turbo coupe and convertible range is on sale now and kicks off from $360,100 for the manual coupe, rising to a starting price of $368,000 for the PDK model, which is expected to represent around 80 per cent of the sales.

The Cabrio will retail for $386,200 in manual form, or the PDK will start from $394,100.  The standard features list includes power-adjustable leather seats, reach'n'rake adjustable leather-wrapped steering wheel, 19in alloy wheels, tyre pressure monitoring, active stability and suspension systems, power windows and auto-dimming mirrors, infotainment system with 13-speaker Bose Surround Sound and iPod integration, satnav, Bluetooth phone link, bi-xenon headlights, LED brake, tail and running lights, dual front and side airbags, trip computer and climate control.

Drivetrain and economy

The engine is 12kg lighter but has grown in size to 3.8 litres, following its naturally-aspirated brethren, albeit with upgraded internals to cope with the extra forces of two turbochargers.  Power had risen to 368kW from 353kW, torque has grown to 650Nm (or 700Nm for up to 10 seconds on overboost) — an increase of 30kW and 20Nm respectively.

The new 911 Turbo halo car also now has the PDK double-clutch seven-speed automated manual, which at 3.4 seconds is 0.2 of a second quicker to 100km/h than the six-speed manual — yes, Porsche hasn't killed of the manual like Ferrari has just yet.  The new all-wheel drive system varies torque almost infinitely front to rear and offers considerable traction.

Fuel consumption has dropped by 16 per cent to dwell in the mid-11 litres per 100km, with a 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions to around 270g/km.  Braking duties are taken care of by large cross-drilled discs with six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers; fork out an extra $20,000 and the discs are carbon-ceramic.

Other options are the Sport Plus Chrono Package for just over $8500 and the clever rear-limited slip diff system Porsche has labelled Torque Vectoring, which will add $3190 to the bottom line.

Driving

It doesn't matter if it’s suburban running, tight, switchback corners or longer flowing country roads, the new 911 Turbo deals with all situations with equal aplomb.  The ride is firm and a little jiggly, but there's a small level of compliance on metropolitan roads that makes it reasonably easy to use in daily traffic.

Get it out into the hills and the 911 starts to come alive, darting easily from corner to corner, without feeling rump-heavy or too light in the nose.  The steering is light but tactile and the PDK slips quickly and smoothly between gears.

Sport mode sharpens everything up but doesn't deal a harsh blow to the bum when the bumps arrive again — only the serious road ruts elicit a groan.  The gearchanges are more rapid and aggressive but shift-shock isn't part of the program, neither is lurid powerslides — this thing just sinks its claws in and fires away.

Launch control testing at a private proving ground showed off the new model's capabilities, returning telemetry for the sprint to 100km/h between 3.2 and 3.7 seconds, on a surface that had inconsistent traction.  But the Turbo's all-wheel drive system just fired the coupe away, covering an old quarter mile in an 11-second timeframe and topping 200km/h in the process.

A short circuit session showed off the Turbo's traction and ease of driving — despite the considerable outputs on offer, in Sport Plus mode the car's electronics flattered the driver, who could fling it into a corner and not exit bum-first.