Porsche 911 Turbo S 2020 Review

It’s a well-worn cliché but the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo needs no introduction, not least the new Turbo S flagship of the latest 992-series 911 range.

But at a time when all 911s except GT3s are now turbocharged, it’s worth noting that in the rarefied world of circa-$500,000 supercars the new Turbo S brings all the right numbers and continues to set many of the most important benchmarks.

In true Porsche tradition, pricing is up by about $12K to $473,900 plus on-road costs for the coupe and nearly $495K for the cabriolet, pushing the Turbo S closer to rivals like the Ferrari F8 Tributo (from $484,888), Lamborghini Huracan Performante ($483,866) and McLaren 720S ($489,900).

But the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo S is now way more expensive than other super-coupes aimed directly at it, like the Audi R8 (from $295K), BMW M8 ($358K), Mercedes-AMG GT ($317K), Nissan GT-R ($194K) and the discontinued Honda NSX ($420K), none of which are likely to be cross-shopped against it.

On the flipside, the 992 Turbo S brings a new chassis, body, interior and technology suite, plus a redesigned version of the reason for its being – an all-new twin-turbo flat six that delivers more power, torque and acceleration, despite being downsized.

Now measuring 3745cc (down from 3800cc, technically making it a 3.7-litre after generations of 3.8-litre Turbo models), the new flat six is basically a bored-out version of the 3.0-litre boxer in other 911s.

It comes with a bigger pair of variable-geometry turbos, new electric wastegate and piezo injectors and upgraded intercoolers to deliver 478kW (650hp) of power – up 51kW (70hp) over its predecessor – and 800Nm of torque (50Nm more than before) from just 2500rpm.

Matched to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that replaces the old seven-speed PDK auto, an upgraded all-wheel drive system that can transfer up to 500Nm to the front axle if required and the latest traction management (PTM) system, Porsche claims it will send the Turbo S to 100km/h in 2.7 seconds – down two-tenths.

Despite weighing 40kg more than before at 1640kg unladen, Porsche says the 992-series Turbo S Coupe will hit 200km/h in just 8.9 seconds – a full second sooner than the 991.2.

And despite growing by almost 30mm in length (to a still-compact 4535mm, on a 2450mm wheelbase, which is shorter than that of a Toyota Yaris), by 45mm in width at the front (to 1840mm) and 10mm at the rear (now 1900mm and a broad 2024mm between mirrors), combined fuel consumption drops to 11.5L/100km.

The 911 Turbo S Cabriolet is 70kg heavier at 1710kg, but only slightly slower to 100km/h (2.8sec) and thirstier (11.7L/100km).

The wider rear-end allows the fitment of wider, staggered wheels for the first time, measuring 9.0x20-inch with 255/35 tyres up front and 11.5x21-inch with 315/30 rubber at the rear.

A new active aero package comprises the pop-up rear wing, cooling air flaps at the front and a new pneumatically adjustable front spoiler which, combined, can improve downforce by up 15 per cent.

Other fresh tech includes Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) with faster-active adaptive dampers and a 10mm-lower ride height than other 911s, giving the Turbo S a suitably low-slung, wide-hipped look.

This is aided by ‘Turbo-look’ LED matrix headlights and a more aggressive front bumper with bigger front air intakes, plus a full-length horizontal LED tail-light bar, quad rectangular exhaust outlets with a gloss-black finish.

Befitting its place at the top of the Porsche tree, there are few options available for the Turbo S, which comes standard with a number of extra features over the regular 911 Turbo that delivers ‘only’ 427kW/750Nm and arrives here in December.

These include Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), which costs $6750 on the Turbo, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) with 10-piston front callipers, Turbo S wheels, LED matrix headlights with Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS), 18-way adjustable adaptive sports front seats, two-tone leather trim, Lightsilver interior highlights and matt carbon inlays.

The top-shelf 911 requires servicing every 12 months or 15,000km, but Porsche offers only a three-year warranty.

It should be noted here that Porsche does not offer its cars for Euro NCAP crash testing and therefore none of its models including the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo S come with an equivalent ANCAP local safety rating.

And also that because the Porsche 911 does not come with a lane departure warning or lane keeping system, it’s unlikely to receive a top five-star rating anyway.

It’s unlikely that will sway any prospective 911 buyers, who will probably rejoice in the fact they won’t have to disable systems that bing and bong and tug at the wheel every time the car approaches a lane marking, as is the case with many new cars these days.

And Porsche 911s do come standard with all the useful safety devices now available industry-wide, including 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.

In terms of infotainment tech, the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) touch-screen has grown to 10.9 inches and includes Porsche Connect Plus with online navigation, Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay (but no Android Auto), voice control, 4G/LTE phone module, Bose Surround Sound system, digital radio and Porsche Car Remote Services.

The large central tacho in the instrument cluster is flanked by two 7.0-inch TFT screens in smaller circular displays that mirror all of the central monitor’s functions.

Other standard items include the Sport Chrono performance package, Porsche Track Precision App functionality, two-mode exhaust note, GT sports steering wheel, heated seats, dual-zone climate control, two USB ports, a 12-volt outlet and metallic paint.

At the risk of harping on it, it’s difficult to overstate the standing-start acceleration of the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo S.

Thanks to its all-wheel drive traction, it’s quicker to 100km/h than all of its rivals and even the epic 991.2-series GT2 RS (2.8sec) – despite the fact the rear-drive former range-topper is 50kg lighter than the 40kg-lighter 991.2 Turbo S and rides on sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber.

In fact, it’s the quickest Porsche ever, except for the million-dollar 918 Spyder limited-edition plug-in hybrid with optional Weissach pack – by a tenth of a second.

But given Porsche has a history of under-quoting its official acceleration claims, it’s likely to be the quickest conventional supercar currently available. Period. And with a slightly taller final drive ratio to prevent it upshifting to third just before 100km/h, it would likely be even quicker.

Behind the wheel, nothing else quite generates the violent, head-banging, breath-taking standing-start explosion the Turbo S produces off the line – no matter how slippery the surface. It never fails to shock, not matter how well you’ve prepared or how many times you try it.

Indeed, according to our stopwatch, it slammed down half a dozen 0-100km/h sprint times of well under three seconds in rapid succession – without any performance loss or complaint, and without voiding the car’s warranty…

Beyond the national highway limit, the others claw some time back, but not much. To 200km/h, the Turbo S is shaded only by the McLaren 720S and Ferrari F8 (by about a second), which also eclipse its top speed by about 10km/h.

The Turbo S is not the lightest in its class – not by a long shot – but its secret is a clever all-wheel drive system and a rear-mounted turbo boxer six (not a mid-mounted V8) to generate massive amounts of traction, which also comes in handy for exiting corners at any speed.

At a treacherously wet Morgan Park Raceway, with standing water on the fastest parts of the track, any other car with this much performance would have been a handful to say the least.

This is no stripped-out, race-ready GT3 after all, but the Turbo S made easy work of tapping into its near-hypercar level of performance, allowing a mere mortal like me to lap at a solid clip with confidence despite the diabolical conditions.

Like all 911s, the front-end of the Turbo S needs to be loaded up under brakes to get it turned most effectively, and understeer is there at the limit if you’re ham-fisted enough.

But with up to 500Nm of torque at the front wheels to haul you out of corners, and so much power-down grip available at the rear, the sheer speed this Porsche generates out of corners almost defies physics.

Not unlike its predecessor, the Turbo S begs you to get on the power harder, earlier – corner after corner, lap after lap. With so much traction and such clear, unfiltered feedback from all four corners, it will still flatter even a wood duck behind the wheel on a racetrack.

But this Turbo S feels more rewarding when the going gets tough. In the wet at Morgan Park, oversteer was there for the taking at almost any road or engine speed, requiring more finesse and making it feel less clinical than previous models. It still cossets its driver with immense AWD grip, but feels more playful at the rear and less likely to suffer fools than before.

Later in the day when the track dried out, carsales’ own Bathurst 1000 winner Luke Youlden logged a stunning 1m21sec lap time in the Turbo S on his one flying lap – about the same as he’s achieved before there in a 720S, but with much less effort at the wheel.

Sure, if it’s a track Porsche you’re after then buy a GT3 – or a GT2 if you can afford one – but this Turbo S is more involving than before and for sheer white-knuckle acceleration and effortless performance, nothing comes close.

On the road, the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo S is as docile as you like. Like most modern cars, it’s packed with tech that makes driving safer and more comfortable.

But in this case its many acronyms all excel at their specific purpose, improving the experience behind the wheel without intruding on the main aim of the game – driving. Fast.

Take PDCC, for example, which allows you to transform the Turbo from rock-hard track attacker to a reasonably plush country-road tourer – even on bumpy, broken Aussie roads – despite the super-low-profile rubber on big 20/21-inch wheels.

The drive mode dial on the steering wheel – in which the Normal, Sport, Sport Plus, Track and Wet modes all offer a noticeably different powertrain experience – is as handy as the front lift function, which raises the nose enough to be useful on sharp gutter crossings or rutted driveways.

Meantime, the dual-mode exhaust turns the civilised flat-six thrum into a banshee-like boxer wail at full-noise, giving the new Turbo engine an exhaust note that sounds better than ever – especially in the convertible.

Inside the bigger, quieter and more comfortable 2+2-seat cabin, the hip-hugging sports seats offer plenty of lateral support without being a chore for daily-driver work and there’s a huge amount of adjustment range in all directions. And the exposed stitching inspired by the original 930 Turbo is a nice touch.

There’s good vision in all directions but less so out the back of the cabriolet, which is very quiet with the roof up and very calm with the push-button wind blocker in place (preventing use of the rear seats, which are still pretty useless anyway).

The soft-top – available in black, blue, red or brown – takes just 14 seconds to raise or lower, and only 12 if you don’t count the windows.

In fact, apart from the blind spots in the convertible, there’s very little to complain about, except for the smallish air-vents and the distinct lack of cabin storage. Then again, there’s a 128-litre boot under the bonnet, and plenty of space for cargo on the back seats.

The classier, bigger new flat-panel infotainment touch-screen works seamlessly, intuitively and with more connectivity than ever, and looks great above the clean piano-black centre console. The pop-out door-handles are a bit gimmicky, but no doubt aid aero and will impress at the golf club.

More importantly, the 992 Turbo S body feels as tight as a bank vault, is squeak and rattle free and its electric power steering is as agile, responsive and communicative as any of the lauded hydraulic systems of 911s past.

Unlike some of its predecessors, the latest Turbo S never feels nervous or laggy when the going gets quick, and it takes a very tall gear, very low road speed and less than 2200rpm onboard in manual mode to make it feel like it lacks throttle response.

Everywhere else but especially in its devastating midrange there’s a shed-load of useful torque any time you call for it, thanks in part to the ever-ready eight-speed dual-clutch PDK auto.

There’s also a top-end power rush that extends to the 7000rpm limiter and is bettered only by the big-bore naturally aspirated boxer six in the GT3 RS.

Without doubt, this is one of the world’s most flexible ultra-performance engines ever built.

I’ve tested every Porsche 911 Turbo since the 993 and after every drive I wonder how the famed Stuttgart sports car marque will be able to improve on its latest masterpiece.

Granted, earlier Turbos offered terrifying speed and sledgehammer handling, but starting with the 996 they delivered towering performance and the ability to make bad drivers look good in equal measure.

So much so that the last few 911 Turbos have been labelled too easy to extract performance from, too sterile in terms of driver involvement and too short on the visual and aural drama of their Italian supercar foes in particular.

But the imposing new wide-bodied Turbo S not only takes the 911 formula to a new level in terms of design, but is more refined and more practical as an everyday driver than ever – despite setting new performance benchmarks.

The fact that performance is more accessible and more foolproof than ever, and that the latest Turbo S also brings a bigger dose of emotion than the last three generations, is icing on the cake.

Standard Turbo, GT3 RS and GT2 RS versions of the new 992-series are yet to come, and they may well be cheaper and more fun to drive respectively, but the latest Turbo S is no longer just for cashed-up posers.

When it comes to supercars with hypercar performance, the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo S may not be the cheapest, fastest or sexiest, but it is unequivocally the quickest and most complete.

As such, the greatest and most rewarding 911 Turbo ever sets a mighty high bar for the 992 GT3 RS due next year, and the 992.2 GT2 RS that will follow.

How much does the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe cost?
Price: $473,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.7-litre twin-turbo petrol flat six-cylinder
Output: 478kW/800Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 11.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 263g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested