TESTED: 2024 PORSCHE 911 TURBO IS AN EVERYDAY ROCKET
We'll admit we slice the bread pretty thin when it comes to Porsche 911s. With so many model variations, all of them great to drive, how can we not? Porschephiles each have their favorite, yet the excellence of a GT3 also largely applies to a Carrera T. We're not wading into comparisons here. This is simply a reminder that the stupendously rapid 911 Turbo, which closes in on its nameplate's 50th birthday next year, is still worth celebrating.
That we continue to gush over Porsche's ass-engined rocket nearly half a century on speaks to Porsche's commitment to ongoing development. Detractors will note that the Turbo is still just a 911, and that it's not even the quickest Porsche. They're right. The 1019-hp 2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is the quickest car we've ever tested to 60 mph, recalibrating our senses with a gobsmacking 1.9-second time—this is a different animal, one that very few new internal-combustion vehicles can show their taillights to. But uncork our 2024 test car's twin-turbo 3.7-liter flat-six, and the rich, 99-decibel howl of its $3490 active Sport Exhaust System at full throttle highlights a missing element in the electric formula for speed.
For maximum thrust from the Turbo's eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission's launch-control system, select Sport mode and hold down both pedals. Don't engage Sport Plus, as that increases the aerodynamic drag from the car's front and rear active spoilers. But depress the Sport Response button on the steering wheel, which ups the revs from 4000 to 5000 rpm. Brace your skull against the headrest to prevent whiplash and release the brake. In less than a second, the Turbo's 572 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque catapult you to 30 mph. The 60-mph mark falls in just 2.3 seconds—0.3 second ahead of a 670-hp Chevy Corvette Z06 yet only a similar amount behind a 986-hp Ferrari SF90 Stradale. Keep going and the quarter-mile passes in a blistering 10.3 seconds at 133 mph. Given enough room, blasts to 180 mph are 25.0-second exercises that the 911 Turbo seemingly can do all day long.
When it comes time to shed all that speed, the effectiveness of the Turbo's standard brakes—16.1-inch iron rotors in front clamped by six-piston calipers; four-pot, 15.0-inchers in back—is as disorienting as its acceleration. With our test car coming to a halt from 70 and 100 mph in 142 and 286 feet, respectively, the upcharge for Porsche's carbon-ceramic stoppers (starting at $9650) seems rather unnecessary. A modest (for a modern AWD supercar) 3693-pound curb weight is an all-around boon to the Turbo's capabilities. Standard rear-axle steering and grippy 20-inch front and 21-inch rear Pirelli P Zero PZ4 summer tires also help. Hurled around the skidpad, our example bonded with the pavement at a stout 1.06 g's of stick.
Yet it's not so much the latest 911 Turbo's deep well of performance that sets it apart, but how accessible it is. Rain or shine, on track or in traffic, the Turbo is both wickedly quick and supremely composed. Its variable all-wheel drive always finds traction. Porsche's eight-speed gearbox never flubs a shift, even when creeping around town. And the 911's relatively light steering twirls with fluid, millimeter-scale precision, helping you thread corners together like a fine tailor. Sure, there's a fair amount of road noise at 70 mph (75 decibels). Our test car's 0.4-inch-lower PASM Sport suspension ($1510) also occasionally clomped over highway expansion joints. But the 911 Turbo never feels flustered or out of shape. In the real world, aided by the active anti-roll bars of the $3170 Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) system, few cars at any price can carry more speed.
Being a 911, outward visibility is excellent, the $1150 Adaptive Sport Seats Plus are supportive without being restrictive, and overall interior space is far from claustrophobic. Though the Turbo's ride is taut, we easily logged hundreds of highway miles at a time without needing to see a chiropractor after. A previous example, a 2021 model, even averaged 27 mpg on our 75-mph fuel-economy test. The biggest changes since that test have centered on tech upgrades, including the addition of Porsche's latest infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity in the 10.9-inch center touchscreen.
Inflation has seen the plain-Jane 911 Turbo's base price increase to just below the $200K threshold, a dear sum indeed. At an as-tested $216,990, our Guards Red example passes for lightly optioned in the Porsche universe. Of course, you could shave a tenth of a second or two off its 60-mph time by splurging for the 640-hp, $232,050 Turbo S model, which adds carbon-ceramic brakes and PDCC as standard. You also could hone either's reflexes further with a Lightweight package ($11,400 on the Turbo), or have Porsche chop the roof off for $12,800. Flaunt it if you got it, we say, but it's hardly a must when the standard car is this talented. Even among 911s, the Turbo continues to earn its place as a legend.
