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Opinion: Is the new Porsche 911 Turbo enough?

I may sound slightly mad for saying this about a car that produces 580hp and can officially sprint from 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds but I don’t think the new Porsche 991.2 Turbo S is enough. For the £3,653 premium over the outgoing Turbo S, I was expecting more.

Sure, at 205mph the 991.2 Turbo S now equals the fearsome 997 GT2 RS as the fastest Porsche 911 ever produced (in a straight line, at least) but how many places on the open road actually allow you to use the latest Turbo S’s new talent?

Instead, the figures that actually make a difference to your driving experience in the real world have barely changed. There’s only a 20hp boost in power for both the Turbo and Turbo S while the torque output of the twin turbocharged flat sixes hasn’t changed at all.

Porsche 991.1 Turbo S

At the very least, it feels like Porsche has missed a trick on its marketing front. A 600hp Porsche 911 Turbo S would have been quite something (especially as within months of the first generation 991 Turbo S’s launch, German tuners, TechArt had prised that exact figure from its 3.8-litre engine).

Elsewhere, the new 991.2 Turbo S is just 5 kilos lighter than its predecessor while Porsche is making a lot of noise about the ‘dynamic boost’ function of the new car, something that helps the throttle response of the Turbo models.

It’s hardly ground-breaking stuff though, especially compared to the changes made to the Porsche 911 Carrera range during the 991.2 update. The latter has gained new engines, PASM on Carrera models and the option of rear-wheel steering on the Carrera S variants.

Porsche 991.2 Turbo S interior

Some people will point out that this is only a facelift for the Porsche 911 Turbo but, last time around, the 997 Turbo line-up saw some quite major revisions as part of the Gen2 update, with a DFI engine and PDK gearbox joining the spec sheet.

Porsche’s decision to barely touch the mechanicals and simply refresh the 991 Turbo’s styling could be seen by some as complacency, an acceptance that the first generation car was pretty much close to perfect.

However, with ever improving opposition from the likes of McLaren, Porsche knows all too well the dangers of standing still. Hopefully, the Porsche 992 Turbo impresses more in a few years time; this disappointing launch has served to heighten my expectations for the next generation even further…

Do you agree with Josh? Were you hoping for more from the Porsche 991 Turbo’s midlife refresh? Join the debate in the comments below, or head to our Facebook and Twitter pages now. 

911 Turbo S

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