Porsche 911 Turbo 2021 Review

If the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo had to fill in a resume, I get the feeling it would write “nonchalant superiority” in the personality traits section.

Despite being compellingly capable in the areas of acceleration, braking and cornering, the new 992-series 911 Turbo does it all with the sort of quiet confidence normally associated with psychopaths.

But the unique skill set of the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo doesn’t come cheap. It’s priced from $405,000 for the coupe and $425,900 for the cabriolet, plus on-road costs, which is $8500 more than the price Porsche announced when it was revealed in mid-2020 and $20K more than the model it replaces.

In fact, although the latest 911 Turbo remains almost $70K cheaper than the range-topping Turbo S ($473,500), the curvaceous AWD scorcher is now in the same price ballpark as Italian supercars like the Ferrari Roma ($409,888) and Lamborghini Huracan ($378,900).

The new Porsche 911 Turbo is, however, one of the quickest cars you can buy today.

It’ll dispatch the 0-100km/h sprint in a claimed 2.8 seconds – making it just 0.1sec slower than the latest Turbo S and 0.2sec slower than the million-dollar 918 Spyder hypercar, as well as 0.1sec quicker than the previous Turbo S and 0.2sec quicker than the 991-series 911 Turbo – but the reality is it’s even quicker than that and it will do standing-start runs with clinical precision time and again.

It’s fast too, with an unchanged top speed of 320km/h if you have a road long enough. And while it’s no lightweight track-focussed GT3, it will cut seriously fast laps at any circuit – and will happily cop a flogging on road or track all day, every day, then come begging for more.

Indeed, like all Porsches, the 911 Turbo stands up to repeated racetrack punishment with frightening conviction, its ballistic 427kW flat six, eight-speed dual-clutch auto and big 408mm front brakes all taking a persistent beating without protest.

Of course, unlike the GT3, the Turbo has always been a relatively comfortable daily driver, but this test was exclusively track-based, so we’ll have to save judgement on its everyday usability for another time. But judging by the even faster Turbo S, it will hardly be a chore on the work-day commute.

In terms of equipment levels, your circa-$400K buys the latest generation 10.9-inch central touch-screen infotainment system, which is easy to use and looks great. Beneath this is a condensed control panel featuring a miniturised gear shifter surrounded by heating and cooling controls.

Heated sports seats come with 14-way power adjustability are standard but I reckon if you’re planning on a handful of track sessions each year it would be worth ticking the box for adaptive sports seats plus ($2120), which I found to be impressively supportive in high-G corners. Of course, there’s also the option of full bucket seats too, for a cool $11,250.

Other standard features include the Sport Chrono package, which unlocks all of the Turbo’s pace by adding launch control, plus an analogue stop watch on the dashboard, faster gear shifts via the eight-speed PDK auto and four selectable drive modes.

The 911 Turbo is fitted with an inviting (and heated) GT sports steering wheel with shift paddles, plus there’s a decent BOSE surround sound audio system, digital radio, power-folding wing mirrors with puddle lights.

But there’s a massive list of costly options, including the $35,810 Sport package that adds lots of black and carbon highlights, ‘exclusive design’ tail-lights, Turbo S alloy wheels and, for coupe models, a carbon-fibre roof.

Service intervals are a decent 12 months or 15,000km but it’s covered by a short three-year warranty and there’s no Euro NCAP or ANCAP safety rating – and the lack of lane departure warning or lane keeping systems make it unlikely to receive a top five-star rating anyway.

But all Porsche 911s do come standard with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), Lane Change Assist blind-spot monitoring, Warn and Brake Assist, Surround View, Comfort Access, ParkAssist front and rear sensors, reversing camera, tyre pressure monitoring, cruise control with speed limiter and twin front, side and head airbags, plus Porsche WET Mode, Keyless Go and, for the cabrio, pop-up rollover hoops

Sadly, the lack of incidental storage counts against its everyday usability.

The active aero game has been upped for the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo, which now gets a larger and more variable rear spoiler that adjusts automatically in relation to vehicle speed and other telemetry.

It works in conjunction with a larger active front spoiler that now extends lower than the previous model to enhance high-speed performance, while automatically controlled cooling flaps at the front of the car can reduce aerodynamic drag.

The new Turbo is based around a wider chassis and 45mm-wider body than before. Up front that allows a 42mm-wider track via 20-inch wheels with wider 255/35-section tyres.

The rear track has been stretched by 10mm and now accommodates huge 315/30-section tyres on larger 21-inch wheels.

There’s now also rear-axle steering to improve high-speed cornering but also tighten its turning circle at low speeds.

Other new standard tech includes LED headlights with PDLS Plus, or Porsche Dynamic Lighting System Plus, which can adjust their beams to better illuminate the road.

All models also come with Porsche Active Suspension Management, or PASM, which uses adaptive dampers to adjust the suspension for various scenarios, but there’s also a firmer electrically controlled 10mm-lower sports suspension option for $3120.

If you want the optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, or PDCC, which adds hydraulic active anti-roll stabilisation to further improve handling dynamics, you’ll have to splash out another $6750.

Add the carbon ceramic brakes with massive 10-piston fixed callipers at the front, and you’re looking at an extra $20,190 outlay. Which begs the question, why not go for the Porsche 911 Turbo S with the lot, at $473,900?

The unique German supercar’s pedigree is enhanced with every generation and the latest 992 series does not deviate from this path of steady improvement.

The 911 Turbo’s rear-mounted 3.8-litre boxer six (which actually displaces 3745cc) pumps out 427kW at 6500rpm and 750Nm over 2250-4500rpm. That’s an increase of 30kW and 40Nm, and 51kW/50Nm down on the new Turbo S.

Porsche says the performance improvements stem from symmetrical variable-geometry turbochargers with electrically-controlled bypass valves, a redesigned charge air cooling system and piezo injectors.

The revised engine is more responsive, more flexible and even freer-revving, but it’s the higher outputs that make this an incredibly rapid sports car off the line on any surface.

Enhancing its break-neck standing-start performance is an improved all-wheel drive system and new dual-clutch eight-speed (up from seven) PDK automatic, which features a Turbo-specific set-up to deliver heart-pounding acceleration.

Acceleration is arresting – even at higher speeds while punching out of the wide, sweeping corners of The Bend circuit in outback South Australia. While the force-fed engine may not deliver the spine-tingling acoustics of a V8, or even the higher-revving atmo GT3, the howl emanating from its large twin exhausts is equal parts angry and determined.

If you met the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo for lunch, it would be a relatively quiet, uninteresting and potentially boring individual, probably responding to questions with one-word answers.

But look more closely and you’ll see a special personality than many others won’t, and underneath the awkward silence there lurks an athlete par excellence.

After just a couple of laps at the largely unfamiliar circuit near Adelaide, the 911 Turbo feels entirely predictable and approachable, delivering convincing levels of grip, acceleration, braking, feedback and ultimately driver engagement.

Simply put, it’s a joy to drive at full tilt.

The 911 Turbo rotates on its axis and bites into corners using its wider front-end with an alacrity that’s almost disarming at first. The rear-wheel steering system helps here, as do the wide and sticky Pirelli tyres, which also provide confidence-filling levels of mid-turn grip and astonishing amounts of corner exit traction.

The electro-mechanical power-assisted steering is full of feel and delivers impressive accuracy, and works in tandem with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) to reduce understeer. There’s also an electronically regulated rear diff with mechanical locking function to maintain optimal grip out the back under heavy acceleration.

But unlike a lot of traditional rear-drive sports cars that allow you to turn in on the throttle, open the taps mid-bend and then power oversteer with confidence out of a corner, more patience is required with the 911 Turbo.

Getting off the gas to load up the front-end into corners and then waiting for its snout to point more straightly at the next apex before you stomp on the throttle ensures the best results. That’s because all that weight at the rear lightens the front-end under power, creating understeer into corners, and adds to the pendulum effect when exiting corners, creating oversteer.

As with any 911, being ham-fisted on the throttle doesn’t pay dividends in the Turbo, but get it right and it uses its rear weight bias to launch out of corners quicker than almost any other supercar, not to mention its easier to drive mid-engined 718 siblings.

Get it wrong and things can turn pear-shaped, but the 911 Turbo’s traction, safety nannies, mega brakes and outright performance conspire to create an almost unbeatable package – albeit one that must be handled with finesse before optimum results are achieved.

And those brakes are beastly, with 408mm front and 380mm rear disc (up 28mm and 2mm respectively) combining with six-piston aluminium fixed monobloc front callipers and four-piston rear callipers to produce colossal stopping power, as well as incredible feel and modulation through the pedal.

Together with the precise steering, the relationship between car and driver becomes almost intimate.

At The Bend my brain was initially telling me “you’re going to go off the track if you don’t brake earlier…” but with Bathurst 1000 winner and carsales regular Luke Youlden coaching, I trusted the car and by the end of the day I was cutting some ridiculously quick laps, laughing like a megalomaniac the whole while.

The 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo is a phenomenal feat of engineering – a car that may be somewhat challenging for novice drivers, but one that will reward those who take the time to master it.

As well as delivering impeccable driver involvement, it can also be treated like a punching bag, pummelled over and over on the racetrack without protest or any performance degradation.

The new Porsche 911 Turbo is a tremendously capable and profoundly engaging supercar. There’s no real downside to the vehicle, apart from it’s hum-drum appearance. But for many, its under-the-radar presentation is part of the appeal.

The toughest questions for genuine buyers will be how many options they wish to add and whether the Turbo S flagship is a more compelling package for the money.

Yes, they’re first-world problems and whichever way they go, buyers of any new 911 Turbo won’t be disappointed.

How much does the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe cost?
Price: $405,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.7-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 427kW/750Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 11.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 263g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A